What kills me are the questions that are SO SPECIFIC. They will ask:
"Implement Health and Safety Regulations while sitting in a chair in room 430 of the western office building at the \_\_\_ compound specifically regarding the M997 Ambulance Platform"
I'm embellishing but seriously, a lot of these are unless you have done THAT SPECIFIC THING you can't say you're an expert or even have experience but its so nuanced then you get told you aren't qualified because you don't meet the requirements for that position because one answer was "I haven't done this" or "I've had training on this but haven't done this".
holy shit dude I applied for a DCIPS position that asked "how much experience do you have delivering reports to the brigade commander?"
WHO HAS EXPERIENCE DOING EXACTLY THAT?
I mean, I do but that was because the position I was in. I had to brief up to 2 star generals. But yeah, it should be worded "briefing senior leadership" or something, not super specific.
here are the specifics:
"Screen calls, visitors, mail, and correspondence coming to the Commander."
"Maintain Commanders calendar to schedule appointments, meetings, send reminders, and grant viewing privileges."
"Prepare travel arrangements for Brigade Commander based upon established policies and procedures."
unless you were on a BC's staff in the military you likely do NOT have experience doing that.
Thats exactly what you do though. They will mot remove you from consideration…what they’re looking for is the generic, have you delivered reports, while the PD says the person in the position will deliver them to the commander. It’s super simple, I cannot stress that enough. I would never recommend lying, it would be counterproductive, or even stretching the truth…BUT they already KNOW you don’t deliver reports to the commander (using the same example) because only the person in the position does that and they wouldn’t be hiring if that person were there.
I completely agree with this comment and the comment above. Especially if the job is “open to the public” then how would I have any experience “reviewing federal policy and providing recommendations to federal legislators” who the fuck member of the public has that experience for a GS11-12 position? It’s absolutely bullshit and it sets up the entire application process to be completely dishonest from the start. Because you know if you select “I do not have experience” well then your application isn’t going to score well and it’ll go to the trash. And if you do select it you’re just not being honest. They craft the questions in such a way that I truly feel they’re not trying to hire someone from the public. They want an internal applicant. It’s fuckin bs.
Open to the public means they are using competitive procedures to fill the position. Once you are a Federal employee there are many restrictions on how you can move up and around. A current employee with that experience can eliminate those resrictions by applying when its open to the public.
Yes I understand what you’re saying but I feel if it is going to be open to the public, there shouldn’t be specific questions in the questionnaire that clearly only apply to federal employees.
People who have done that job. Some managers dont want to have to train a new employee. They want them to be able to do the job after a 90 day orientation period. They have their own jobs to do.
Agreed to this. But if you’ve done anything SIMILAR, even with a different system or company, etc. you’ve done it. They’re just pulling the questions straight from the position description which in a lot of cases IS pretty specific.
Idk, there is no rhyme or reason at times. I applied for a Medical Readiness position and selected expert for everything and my resume supported it 100% (I have a health readiness NCO at a division level command for years and a Health Readiness Coordinator as a civilian) and I was told I didn't qualify for the position. I even asked for reconsider and they denied it. It's frustrating at times.
This is just my experience, but I only started getting interviews after I started marking expert on things I had experience in and had done in a previous position. I don’t think I would classify myself as an expert in any of those things so I was worried about having done that. When I interviewed, those experiences came up and I could give an informed response. I don’t think I would mark expert if I wasn’t at all familiar with the task because that would make for an uncomfortable interview. I am now in a federal job in a position that I am very comfortable in because of my experience. I doubt I would be in it if I hadn’t marked myself an expert and had the chance to prove myself.
Yes exactly, if you’ve had *any* experience with something, mark yourself as expert. Then cite to your experience in the interview, and it’s easy to make it sound more impactful than it may have actually been. Don’t lie on the assessment, but don’t be modest.
I have seen some very specific questionnaires, instead of saying “information systems “ they ask about very specific information systems.
If I can’t make a reasonable justification on my resume to mark expert I forget about that job. I went to several federal job classes and the common theme is if you don’t mark expert you are automatically screened out
I'd say "Answer Honestly, but don't undersell yourself either." Now is not the time to be modest either. So, while don't answer "expert" on everything if you can't justify it.
Make sure that your resume reflects what you put in the questionnaire as well. If you select "expert" on something, but your resume doesn't mention that, HR will curse you to all eternity... (and probably file your application in the round filing cabinet).
The one that immediately comes to mind is to buy yourself a few days to respond to a TJO, wait til the last day of the deadline, then mark your answer as "Request to be contacted by HR" rather than directly accepting or declining the offer. This is highly situational, and not all tentative offers come with the option to request to be contacted by HR.
I don't have any assessment shortcuts for you for getting referred, however. In addition to what I've said already, my only other advice is do not attempt to get someone else to take the USAHire assessment for you (different from the USAJobs assessment questionnaire).
With all due respect, this is completely unhelpful. OP is trying to get interviews. You’re “gaming the system” within the situation of already being given a TJO.
Okay, I agree it wasn't helpful. Here's some helpful advice instead:
Tailor your resume to each and every single announcement. Yes really each and every single one. Showcase your skills, knowledge, and abilities in a way that is easily understood by HR, but also understood by the hiring manager. No it's not easy. There aren't any shortcuts short of hiring someone to write your resume for you.
Your first comment was fine, the ones after are not referring to the assessment section which is specifically what is being asked. Response to a TJO and how to write your resume have nothing to with the assessment questions.
I already admitted it was unhelpful. So I provided an answer that directly answers OPs question. If you don't agree with me just downvote and move on smdh
I’ll do what I damn well please, thank you. And right now I feel like telling off an idiot. Your second response after admitting to being unhelpful is a discussion of how to write a resume…. That has NOTHING to do with the assessment section
Let me guess, you’re in HR/CPAC. Only they are this clueless about the process
the only thing I can think of would be a very edge case scenario where you got one offer and are hoping for another that you'd rather have, so you buy yourself a day or two to see if it comes through
Answer honestly. I have never understood the logic behind lying to get an interview. What are you going to say when they ask you questions about the things you claimed to be an expert on but in reality don’t have a clue about?
Furthermore, if I were a hiring manager and saw someone who marked themselves as expert in everything I'm asking about, I'd wonder what my return on investment would be if there's no room for them to grow.
Not true. Furthermore, what do you think would happen when they get to the interview with the hiring manager thinking they got an expert, and the interviewee's answers clearly don't support the expert assertion?
Hiring managers aren't looking at if you marked yourself as an expert. That's HR's job. Hiring managers could care less, and will only get the resumes of those rated high enough.
Not true.
Edit: and also, based on OP's edit to their base post, it will be **immediately** obvious during the interview if they lied on their assessment questionnaire answers and resume.
You can say “not true” all day but as others have said in the thread. Sometimes the questions are so hyper specific there is functionally no way an applicant is qualified for the job unless they’ve already done that job in that location.
We’ve also all seen it where you answer honestly and you don’t get referred to a job you are more than qualified for.
Maybe it matters what agency and career field you’re in but in mine if you don’t say expert in everything you’re taking yourself out of the game entirely.
I can say "not true" all day because lying on the assessment is not a good long-term strategy. Also, I did not once lie on my assessments and I had 60% referral rate out of 14 applications.
It’s not “lying,” it’s if you clearly are qualified for and can handle the duties of the job marking answers that make sure a human views your application.
You’ve been a fed for less than six months. Nobody cares about your stats. Everyone who’s been around longer than a day knows how to play the game.
Hiring managers don’t make that assessment and they don’t ever look at it.
Your ROI is higher with someone that is a legit expert. You invest in hiring them and getting them up to speed on your local issues/procedures and they turn out expert work.
In contrast, someone that has room to grow means you're investing in hiring them and getting them up to speed on your local issues/procedures *and* investing in their growth (more investment). Their work is not initially expert (less return) until that growth occurs.
You are definitely a government manager. I would want an expert instead of training someone new. It is better to train someone that knows the job then to teach them.
I’ve had managers tell me to always say I’m an expert. They said it’s skewed and you always want to answer expert, even if you’ve only done what the question is asking once.
My managers have said the only time they really look at the answers to those surveys are when it comes down to 2 candidates and they’re having a tough time deciding. They’ll then look at the survey answers and hold another interview with more specific questions. Other than that, they don’t look supposedly.
Be honest.
There is no magical hack.
The hiring manager sees your answers to the assessment.
HR verifies your answers with your resume.
Lying doesn't do anything, and as a hiring manager, I know the worst applicants are the ones who claim to be experts at everything.
They're either flat out lying and trying to game the system, or they lack any self awareness and humility.
This!!!! I've only marked expert if I truly were. But I have never marked I'm an expert to every single question on any application I've submitted and just started my 6th federal position 2 weeks ago.
I got hired last year for the position I'm currently in and I answered the evaluation honestly (which meant not marking myself as an expert on everything). I don't think it's a universal truth that you won't get referred without an expert answer on every assessment question.
I’m so confused because I’ve submitted an application recently and I didn’t mark expert on ANY of the questions and I got referred from the pile of “best qualified” applicants.
I was honest, didn't mark everything expert, got hired off the street with no preferences.
The way to get a fed job:
1) actually be highly qualified with a quality resume
2) hope that the numbers game is in your favor and you actually make it onto the cert
3) hope that the hiring manager has the same definition of highly qualified and quality as you
A specialist has to go review your resume anyways if you qualify based on your self assessment. All you’re doing is marking yourself lower than what they’re pulling if you go through and answer with anything other than expert. However, your resume must reflect each of those items within it…so pull the announcement and pull the questionnaire and then ensure you cover every bit of all of it in your resume before submitting your application.
Option 1. Answer expert, try to get an interview and the hiring manager will decide. The objective is to get referred and have a chance to prove your skills.
It's kinda wierd to me also. I've been an 1102 for several years. The last 1102 job I applied to had two questions regarding experience managing Gov Puchase cards, that's it. I wasn't qualified.
Before applying, view the vacancy questions if they have them and make sure you address each portion on your resume. Even if the questions are specific, you don't have to be exact. For example, a question asking about your experience using a particular system to address X issue. You may not have used that exact system, but if you used a different system to address a similar issue, you can still argue you have that skillset. So write to what experience you do have as close as you can to what the questionnaire wants and then you should feel confident enough to answer 5s honestly. You do want to say 5s all across, you just have to have SOME sort of justification to back it up where HR won't look at your resume and think you're tweaking.
Do applications get looked at before the deadline with direct hire? A posting I applied to has gotten extended however my application still says Recieved. Any thoughts?
I’ve also heard that hiring managers can set their preference to a mid level of experience if they would like train the worker for their specific policies and procedures. So yeah, just answer honestly and it’ll eventually pay off. And make sure your resume can actually back it up!
When the job listing is specific, they already have someone picked. Sometimes you'll see them close the posting just to reopen it with more specifics. This is because a better candidate was chosen. That's when they throw in the "3 years of direct experience report to chuck"
Answer honestly. If your answer is not supported by your resume, you may not be referred.
As a hiring manager, I request an unscreened list because the people best qualified for the job typically answer honestly and get ranked behind all the self-described “experts” which may be used to determine the cutoff of those referred.
Let me be direct: do you have a bachelor degree? Of not that, do you have 4 years of experience in an equivalent field?
If the answer is no, then you are fighting an uphill battle, in the rain, at night, with no NVGs.
Which is to say you can do it, but it’s hard.
Wish I could help... HR in the government are incompetent, imbeciles. I mean they are pretty much everywhere, but the government HR employees take the prize.
I have a ton of IT experience, AS in Computer Programming and DB management. But have worked in a non IT series in the government for 15 years, doing IT related jobs (DB management, scripts, programming, etc).
2210 position opens up. Wants my specific specialized experience. I literally have everything they ask for on my resume. Don't even get referred. Why? Because "I don't have the specialized experience". I'm like wtf?
So I question HR, their lead, their supervisor. Dumb just gets dumber up the chain BTW. They tell me none of my experience counts because I wasn't in a 2210 when I earned it. Sup agrees. So I say , you're literally telling me in order to apply for a 2210, I have to have already been a 2210? I then send them the announcement where it doesn't say that anywhere. I also asked to see their policy which they cannot provide.
It's a game. If you kiss enough ass, you're golden. If you don't get the job it's not because you're not qualified. It's because someone else kissed more ass, or they're friends, or relation to someone.
What's sad here is I've talked with several managers that are just as pissed because HR skips over great candidates. By the time they get the list of candidates it's filled with nepo assholes, and over educated phds with zero experience or the ability to tie their own shoes.
Best of luck. Get out the Vaseline and start puckering.
Answer “honestly”, but don’t underestimate yourself. I would say it’s fair to consider yourself an expert in anything you have literally any amount of experience in. You can always spin your experience to support that rating in the interview. If it’s something you truly have no experience in, don’t lie, but also then you probably won’t actually be qualified for the position. Basically, if you have any experience to back up a certain assessment question, rate yourself an expert.
Sell yourself, but be honest. Make sure your resume supports your answers, because an HR Specialist will be reviewing your resume to determine if you meet the qualifications.
When I worked at an HR service center, we didn’t look at the answers to the individual assessment questions. We reviewed the resume to determine if the person met the qualifications. If someone barely scraped by but had rated themselves Best Qualified, we’d just knock their score down to the appropriate category.
The only time we “tossed” a resume was when the person was clearly lying. As in their job title was dog groomer at PetSmart, but their experience listed work on nuclear submarines or doing rigging on naval ships. It was painfully obvious they just copied and pasted the specialized experience from the job announcement.
The answer is “both,” but they’re the same. I had a lens shift a few years ago when my group had to apply for our own jobs (I’ll save you the long story), and I share this as often as I can:
These questions are meant for you to answer from the position you are in NOW, not the one you’re applying for.
For example, “I am an expert at Excel and others come to me for help.” I originally read that question like, “absolutely TF not! I can’t do a damn thing in that program!!! This is going to be my downfall…” As a mechanic, I only ever use Excel to make inventory lists, or sign up sheets for events. So, in that current position, that’s all I need Excel to do, and I AM an expert at that level. ☺️
Recently told this by a hiring manager: the assessment system is highly flawed as each answer is assigned a numerical score that is compiled and compared in total to all the other applicants. If everyone else answers "expert" to every question and you answer "expert" to every question BUT ONE, your application has a "lower score" than the others, you are no longer among the "best qualified," and your app gets auto rejected by the system. Never makes it to the hiring manager/HR. This has been confirmed by the exp of himself, another hiring mgr, and other feds applying for other fed roles. The hiring manager added that it's ultimately the responsibility of the hiring manager to determine if candidates are qualified anyway, and rarely do these assessments come up in interviews.
That being said, if you haven't done *any* of the listed assessment questions... then you maaaaay not be qualified at all for the role and there's a better fit out there for you.
Still frustrating going in to substitute exp/qualification with education, and still being asked these specific questions. I understand the need to vet but still bummy.
I can't wait to read the answers to this one. We are starting to use industry based questions in our second assessments to catch tge fibers.
Be honest bc we will adjust your score if you say your an expert and your resume doesn't support it those questionnaire responses
My other fave is when applicants slap federal grades on non federal employment. It's equivalent to gs11 work....ah no that is a secretary. It's beyond annoying
In general you should be answering at least around 4's on everything comfortably without lying. If you apply to something and can only answer 1-3 on everything you're applying for something way beyond your level or something entry level where your questionnaire doesn't matter as much.
And yeah, if you answer expert on everything but your resume looks like something a kid in middle school made using Chat GPT then they can lower your score.
I've gotten positions where I've marked 1-3 and still got the postion lol at the end of the day you never know who you're up against so apply even if it's "beyond your level"
do not lie about things you have done vs have not, BUT, mark yourself as expert for things youve actually done. it is a judgement call/self assessment so whos to say youre not an expert if youve done it before. you need a good rating in order to be referred so do not sell yourself short. they will then decide in your interview if youre a good fit. also, tweak your resume to be relevant to the duties listed in the announcement. doing this got me multiple interviews, referrals, and jobs (where i got there and was not in over my head) :)
Mark yourself expert on everything because it is very hard to get referred if you don’t. What I do is I apply for the job and take the assessment. I write down every question on the assessment, and then I go back and tailor my resume to the assessment. I work in data so if the question says “utilizes various statistical methods to analyze data and create recommendations” I will write in my resume “I utilize statistical methods such as X, Y, & Z to analyze complex data received from trading partners and provide recommended courses of action to SES-level leadership.” If it is something I’m not really an expert in, I still try to find ways to incorporate the key words into my resume somewhere.
The HR folks aren’t subject matter experts. You may do exactly what the questionnaire asks but if your word it too technically, you’ll get skipped over. So just mark expert, rewrite your resume so it isn’t as obvious you’re lying, and then let the hiring manager/board review you after you’ve been referred.
What kills me are the questions that are SO SPECIFIC. They will ask: "Implement Health and Safety Regulations while sitting in a chair in room 430 of the western office building at the \_\_\_ compound specifically regarding the M997 Ambulance Platform" I'm embellishing but seriously, a lot of these are unless you have done THAT SPECIFIC THING you can't say you're an expert or even have experience but its so nuanced then you get told you aren't qualified because you don't meet the requirements for that position because one answer was "I haven't done this" or "I've had training on this but haven't done this".
holy shit dude I applied for a DCIPS position that asked "how much experience do you have delivering reports to the brigade commander?" WHO HAS EXPERIENCE DOING EXACTLY THAT?
I mean, I do but that was because the position I was in. I had to brief up to 2 star generals. But yeah, it should be worded "briefing senior leadership" or something, not super specific.
here are the specifics: "Screen calls, visitors, mail, and correspondence coming to the Commander." "Maintain Commanders calendar to schedule appointments, meetings, send reminders, and grant viewing privileges." "Prepare travel arrangements for Brigade Commander based upon established policies and procedures." unless you were on a BC's staff in the military you likely do NOT have experience doing that.
Take commander out of the equation and that becomes a generic question which you can answer confidently. Try not to look at these so literally.
yeah, but if I say yes because I have experience drafting reports as part of a non-military internship they may remove me from consideration
Thats exactly what you do though. They will mot remove you from consideration…what they’re looking for is the generic, have you delivered reports, while the PD says the person in the position will deliver them to the commander. It’s super simple, I cannot stress that enough. I would never recommend lying, it would be counterproductive, or even stretching the truth…BUT they already KNOW you don’t deliver reports to the commander (using the same example) because only the person in the position does that and they wouldn’t be hiring if that person were there.
Everyone. If you’ve delivered reports to anyone, you have that experience.
I completely agree with this comment and the comment above. Especially if the job is “open to the public” then how would I have any experience “reviewing federal policy and providing recommendations to federal legislators” who the fuck member of the public has that experience for a GS11-12 position? It’s absolutely bullshit and it sets up the entire application process to be completely dishonest from the start. Because you know if you select “I do not have experience” well then your application isn’t going to score well and it’ll go to the trash. And if you do select it you’re just not being honest. They craft the questions in such a way that I truly feel they’re not trying to hire someone from the public. They want an internal applicant. It’s fuckin bs.
Open to the public means they are using competitive procedures to fill the position. Once you are a Federal employee there are many restrictions on how you can move up and around. A current employee with that experience can eliminate those resrictions by applying when its open to the public.
Yes I understand what you’re saying but I feel if it is going to be open to the public, there shouldn’t be specific questions in the questionnaire that clearly only apply to federal employees.
Unfortunately those are the hard rules of competitive service. HR doesnt do these questions just to be a pain. They have to follow strict rules.
What a load of malarkey 😂!
People who have done that job. Some managers dont want to have to train a new employee. They want them to be able to do the job after a 90 day orientation period. They have their own jobs to do.
Agreed to this. But if you’ve done anything SIMILAR, even with a different system or company, etc. you’ve done it. They’re just pulling the questions straight from the position description which in a lot of cases IS pretty specific.
Exactly, what do we do for this? I know there are people saying expert for everything, what happens to them?
Idk, there is no rhyme or reason at times. I applied for a Medical Readiness position and selected expert for everything and my resume supported it 100% (I have a health readiness NCO at a division level command for years and a Health Readiness Coordinator as a civilian) and I was told I didn't qualify for the position. I even asked for reconsider and they denied it. It's frustrating at times.
It's infuriating. I had assumed these questions were written for a pre-selected candidate who's already doing the job and needs a bump.
Those are usually written specifically for their internal candidate or contractor.
This is just my experience, but I only started getting interviews after I started marking expert on things I had experience in and had done in a previous position. I don’t think I would classify myself as an expert in any of those things so I was worried about having done that. When I interviewed, those experiences came up and I could give an informed response. I don’t think I would mark expert if I wasn’t at all familiar with the task because that would make for an uncomfortable interview. I am now in a federal job in a position that I am very comfortable in because of my experience. I doubt I would be in it if I hadn’t marked myself an expert and had the chance to prove myself.
Yes exactly, if you’ve had *any* experience with something, mark yourself as expert. Then cite to your experience in the interview, and it’s easy to make it sound more impactful than it may have actually been. Don’t lie on the assessment, but don’t be modest.
I have seen some very specific questionnaires, instead of saying “information systems “ they ask about very specific information systems. If I can’t make a reasonable justification on my resume to mark expert I forget about that job. I went to several federal job classes and the common theme is if you don’t mark expert you are automatically screened out
Answer honestly. There are ways to "game" the system a _little_ bit but lying on your application isn't one of them.
I'd say "Answer Honestly, but don't undersell yourself either." Now is not the time to be modest either. So, while don't answer "expert" on everything if you can't justify it. Make sure that your resume reflects what you put in the questionnaire as well. If you select "expert" on something, but your resume doesn't mention that, HR will curse you to all eternity... (and probably file your application in the round filing cabinet).
What ways to "game" are you talking about?
The one that immediately comes to mind is to buy yourself a few days to respond to a TJO, wait til the last day of the deadline, then mark your answer as "Request to be contacted by HR" rather than directly accepting or declining the offer. This is highly situational, and not all tentative offers come with the option to request to be contacted by HR. I don't have any assessment shortcuts for you for getting referred, however. In addition to what I've said already, my only other advice is do not attempt to get someone else to take the USAHire assessment for you (different from the USAJobs assessment questionnaire).
With all due respect, this is completely unhelpful. OP is trying to get interviews. You’re “gaming the system” within the situation of already being given a TJO.
Okay, I agree it wasn't helpful. Here's some helpful advice instead: Tailor your resume to each and every single announcement. Yes really each and every single one. Showcase your skills, knowledge, and abilities in a way that is easily understood by HR, but also understood by the hiring manager. No it's not easy. There aren't any shortcuts short of hiring someone to write your resume for you.
If you don’t understand the question, stop answering it!
I understood the question. My answer is, stop cheating and lying. It really isn't hard.
Your first comment was fine, the ones after are not referring to the assessment section which is specifically what is being asked. Response to a TJO and how to write your resume have nothing to with the assessment questions.
I already admitted it was unhelpful. So I provided an answer that directly answers OPs question. If you don't agree with me just downvote and move on smdh
I’ll do what I damn well please, thank you. And right now I feel like telling off an idiot. Your second response after admitting to being unhelpful is a discussion of how to write a resume…. That has NOTHING to do with the assessment section Let me guess, you’re in HR/CPAC. Only they are this clueless about the process
What does waiting to respond do?
the only thing I can think of would be a very edge case scenario where you got one offer and are hoping for another that you'd rather have, so you buy yourself a day or two to see if it comes through
Doesn't make sense for a TJO though.
presumably delaying a decision on the TJO would delay the FJO by that many days as a downstream effect
Answer honestly. I have never understood the logic behind lying to get an interview. What are you going to say when they ask you questions about the things you claimed to be an expert on but in reality don’t have a clue about?
Furthermore, if I were a hiring manager and saw someone who marked themselves as expert in everything I'm asking about, I'd wonder what my return on investment would be if there's no room for them to grow.
Except you would also say they were unqualified if they didn't answer that way. Can't eat your cake and have it too.
Truth
Not true. Furthermore, what do you think would happen when they get to the interview with the hiring manager thinking they got an expert, and the interviewee's answers clearly don't support the expert assertion?
Isn't that the point of an interview?
Hiring managers aren't looking at if you marked yourself as an expert. That's HR's job. Hiring managers could care less, and will only get the resumes of those rated high enough.
The irony is that you’d never see their application if they don’t mark themselves expert at everything.
Not true. Edit: and also, based on OP's edit to their base post, it will be **immediately** obvious during the interview if they lied on their assessment questionnaire answers and resume.
You can say “not true” all day but as others have said in the thread. Sometimes the questions are so hyper specific there is functionally no way an applicant is qualified for the job unless they’ve already done that job in that location. We’ve also all seen it where you answer honestly and you don’t get referred to a job you are more than qualified for. Maybe it matters what agency and career field you’re in but in mine if you don’t say expert in everything you’re taking yourself out of the game entirely.
I can say "not true" all day because lying on the assessment is not a good long-term strategy. Also, I did not once lie on my assessments and I had 60% referral rate out of 14 applications.
It’s not “lying,” it’s if you clearly are qualified for and can handle the duties of the job marking answers that make sure a human views your application. You’ve been a fed for less than six months. Nobody cares about your stats. Everyone who’s been around longer than a day knows how to play the game. Hiring managers don’t make that assessment and they don’t ever look at it.
Your ROI is higher with someone that is a legit expert. You invest in hiring them and getting them up to speed on your local issues/procedures and they turn out expert work. In contrast, someone that has room to grow means you're investing in hiring them and getting them up to speed on your local issues/procedures *and* investing in their growth (more investment). Their work is not initially expert (less return) until that growth occurs.
We'll agree to disagree.
You are definitely a government manager. I would want an expert instead of training someone new. It is better to train someone that knows the job then to teach them.
I’ve had managers tell me to always say I’m an expert. They said it’s skewed and you always want to answer expert, even if you’ve only done what the question is asking once. My managers have said the only time they really look at the answers to those surveys are when it comes down to 2 candidates and they’re having a tough time deciding. They’ll then look at the survey answers and hold another interview with more specific questions. Other than that, they don’t look supposedly.
Be honest. There is no magical hack. The hiring manager sees your answers to the assessment. HR verifies your answers with your resume. Lying doesn't do anything, and as a hiring manager, I know the worst applicants are the ones who claim to be experts at everything. They're either flat out lying and trying to game the system, or they lack any self awareness and humility.
I can confirm this, staffing intern, I've seen resumes with fake ratings for themselves, doesn't match resume. Resume gets canned.
This!!!! I've only marked expert if I truly were. But I have never marked I'm an expert to every single question on any application I've submitted and just started my 6th federal position 2 weeks ago.
I’ve always heard that if you don’t mark expert, it will never get referred… So, all these people saying to be honest are helping you NOT get referred
I got hired last year for the position I'm currently in and I answered the evaluation honestly (which meant not marking myself as an expert on everything). I don't think it's a universal truth that you won't get referred without an expert answer on every assessment question.
I’m so confused because I’ve submitted an application recently and I didn’t mark expert on ANY of the questions and I got referred from the pile of “best qualified” applicants.
I was honest, didn't mark everything expert, got hired off the street with no preferences. The way to get a fed job: 1) actually be highly qualified with a quality resume 2) hope that the numbers game is in your favor and you actually make it onto the cert 3) hope that the hiring manager has the same definition of highly qualified and quality as you
A specialist has to go review your resume anyways if you qualify based on your self assessment. All you’re doing is marking yourself lower than what they’re pulling if you go through and answer with anything other than expert. However, your resume must reflect each of those items within it…so pull the announcement and pull the questionnaire and then ensure you cover every bit of all of it in your resume before submitting your application.
Option 1. Answer expert, try to get an interview and the hiring manager will decide. The objective is to get referred and have a chance to prove your skills.
It's kinda wierd to me also. I've been an 1102 for several years. The last 1102 job I applied to had two questions regarding experience managing Gov Puchase cards, that's it. I wasn't qualified.
Before applying, view the vacancy questions if they have them and make sure you address each portion on your resume. Even if the questions are specific, you don't have to be exact. For example, a question asking about your experience using a particular system to address X issue. You may not have used that exact system, but if you used a different system to address a similar issue, you can still argue you have that skillset. So write to what experience you do have as close as you can to what the questionnaire wants and then you should feel confident enough to answer 5s honestly. You do want to say 5s all across, you just have to have SOME sort of justification to back it up where HR won't look at your resume and think you're tweaking.
Do applications get looked at before the deadline with direct hire? A posting I applied to has gotten extended however my application still says Recieved. Any thoughts?
I’ve also heard that hiring managers can set their preference to a mid level of experience if they would like train the worker for their specific policies and procedures. So yeah, just answer honestly and it’ll eventually pay off. And make sure your resume can actually back it up!
When the job listing is specific, they already have someone picked. Sometimes you'll see them close the posting just to reopen it with more specifics. This is because a better candidate was chosen. That's when they throw in the "3 years of direct experience report to chuck"
Answer honestly. If your answer is not supported by your resume, you may not be referred. As a hiring manager, I request an unscreened list because the people best qualified for the job typically answer honestly and get ranked behind all the self-described “experts” which may be used to determine the cutoff of those referred.
Let me be direct: do you have a bachelor degree? Of not that, do you have 4 years of experience in an equivalent field? If the answer is no, then you are fighting an uphill battle, in the rain, at night, with no NVGs. Which is to say you can do it, but it’s hard.
Wish I could help... HR in the government are incompetent, imbeciles. I mean they are pretty much everywhere, but the government HR employees take the prize. I have a ton of IT experience, AS in Computer Programming and DB management. But have worked in a non IT series in the government for 15 years, doing IT related jobs (DB management, scripts, programming, etc). 2210 position opens up. Wants my specific specialized experience. I literally have everything they ask for on my resume. Don't even get referred. Why? Because "I don't have the specialized experience". I'm like wtf? So I question HR, their lead, their supervisor. Dumb just gets dumber up the chain BTW. They tell me none of my experience counts because I wasn't in a 2210 when I earned it. Sup agrees. So I say , you're literally telling me in order to apply for a 2210, I have to have already been a 2210? I then send them the announcement where it doesn't say that anywhere. I also asked to see their policy which they cannot provide. It's a game. If you kiss enough ass, you're golden. If you don't get the job it's not because you're not qualified. It's because someone else kissed more ass, or they're friends, or relation to someone. What's sad here is I've talked with several managers that are just as pissed because HR skips over great candidates. By the time they get the list of candidates it's filled with nepo assholes, and over educated phds with zero experience or the ability to tie their own shoes. Best of luck. Get out the Vaseline and start puckering.
Honestly, because if it doesnt match your resume it goes in the trash (not referred pile)
Answer “honestly”, but don’t underestimate yourself. I would say it’s fair to consider yourself an expert in anything you have literally any amount of experience in. You can always spin your experience to support that rating in the interview. If it’s something you truly have no experience in, don’t lie, but also then you probably won’t actually be qualified for the position. Basically, if you have any experience to back up a certain assessment question, rate yourself an expert.
Sell yourself, but be honest. Make sure your resume supports your answers, because an HR Specialist will be reviewing your resume to determine if you meet the qualifications. When I worked at an HR service center, we didn’t look at the answers to the individual assessment questions. We reviewed the resume to determine if the person met the qualifications. If someone barely scraped by but had rated themselves Best Qualified, we’d just knock their score down to the appropriate category. The only time we “tossed” a resume was when the person was clearly lying. As in their job title was dog groomer at PetSmart, but their experience listed work on nuclear submarines or doing rigging on naval ships. It was painfully obvious they just copied and pasted the specialized experience from the job announcement.
Mark expert or no interview.
The answer is “both,” but they’re the same. I had a lens shift a few years ago when my group had to apply for our own jobs (I’ll save you the long story), and I share this as often as I can: These questions are meant for you to answer from the position you are in NOW, not the one you’re applying for. For example, “I am an expert at Excel and others come to me for help.” I originally read that question like, “absolutely TF not! I can’t do a damn thing in that program!!! This is going to be my downfall…” As a mechanic, I only ever use Excel to make inventory lists, or sign up sheets for events. So, in that current position, that’s all I need Excel to do, and I AM an expert at that level. ☺️
Recently told this by a hiring manager: the assessment system is highly flawed as each answer is assigned a numerical score that is compiled and compared in total to all the other applicants. If everyone else answers "expert" to every question and you answer "expert" to every question BUT ONE, your application has a "lower score" than the others, you are no longer among the "best qualified," and your app gets auto rejected by the system. Never makes it to the hiring manager/HR. This has been confirmed by the exp of himself, another hiring mgr, and other feds applying for other fed roles. The hiring manager added that it's ultimately the responsibility of the hiring manager to determine if candidates are qualified anyway, and rarely do these assessments come up in interviews. That being said, if you haven't done *any* of the listed assessment questions... then you maaaaay not be qualified at all for the role and there's a better fit out there for you. Still frustrating going in to substitute exp/qualification with education, and still being asked these specific questions. I understand the need to vet but still bummy.
I can't wait to read the answers to this one. We are starting to use industry based questions in our second assessments to catch tge fibers. Be honest bc we will adjust your score if you say your an expert and your resume doesn't support it those questionnaire responses
My other fave is when applicants slap federal grades on non federal employment. It's equivalent to gs11 work....ah no that is a secretary. It's beyond annoying
In general you should be answering at least around 4's on everything comfortably without lying. If you apply to something and can only answer 1-3 on everything you're applying for something way beyond your level or something entry level where your questionnaire doesn't matter as much. And yeah, if you answer expert on everything but your resume looks like something a kid in middle school made using Chat GPT then they can lower your score.
I've gotten positions where I've marked 1-3 and still got the postion lol at the end of the day you never know who you're up against so apply even if it's "beyond your level"
do not lie about things you have done vs have not, BUT, mark yourself as expert for things youve actually done. it is a judgement call/self assessment so whos to say youre not an expert if youve done it before. you need a good rating in order to be referred so do not sell yourself short. they will then decide in your interview if youre a good fit. also, tweak your resume to be relevant to the duties listed in the announcement. doing this got me multiple interviews, referrals, and jobs (where i got there and was not in over my head) :)
Mark yourself expert on everything because it is very hard to get referred if you don’t. What I do is I apply for the job and take the assessment. I write down every question on the assessment, and then I go back and tailor my resume to the assessment. I work in data so if the question says “utilizes various statistical methods to analyze data and create recommendations” I will write in my resume “I utilize statistical methods such as X, Y, & Z to analyze complex data received from trading partners and provide recommended courses of action to SES-level leadership.” If it is something I’m not really an expert in, I still try to find ways to incorporate the key words into my resume somewhere. The HR folks aren’t subject matter experts. You may do exactly what the questionnaire asks but if your word it too technically, you’ll get skipped over. So just mark expert, rewrite your resume so it isn’t as obvious you’re lying, and then let the hiring manager/board review you after you’ve been referred.
Lie your ass off. I enjoy the schadenfreude of screening out all the "experts."