Three Federal Agencies to Benefit from an Extreme Hiring Makeover

Three Federal Agencies to Benefit from an Extreme Hiring Makeover: Partnership for Public Service Forms Dream Team of Private Sector Recruitment Experts to Help Change the Face of Federal Hiring

What is the common thread among the federal agency that delivers health insurance benefits to one in four Americans each year, the agency that provides financial aid to the nation’s college students, and the agency responsible for securing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile while actively working in nonproliferation worldwide? They’re all facing a hiring crunch, and they need help - fast.

Today the Partnership for Public Service and a team of leading recruitment experts came to their rescue by launching an Extreme Hiring Makeover designed to improve how the federal government recruits and hires talented workers.

The Extreme Hiring Makeover subjects are the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Department of Health and Human Services) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (Department of Energy). In addition, the entire Department of Education will be participating in the project.

The Extreme Hiring Makeover dream team includes: the Partnership for Public Service, Monster Government Solutions, ePredix, CPS Human Resource Services, AIRS, Brainbench, the Human Capital Institute and Korn/Ferry International. Working with the three pilot agencies, the team will help diagnose issues in each agency’s current recruitment and hiring processes, and determine and implement appropriate solutions.

How serious are the federal government’s hiring problems? More than half of all federal employees will be eligible to retire within the next five years. One of the biggest impediments to attracting new employees is the federal hiring process. In some cases, federal job application instructions run 35 pages long. Federal processes for assessing the skills of potential employees are among the least effective available. And applicants often have to wait six months to a year before getting a federal job offer. According to research conducted by Penn, Schoen, Berland & Associates, Inc., 69% of college juniors and seniors said they are not willing to wait over four weeks.

Let’s put it this way: If this were an episode of TLC’s car makeover show, Overhaulin’, the federal hiring process would be a 1976 AMC Pacer. The Extreme Hiring Makeover aims to transform that Pacer into a Cadillac, said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. And if we succeed, it will mean a more secure nation, easier access to higher education, and better health care for all.

We are excited to help these three agencies lead the charge toward innovation and excellence, said Brent Pearson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Monster Government Solutions. They’re blazing a trail that could fundamentally change the way government works.

Each agency is embarking on the makeover with a list of specific hiring needs to address:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administer programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The recently enacted Medicare Modernization Act - the most extensive change made to the Medicare program since its inception in 1965 - includes a drug discount card in 2004, new preventive benefits, including a Welcome to Medicare physical for new beneficiaries in 2005 and a comprehensive prescription drug benefit plan by 2006. CMS needs to hire staff with new skill sets to implement these changes in the short time frame required by the law.

No private sector organization has ever had to implement so many improvements in such a short time, said Leslie Norwalk, CMS deputy administrator. CMS has a very small window of time to hire new staff with brand new skill sets while restoring the institutional knowledge that will walk out the door when many of our most experienced employees retire in the near future.

The 4,300 employees of the Department of Education help to realize the educational promise of America. ED administers programs, grants, and loans that touch nearly every American at one point in our lives - approximately 14,000 public school districts, nearly 54 million students attending 93,000 elementary and secondary schools, and almost 22 million post-secondary students.

All of our program managers are eager to see real improvements in the hiring process. Our Federal Student Aid office will provide our first test of a new approach followed by our program offices, said Bill Leidinger, Assistant Secretary for Management.

Established in 2000, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear energy. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion, provides and works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction, and responds to all types of nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Simply stated, NNSA’s challenge is to attract highly skilled individuals who have an interest in keeping national security strong through sometimes unusual jobs, NNSA Administrator Linton F. Brooks said. Our nation’s security depends on it.

The goal of Extreme Hiring Makeover is to streamline hiring at each of the pilot agencies and show other agencies that positive change is possible, triggering a domino effect to improve hiring processes throughout the federal government.

Over the next year, the Extreme Hiring Makeover agency teams will report on their progress in addressing each agency’s hiring and recruitment goals.