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Human Resources Specialist (Recent Graduate)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Alexandria, Virginia
Closing date
Mar 19, 2019
TRAVEL REQUIRED:

Not required


RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed No


KEY REQUIREMENTS:
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  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  • Suitable for Federal employment.
  • This position is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program.

    The Recent Graduates Program is a one-year program that targets individuals who have graduated from a qualifying educational institution or program within the past two years.  Veterans have up to six years after graduating from a qualifying educational institution to be eligible for the program due to their military service obligation.  Successful applicants will be placed in a dynamic, one-year career development program.  Throughout the program, selectees will participate in formal training, job assignments, and receive a mentor to develop competencies that enhance their career goals. After successful completion of the program requirements, the individual may, at the agency’s discretion, be converted to a term or permanent appointment in the competitive service.

    Recent Graduates are on a trial period for the duration of the program. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under an Individual Development Plan (IDP) plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

    In order to fulfill the training and development requirements of the Recent Gruaduates Program, participants must:

    • Be placed on an Individual Development Plan (IDP) completed and approved by the supervisor within 45 days of appointment.
    • Assigned a mentor within 90 days of appointment. 
    • Participate in at least 40 hours of formal interactive, occupation-specific training annually.

    Conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed.  Recent Graduates may be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position into the competitive service, provided there is an available position and they meet the following requirements for conversion:   

    • Successfully complete at least one year of continuous service;
    • Complete all requirements of the Recent Graduates program.
    • Receive a favorable recommendation by supervisor.
    • Meet the OPM Qualification Standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted. 
    • Meet any agency specific requirements as outlined in the Participant Agreement.
    • Perform the job successfully.

    Graduates who are converted from the Recent Graduate Program to a term appointment may later be converted into a permanent competitive service position.

    Applicants are required to meet the eligibility requirements of the Recent Graduate program, as described below, in order to be considered for this position.

    The minimum qualification requirements for each grade level of this vacancy announcement are described below:

    RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

    To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

    • U.S. Citizen.
    • Must be at least 16 years old.
    • Applicants must sign a Participant Agreement for Pathways Recent Graduate
    • Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two (2) years; OR
    • If you are a current student who is in the process of completing your degree, academic documentation must accompany your application package to validate your upcoming graduation date (you must complete all degree requirements within 9 months of the application closing date to be considered a Recent Graduate); OR
    • Individuals who, due to military service obligation, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduate Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period described above shall have a full two-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. This eligibility period cannot extend more than 6 years from the date on which the requirement for the academic degree or certificate was received.

    Applicants can qualify by meeting the EDUCATION requirements specified below and/or the SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE requirements.  You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions for Administrative and Management Positions. It is available for your review on the here.

    Specialized Experience:is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the federal service.

    Candidates for the GS-07 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service.

    Specialized experience includes experience in providing assistance and support to specialists or analysts who apply organizational regulations, principles, systems, policies, methods and practices, conducting fact-finding and research, and providing customer service support.

    OR

    Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education.

    OR

    Bachelor's Degree with Superior Academic Achievement demonstrated through class standing (upper third of the graduating class) as listed below;

    1) Grade Point Average (a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years education or courses completed during the final 2 years; or

    2) GPA of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on required courses in the major field); or

    3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. Please refer here for information on the OPM Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) provision.

    Please note that Superior Academic Achievement can only be applied if you have graduated or completed (or expect to complete within 9 months) all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

    Candidates for the GS-09 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service.

    Specialized experience includes experience applying regulations, principles, systems, policies, methods and practices; experience in researching, identifying, and applying human resources/human relations rules and regulations to provide information, guidance and resolve problems; experience developing, interpreting, and analyzing data extracts and reports from automated databases. 

    OR

    Master's or equivalent graduate degree

    or

    2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

    or

    LL.B. or J.D., if related

    OR
    You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education. 

    Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

    Education may be substituted for experience at this grade level.

    If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information.

    You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

    Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website – US Department of Education. Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

    NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

     

    Applicants applying for this position must be a United States Citizen.

    If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

    This is a Non- Bargaining Unit position.

    This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of moderate. 

    Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

    The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website.

    Trial Period- If selected, you may be required to complete an initial trial period.  A trial period will be required throughout the appointment.

    All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

    Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

    Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) will be eligible if they are assigned to the “well qualified” quality category under the category rating procedures.  Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the ‘Required Documents’ section of this announcement.

    More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued.

    All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.  If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act.  Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).

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    You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

    Your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position.  

    Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume.   Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate possession of any specialized experience and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement.

    The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies (KSA's). You do not have to respond to the KSA's.


    KSA 1: Knowledge of, and skill in applying, fundamental administrative laws, principles, systems, policies, methods, and practices.

    KSA 2: Knowledge of the basic analytical methods and techniques coupled with skill sufficient to resolve a range of human resources/human relations-related problems that are susceptible to treatment by standard methods.

    KSA 3: Ability to plan and organize work.

    KSA 4: Ability to communicate factual and procedural information clearly, orally and in writing.

    Applicants applying as CTAP or ICTAP candidates, and are determined CTAP or ICTAP eligible, must exceed the minimum qualification requirements to be referred under this selection priority placement program by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. For those deemed eligible and who meet the minimum qualifications, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions). Your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles who are not determined well-qualified by scoring at least 85 will not be referred under the CTAP/ICTAP selection priority placement program; however, will be referred for selection consideration with other minimally qualified applicants. 

    If you are invited for an interview, you may be required to provide a writing sample.

    If you are invited for an interview, you may be asked to bring a copy of your most recent performance appraisal if applicable.

    Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the "Required Documents" section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).


    To preview questions please click here.

    Read more Security clearance Other

    Drug test required No


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