News
Press Releases: Internal Efficiency & Effectiveness
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.
