OPM Proposes Limited Hiring Policy to Streamline Hiring of Recent Graduates

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently published an interim rule meant to assist agencies in recruiting and hiring recent college graduates. The new policy continues an ongoing initiative within the federal government to attract and retain young talent.

Under the proposed hiring policy, agencies can noncompetitively hire qualified and eligible college graduates for permanent career positions at or below the General Schedule 11 level, giving recent graduates a chance to earn up to $72,000 per year.

Agencies could recruit and hire recent graduates regardless of rating, ranking, or certain veteran preference policies, though OPM and governmentwide qualification standards would still apply to candidates.

Furthermore, agencies would not be required to post these positions on USAJobs.gov, but they must notify OPM if they intend to use the authorities to recruit and hire recent graduates. Positions can be advertised on platforms like LinkedIn and Monster, so long as they also post the job on their own public website.

“Civil servants enjoy fulfilling careers that offer great benefits, the opportunity for a secure retirement, and the chance to tackle some of America’s most pressing challenges. This new hiring authority extends that opportunity to Americans of all walks of life, and welcomes a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints,” stated OPM Director Kiran Ahuja.

When the rule goes into effect, a candidate may apply for one of these positions if they have earned a bachelor's degree or higher within two years of applying. The eligibility window begins on the candidate's date of completion, not on the day of graduation. Students may apply to agencies who have not yet graduated, though they won't start working until they've completed their degrees.

A probationary period will be required for recent graduates hired under this new authority to earn "competitive status."

There is a limit to how often agencies can use the proposed authority – the number of recent graduates an agency can hire under this authority is capped at 15% of the number of individuals it appointed to competitive service at similar grade levels during the prior fiscal year. Moreover, agencies must report to OPM and Congress how they're using the recent graduate hiring authority each year.

Other major hiring regulations implemented by OPM in recent months include allowing former federal employees to reapply for positions with higher grades than when they left government, and allowing agencies to hire temporary student interns.

Members of the public will have until January 4, 2022, to provide comments on the new recent graduate hiring policy, which goes into effect December 6, 2021.