June 1, 2004
OPM Director James Continues Innovation
with USAJOBS
New
on-line job announcements will help government compete for
the best and brightest
Washington, D.C. - The latest
innovation in a string of enhancements to the U.S. Office
of Personnel Management's USAJOBS web site is a revised on-line
vacancy announcement that is encouraging agencies to write
job descriptions that are more interesting and give job seekers
compelling reasons to apply for federal work.
"Over the past year, OPM has worked tirelessly on a major
redesign of USAJOBS (www.usajobs.opm.gov)
to make it more accessible and informative to users,"
said OPM Director Kay Coles James. "The improved format
for on-line vacancy announcements that agencies are adopting
offers improved readability and gives federal job seekers
clear information specific to the job. And to help applicants
tailor their résumés to the job, agencies should
clearly state the job qualifications in the vacancy announcements
and note how the contributions of the eventual office holder
will make a difference in the agency and to America."
Today, USAJOBS is a more-attractive site for veterans, young
professionals and recent college graduates and offers functionality
to individuals looking for professionally challenging and
personally fulfilling careers.
The new on-line vacancy announcement presents
information in a standard and logical format and makes use
of tabs to connect applicants to more-detailed information
on job responsibilities, benefits and application procedures.
Each announcement also includes a statement by the hiring
agency promoting the rewards and benefits of working for the
organization.
This latest milestone advances James'
goal of making USAJOBS the premier destination for federal
job seekers. USAJOBS, a component of the human resource agency's
Recruitment One-Stop Initiative, is one of five E-Government
initiatives OPM manages for the Bush Administration.
In August 2003, USAJOBS made the employment hunt easier for
job seekers with the adoption of an advanced job-search engine
and improved navigation.
"The overall redesign of the web site
makes it easier for applicants to locate specific employment
opportunities," said James, "while providing additional
levels of service, such as the storage of multiple on-line
résumés by an individual job seeker and letting
managers and hiring officials mine the stored résumés
for specific applicant qualifications."
USAJOBS is benefiting from favorable reviews
and word-of-mouth referrals. Currently, USAJOBS averages 200,000
visits each day and is expected to log more than 70 million
visits in fiscal '04. OPM projects job seekers will create
500,000 résumés on the site and agencies will
advertise more than 350,000 jobs.
James says the eye-catching format and
vibrant job descriptions can move would-be, qualified applicants
"off the fence" and into the arms of a federal employer.
"We must promote federal public service
in ways that attract and excite applicants about the possibilities
that lay before them," said James. "The tremendous
effort that has been put into the development of an attractive,
user-friendly and functional USAJOBS web site will help convince
the current generation of America's best and brightest to
give service to their nation serious consideration."
The revamp of USAJOBS has been accomplished
in stages. In August 2003, a more-prominent location was given
to a link on veterans' preference. Also, the "Frequently
Asked Questions" page was revised daily to reflect information
requests from the public.
Earlier that same month, the site was adjusted
to allow for the creation and storage of application letters,
and applicants can store up to five online resumes. In addition,
technological enhancements give agency recruiters and managers
the ability to perform a "key-word search" of stored
résumés to look for applicants who possess the
skills and experience needed to fill vacant jobs.
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