PURPOSE

A government that performs well is a government that improves the quality of our lives. To perform effectively government needs top talent. But 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 hiring process. In some cases, job application instructions run 35 pages long and applicants often wait six months to a year before getting a federal job offer and receive little or no feedback throughout the process. To put it differently, if this were an episode of TLC's Overhaulin' car makeover show, the federal hiring process would be a 1976 AMC Pacer.

Enter the Extreme Hiring Makeover team. Led by the Partnership for Public Service, this public/private sector Extreme Hiring Makeover dream team consisted of the nation's premier experts on recruiting and hiring. It included Monster Government Solutions, ePredix, CPS Human Resource Services, AIRS, Brainbench, the Human Capital Institute and Korn/Ferry International. Working with pilot agencies on a pro-bono basis, these partner organizations helped diagnose the current process, determine appropriate solutions, and implement new approaches. After the pilot agencies demonstrated success, other agencies could then apply similar practices and improve their own procedures. The objective of the project was to change the face of federal hiring by blazing a trail with key agencies.

Learn more about the government hiring process and the Extreme Hiring Makeover including:

What's the problem with the government hiring process?

The level of government's responsiveness has a direct impact on the quality of life for the American people, and there are emerging challenges which threaten our government's ability to function effectively. More than half of the federal workforce is eligible to retire within the next five years, and we will need a significant influx of qualified workers to avoid a dramatic drop-off in government performance when this retirement wave hits.

At the same time, current events have added a new sense of urgency about government's effectiveness. Whether it's securing the homeland, promoting a sound economy or protecting our environment, our government needs highly skilled workers to address these challenges. The 9/11 Commission Report says it best: "The quality of the people is more important than the quality of the wiring diagrams."

So in order to have good government we need good people, which brings us to our key problem: the process for bringing new people into government is broken.

Government will never be able to compete with the private sector for highly qualified employees as long as it takes up to a year to bring someone on board. And the reality is that sometimes it does.

What exactly is wrong with the federal hiring process?

• It takes too long. It's not uncommon for applicants to wait six months before getting a job offer, and sometimes it can take up to a year.
• The application itself is unwieldy. In some cases, job application instructions run 35 pages long.
• Communication between agencies and applicants is minimal. It's bad enough to ask somebody to wait six months before offering them a job. Now imagine being kept in the dark the entire time, which is often the case.

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How were the pilot agencies chosen?

The pilot agencies are volunteer federal organizations of manageable size and scope, able to demonstrate progress rapidly and provide a means for measurement of success. The agencies we chose to be pilots fit the following profile:

Facing significant, short-term hiring challenges
These agencies are in pain, facing significant hiring targets in the short term. Their leadership is convinced that serious hiring process deficiencies will impede their chances for success, and they're frustrated with their inability to get traction on the issue.

Willingness to admit and show the world their inefficiencies
Perhaps most important, these agencies are taking the lead, trying new and innovative approaches to long-standing challenges. They're bold enough to admit they can improve, and they're willing to share their lessons as part of a public campaign to "fix" the federal hiring process. Once they've identified the key issues, they've demonstrated that they're brave enough to pursue solutions in a "fishbowl," so the general public is able to watch their makeover stories unfold.

Ready for change - now!
These agencies are ready to change. Senior leadership is accountable for and committed to change. To demonstrate their dedication to this cause, these agencies are willing to invest the time of some of their best performers to solve the problem.

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