Posted on Jun 5, 2015
MAJ Ray McCulloch
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I have been transitioning from the military since August 2014. I created an account with the federal jobs database usajobs.gov. I have perused it almost daily since creating my resume. The issue is that of the jobs I have applied for, some give me a notice of action (received, referred, not referred, etc.), while others do not. If this database is supposed to consolidate all US government jobs into one place, then shouldn't all the agencies be required to respond to inquiries or post status updates for the jobs they list? I've had jobs from January and February that have not had a status change or response from the agency. Anyone else having this issue, and had any luck getting a response to query about their status?
Posted in these groups: Military civilian 600x338 TransitionJon Jobs
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Responses: 8
COL Health Services Plans, Ops, Intelligence, Security,Training
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I suspect there are some examples of success from USAJOBS. As for myself, after 30 years of applying for government jobs, I have given up on the process. Whether it is cronyism, nepotism or incompetence, I couldn't even get hired for the job I performed while mobilized. Checking all the boxes: 10-point preference, special disabled, recently retired/discharged, etc. resulted in absolutely no responses. In one case, the manager received 106 applications for a job I performed on active duty. He randomly selected 3 from the pile, then selected from that group. He followed the hiring process but for 103 applicants, who met the screening criteria, their application was never reviewed by a human being. I suspect, the best means of obtaining federal employment is to buy lunch for the hiring manager or marry his/her daughter/son. Good luck.
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PO1 John Miller
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You and me both MAJ Ray McCulloch! The few responses I HAVE gotten back from jobs I applied for were something along the lines of "You do not meet the minimum qualification requirements."

My ass I didn't meet their requirements! One of the jobs I applied for was with the DON, doing exactly what I did on active duty in the Navy.

The other job was as a pharmacy store room worker. I think I can work in a store room that does inventory, shipping, and receiving. Lord knows I did enough of that in the Navy, just not in a pharmacy environment.
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MAJ Ray McCulloch
MAJ Ray McCulloch
9 y
I started looking outside my MOS at stuff that highlighted leadership roles, or stuff commiserate with my rank. I applied for a couple of jobs in various agencies that are the same (or virtually the same) as what I do in the military. I am almost ready to give up on the whole process. I did get an interview for one of the jobs I applied for, but because of the budget crunch, I won't be notified if I even got the job until August at the best, with an anticipated start date in the beginning of September. I have to move within the next 3 weeks, and job location drives the location I will move to - especially since it is an Army-funded move (and my last). And we all know how well the military treats your stuff if they put it into storage for you for any length of time...
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CPT Bill Murphy
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I have worked for four federal agencies (not counting the Army): DOJ, Treasury, and VA as a lawyer, and DOD as a civilian reporter for Stars & Stripes. My #1 bit of advice is both to apply through the official channels (often but not always USAJOBS), and also find ways to reach around and connect with the people who actually do the hiring. So many people apply for every federal job that you really do need to find ways to stand out. It's like that old adage—"it's not who you know; it's who you get to know."
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