Select bases to implement new civilian application procedure Published Jan. 14, 2010 By April Rowden Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs Office RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- As early as mid-February, the rollout of a civilian hiring test initiative will require current Air Force civilian employees to follow new procedures when applying for jobs at select bases. Air Force civilians who want to apply for jobs at Goodfellow AFB, Texas; Osan Air Base, Korea; or any of the United States Air Forces in Europe bases will apply for those vacancies through USAJOBS instead of the Air Force Civilian Employment Self-Nomination Application found on the Air Force Personnel Center's secure Web site. This change applies to jobs staffed through AFPC, not those staffed through other Air Force Agencies such as Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force District of Washington or Air Force Reserve Command. Air Force employees applying for positions at the pilot locations will need to submit an online resume for consideration. AFPC will determine qualifications based on the resume, thereby replacing consideration by career briefs and job experience skills codes. "One of the biggest advantages of this program is that it will allow you to better manage your civilian career," said Michelle LoweSolis, director of the Civilian Force Integration Directorate at AFPC. "Air Force civilian employees will submit a tailored resume when applying online. This process, which mirrors the external application process, will provide our current civilians the opportunity to better describe their skills and achievements to the selecting supervisor." After creating an account through USAJOBS, employees will have the ability to build and save up to five different resumes. Applicants then select which resume they want to submit based on the qualifications needed for the job vacancy. From there, an applicant can track when the application is received, when it's assessed for qualifications, and if it's referred to a selecting official. The pilot program aligns Air Force with existing recruitment practices of other Department of Defense components successfully using resumes, including the Department of Army, Department of Navy, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, and the DoD Education Agency. "AFPC has been using USA Staffing, the software behind USAJOBS, to successfully employ external candidates since September 2007," said AFPC's Nancy Tackett. "Now that we're implementing the same process for current Air Force civilians applying for positions at the pilot bases, we're confident we'll get positive feedback from applicants and hiring officials about the resume capabilities." Applicants can verify the announcement is available to current Air Force civilian candidates by looking for the "Current Permanent Air Force Employee" eligibility statement on jobs advertised in USAJOBS. Applicants should identify themselves as current Air Force employees in the assessment questionnaire included in the vacancy announcement. At the conclusion of the pilot phase, Air Force officials will decide the timetable for transitioning all internal announcements to USAJOBS. A determination could come as early as this summer. This and other changes, such as the recent modification in DoD hiring practices that allows employees from other DoD agencies to apply as internal candidates for most Air Force jobs, are part of the Office of Personnel Management Hiring Reform plan. The plan is intended to produce an understandable and easy-to-use hiring process, to ensure the right people are placed in the right jobs, and to help agencies accomplish their mission while respecting the merit system principles and veterans preference. USAJOBS can be accessed by computer or smart phone using a username and password 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, current Air Force employees may call the 24-hour Air Force Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102.