News

August 4, 2003

OPM Tells Quarter of a Million American Job Seekers about New Federal Job Site

Site is key part of Recruitment One-Stop initiative which is critical to the E-Government Initiative contained in the President’s Management Agenda

WASHINGTON D.C. - The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM), today announced the official launch of Module 2 of OPM’s new USAJOBS web site, which is the cornerstone of OPM’s Recruitment One-Stop Quicksilver E-Government Initiative that is part of President George W. Bush’s Management Agenda. The Recruitment One-Stop Initiative was initiated in January 2003 and $4.8 million has been invested to date to help speed up and automate the federal hiring process.

"Module 2 of the USAJOBS web site will have a totally redesigned user interface that leverages the best practices of industry leading recruitment web sites," OPM Director Kay Coles James said. "The web site will have a new user friendly and attractive appearance that simplifies site use and navigation. There will be a dramatically improved job search engine featuring full text capabilities. There will also be full accessibility for users with disabilities. On the web site there will be a way for users to submit feedback on the usefulness of the site and we'll utilize this information as we move toward Module 3. OPM will use the information of Module 2 as an opportunity to further test internal capacities and troubleshoot any potential issues that could arise prior to the final implementation of Module 3."

With the new USAJOBS web site job seekers will have access to completely redesigned and improved job postings, a 'create once, submit many' job application, and real-time updates regarding the status of applications filed.

"The new USAJOBS simplifies the process of locating and applying for federal jobs," Director James concluded. "It is a major milestone in our efforts to advance the President’s Management Agenda and it will help fix a cumbersome and confusing hiring process. It will save job seekers time and frustration as well as making the federal hiring process more efficient."

Mark Forman, Administrator for E-Government and Information Technology for the Office of Management and Budget, said "Applying for a job with the U.S. Government has always been a cumbersome task and has deterred many qualified candidates from seeking employment with the federal government. The Recruitment One-Stop initiative’s new USAJOBS web site will dramatically simplify the process of finding and applying for federal jobs, encouraging job seekers to come to work for the Federal government while significantly decreasing the cost and time it takes to hire an individual for employment. Through this E-Government initiative, someone looking for a federal job will immediately see a more results-oriented and less bureaucratic government."

"The launch of Module 2 is the technical and operational side of speeding up the hiring process. Director James has been driving the policy side of the hiring process. Under the Director’s leadership, we've reached another major milestone in our E-Government Initiative," said Norm Enger, OPM’s Program Director for E-Government Initiatives. "The new USAJOBS web site is critical to our Recruitment One-Stop initiative and will go a long way toward ensuring that we meet the goal established in the President’s Management Agenda."

Recruitment One-Stop is part of the E-Government initiative contained in President George W. Bush’s Management Agenda and coordinated by the Office of Management and Budget. The President’s Management Agenda contains 24 E-Government initiatives, five of which are managed by OPM. The other four E-Government initiatives OPM manages are E-Training, E-Payroll, E-Clearance, and Enterprise Human Resources Integration.