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Strategic Objective
SG06.02 Support agencies in hiring leaders strong in managing and leading high performing organizations
Strategic Objective
Overview
- Promoting rigorous, competency-based selection for supervisors, managers, and executives that targets the unique talents it takes to effectively manage people and build and retain an engaged workforce.
- Evaluating Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) framework to ensure the underlying competencies continue to drive performance and foster employee engagement.
- Partnering with agencies to develop common solutions for succession management and hiring supervisors, managers, and executives that are valid and cost effective.
- Offering a line of exclusive assessments for government leaders and leverage existing assessments to bridge the best of the private sector with OPM’s own internal capacity.
Progress Update
OPM identified a promising practice in the use of the Supervisor Situational Judgment Test. According to OPM’s analysis, there is a direct correlation between the administration of the test and improved applicant pools and subsequent successful hiring actions. Since the rollout in January 2014 through September 2015, the agency administered the test in 117 OPM supervisory job announcements resulting in a more qualified pool of candidates from which to make hires. OPM made 69 hires using the test. OPM’s Human Resources Solutions, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, developed a customized Managerial Situational Judgment Test to measure leadership competencies of interest to the Corps. The Corps plans to use the test for future managerial level job openings. OPM also worked with the Defense Logistics Agency to customize the Supervisory Situational Judgment Test for its use. The Defense Logistics Agency started administering their test, in conjunction with an assessment questionnaire, for all supervisory professional and administrative job openings. OPM expects to leverage and promulgate this process to other Federal agencies in FY 2016.
OPM also hosted an SES resume-based hiring forum, soliciting from the participating agencies lessons learned, best practices, challenges faced, and tools that might facilitate agencies further exploring the resume-based approach to SES hiring.
Budget reductions are a principal concern. While it is too early to determine, there have been emerging indications that some agencies may be experiencing more challenges related to hiring the best talent in a timely manner. If the employees involved in the hiring process are not experienced or trained, longer hiring times will result. The cascading effect of these hiring-related challenges may not only affect Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores, but also have less evident impacts that result from not getting experienced and/or trained talent to fill leadership positions. OPM will continue to look for ways to streamline hiring practices that might result in more efficient and effective hiring practices.
