Duties

Summary

This position of STUDENT TRAINEE starts at an hourly salary of $22.53 GS-07 grade level, step 01, with pay potential to $29.29 GS-07 grade level, step 10.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Assist Specialists who coordinate a variety of administrative, management support, and resource management functions such as human resources, personnel management, property and space management.
• Compile statistical data and maintain a database to store management information that is used in making organizational decisions.
• Editing and creating office documents and correspondence using office automation software. (i.e. graphics, databases, spreadsheets and word processing).
• Performing analysis on files, reports and information systems and databases to update information and maintain data integrity.
• Producing highly sensitive and secure documents.
• Assist with research and design for employee-driven innovation projects.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
7

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

To be eligible for this opportunity, you must be able to attend school and physically report to the actual hiring office, on a pre-determined schedule, in order to carry out work assignments. Remote location assignments or a telework schedules, is not currently an option.

Pathways Participant Agreement: All Student Interns are required to sign the Pathways Program Participant Agreement which outlines program requirements and non-competitive conversion eligibility.

The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the closing date of this announcement 10/25/2019.

Residency Requirement: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This residency requirement states that candidates must have, for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position; (1) resided in the United States; OR (2) worked for the United States Government as an employee overseas in a Federal or Military capacity, OR (3) been a dependent of a U.S. Federal or Military employee serving overseas.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Conditions of Employment:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply for this position.
• Successfully pass a Background Investigation including financial disclosure.
• You must pass a drug screening.
• You must submit resume and supporting documentation.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Political appointees may require OPM approval before on-boarding.

Qualifications

This is a Student Intern position in the Pathways Program. Selected individuals are placed in an excepted service position that integrates their academic studies with relevant federal work experience. At the successful completion of the Student Intern's academic studies and program requirements, the agency may non-competitively convert the student to a term or permanent position in the competitive service. Conversion to a Federal competitive service position will be at the discretion of the agency and is neither guaranteed nor implied.

Ideal Candidate Statement: The ideal candidate has done substantive study in human-centered design to improve the work experience of staff in an organization.

GS-07: You qualify at the GS-7 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in the federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the following duties:

• Preparing or maintaining, and submitting statistical and required reports to supervisor.
• Referring inquiries regarding specific information system or actions to the appropriate specialist.
• Assisting with conducting research and human-centered design.
• Maintaining already established office files and/or databases AND enrolled at least half-time in a degree granting program in an accredited institution.

OR

• You may also substitute superior academic achievement for the experience required at the GS-7 level. You must have completed the requirements for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on four years of education or the final two years, class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision, or membership in a national scholastic honor society AND enrolled at least half-time in a degree granting program in an accredited institution.

OR

• You may also substitute successful completion of one year of full-time graduate education for the experience required at the GS-7 level. This education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the skills necessary to do the work of the position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours AND enrolled at least half-time in a degree granting program in an accredited institution.

Please read the following IMPORTANT information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity announcement. USCIS will only review the first 5 pages of your resume to determine your eligibility/qualifications for a position. As such, please be sure to include content to support your eligibility/qualifications for this position within the first 5 pages. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your application will be rated and ranked based on your responses to the online questions.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:

• Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)
• Duties (be specific in describing your duties)
• Employer's name and address
• Supervisor name and phone number
• Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008)
• Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position.
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Salary

Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible.

Note: Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Federal Experience If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience) 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 criteria 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 service. Please provide the dates and amount of time/hours worked earning this experience.

Education

In order to be appointed, you must be enrolled in a qualifying and accredited educational institution pursuing a degree, diploma, or certificate.

A qualifying educational institution is a:

• Public high school whose curriculum has been approved by a state or local governing body.
• Private school that provides secondary education as determined under state law.
• Home-school that is allowed to operate in a state
• Technical or vocational school.
• Two-year or four-year college or university.
• Graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school).
• Post-secondary home-school curriculum that has been approved by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education is qualifying

A certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum.

Students who take online courses are eligible to participate in the Student Internship Program so long as all other requirements are met and the school is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Background Investigation
To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, this position requires completion and adjudication of a background investigation. This may include a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. The background investigation process is initiated after a selection is made. For more information visit the OPM Mythbuster Page .

If a SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance is needed, all selected candidates must meet the requirements for these clearances prior to placement AND maintain that level of clearance while encumbering the position.

Special Hiring Authorities
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans , Peace Corps / VISTA volunteers , and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

USCIS uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify .

Additional Information
It is our responsibility to eliminate any risks to national security, public health, and public safety that could be posed by individuals who use illegal drugs. This position may be subject to random testing as a condition of employment. A positive drug test or refusal to be tested will result in disciplinary action, up to and including removal from Federal service.

Note: If you previously retired from the Federal service and are receiving an annuity, your salary may be offset by the amount of your annuity.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated and placed in one of the three categories based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position.

• Best Qualified: Applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
• Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
• Qualified: Applicants possessing the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

If you are found best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be contacted for an interview. To preview the job questionnaire, click here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10628799 .

Veterans
Veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. Veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific, professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is not considered scientific/professional. For information on veterans' preference, please click here .

Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to complete a writing sample and/or other writing exercise as part of the interview/selection process. If the hiring office decides to request a writing sample and/or other writing exercise as part of its selection process, a designated contractor or Agency representative will contact you to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

Note:

• For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here .
• We will notify you by email at various stages in the process click here.
• This position is in the bargaining unit.
• This position is not considered "essential" for purposes of reporting to work when the facility might otherwise be closed.
• USCIS may fill one or more positions using this vacancy.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

• You must submit a resume that clearly demonstrates you have experience that meets the requirements of this position as outlined in the "Qualifications" section. USCIS' human resources office will only review the first 5 pages of your resume to determine your eligibility/qualifications.In order to ensure that you include all necessary information within the first 5 pages of your resume, you are highly encouraged to save and submit your resume as a PDF instead of submitting it through Resume Builder or a word-processing program such as Word or Google Docs.
• Your responses to the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10628799 (submitted through the on-line application process in USA Jobs. Responses DO NOT need to be attached as an additional document to your application.)
• Transcripts or official documentation to verify current or projected enrollment, with an accredited educational institution, must be submitted as part of the complete application package and must be received by the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If education is being used as the only means for qualifying for this position, appropriate transcripts MUST be submitted, in addition to current or projected enrollment documents, in order to support the receipt of the required level of education. Applicants full name and name of educational institution must be clearly identified on documents submitted. Those with foreign education, click this link .
• Veterans: If you are applying for 5-Point Preference you must submit your DD 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) showing your Character of Service. If you are applying for 10-point Preference you must fill out the SF-15 ( click here for the form ) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If applying as a disabled veteran, submit a copy of the letter from the Veterans Administration, or other formal documentation, that clearly identifies overall rating of disability, AND your DD-214. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the armed forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the closing date of the announcement. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. Click here for more veterans' information. You may request a copy of your DD-214 through the E-Benefits page .
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.