Senator Lankford Leads Roundtable on USAJOBS Website and Federal Hiring Process

WASHINGTON, DC – The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, under the chairmanship of Senator James Lankford (R-OK), today held a roundtable on the ongoing efforts to improve the USAJOBS website platform and the federal hiring process.

The USAJOBS website is the federal government’s central job posting and recruitment website and is operated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The site receives 20 million visits per month and hosts about three million searchable resumes. Today’s roundtable specifically examined OPM’s endeavor to modernize the USAJOBS website and its functionality, attract and maintain millennial workers, and discuss what additional improvements are needed in order to increase the efficiency of federal government hiring.

“I appreciate the millions of great Americans who choose to serve their neighbors as federal employees, especially when you understand the incredible challenge it is to just get through the hiring process,” said Chairman Lankford. “In recent years, our government has struggled to recruit and keep the best talent, often because of problems with outdated technology, privacy and centralized models for hiring. To ensure a more efficient government and recruit the best personnel, OPM should reduce the bureaucracy of their recruiting and hiring protocols and better empower the agencies to develop a recruiting strategy that best meets their needs.”

Notable Participant Comments From The Roundtable:

Linda E. Brooks Rix, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Avue Technologies Corporation in University Place, WA said, “We need to return the federal government to its previous standing as an employer of choice instead of employer of last resort — and insure the hiring process is responsive to mission execution.”

Max Stier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Partnership for Public Service in Washington, DC said, “…both OPM and agency leaders must make the visibility and marketing of federal positions on USAJobs as much of a priority as the usability and features of the website. Private sector companies do not simply ‘post and pray,’ or wait passively for the right people to find their way to the right jobs, and neither should the federal government.”

Mark Reinhold, Associate Director for Employee Services and Chief Human Capital Officer for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, also participated in the roundtable.

CLICK HERE to read the hearing opening statements and view the full hearing video. 

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