USAJobs – the staple of Federal recruiting – exists to attract volumes of candidates for public sector positions which creates a quandary. Even the biggest, most talented fish can become lost in an ocean colossal enough. That assumes that top talent is attracted in the first place, of course. For when a traditional government hiring process actually takes closer to seven months, top talent necessarily swim to calmer ports that can hire in hours. So as a Federal agency, the Department of Defense traditionally has not competed well for the best talent it needs. That is, until now.

Beginning in the Fall of 2018, the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) completely overhauled its hiring process and programs in several key ways:

•WHS better leveraged its Special Employment Programs – a mixture of paid and unpaid internships and fellowships – as gateways to employment. The goal? To hire high-potential students and recent graduates into its programs. To provide them significant training and mentoring, turning their potential into reality. To display that growing reality to supervisors and hiring managers for whom they work. All with the intent of converting the best into permanent DoD employees.

•WHS discovered how to better leverage authorities provided by Congress to hire talented individuals found through recruiting events, Special Employment Programs and many other broad means directly into designated positions. While sometimes advertised through USAJobs, WHS can now find and identify talent without many of the challenges of USAJobs.

•WHS is overhauling its special hiring processes. An extensive examination found a litany of inefficiencies that delayed the hiring process. A new weeks – not months – long hiring process is more competitive with private sector models. WHS also reduced information top talent needs to submit, significantly. In many cases, a tight resume, school transcript and one-page application form can lead to a selection.

Multiple employment paths exist regarding each special employment posting. The fullest path is to start under the Volunteer Student Intern Program. Transform from a name on a page to a face that is proving your worth to an organization. Convert to a paid internship to continue growth (into a more senior position) before or after graduation. Finally, convert to a permanent paid employee. The path can seem long. But it is designed to help transition from school to the more senior ranks typically found in DoD headquarters.

The basic application process is simple. Apply to a Handshake posting with a resume, school transcript and the one-page application form (attached to a posting) in that order and in one PDF document. Only complete applications will be considered. If you wish to schedule a group information session or series of one-on-one sessions or have questions about Defense’s new approach, contact WHSCareers@mail.mil.