Head Staff’s Guide to Federal Jobs Part 7 Offers

Head Staff’s Guide to Federal Jobs Part 7 Offers and Negotiations

So- you finally get an offer! First of the federal government is a big place- there is no one way “they” make offers.

Again, we must remember where we are- we are talking about appointments in the competitive service and appointments where you are hired from an announcement that was open to the public- competitive hiring, sometimes called delegated examining.

Usually (but not always) you will get a tentative offer. This could by phone or email or even I suppose, snail mail. Sometimes there is a phone call and then a follow up email. Read the offer carefully- be sure the title, series, grade, salary and duty location are correct.

There will usually be a time limit for you to reply and an HR contact. Follow the instructions in the correspondence you receive. Many times start dates can be changed- if it is training situation or a critical project, there may be no leeway.

Things like security clearances, background investigations, fingerprints, physicals, drug tests are all position and agency specific, so not much I can say. I cannot give you a timeline on this, it depends on the agency, your own individual situation and, alas, the competency of those involved.

There are lot of questions about negotiations. I am going to attempt to go over things that can be negotiated- incentives. Most of these are for initial appointments in the GS system. Again, it is important to realize that most of these things are for new appointments – the definition of new appointment may vary depending on the incentive offered.

Most of these things cannot be negotiated after you start- so things need to be agreed upon (and in writing) before you start. The time to negotiate these things is in the time period between the tentative offer and the final offer. If you do not get a tentative offer, you can still try and negotiate based on the final offer- but things must be agreed upon before you enter on duty.

What cannot be negotiated:

The job – the Title, Series and Grade. If you applied for a GS-318-05 Secretary position in Omaha. that is what you are being offered. The agency cannot change it to a position GS-950-07 paralegal position in Chicago.

If you applied to a job that had multiple locations and/or grades, you can certainly ask to be considered for other grades or duty locations- but you may not have been within reach for the grade or location or the agency may have already filled those positions.

Benefits- You have a choice of some benefits- health insurance, life insurance, etc. But the Federal Government does not offer a cafeteria style benefits plan- you don’t get extra vacation if you decline health insurance or what ever.

The only exception I know of are the banking regulatory agencies like FDIC that have some extra benefist that are cafeteria style.

Things that can be negotiated:

· Superior Qualifications Appointment- Agencies have the option of starting new hires at above the minimum step of the grade-i.e., above step 1. There is no authority to pay you above step 10. This is for initial appointments only. If you are a current employee of the Federal government and taking a lateral position this is not an option for you- although there are some exceptions for time limited appointments immediately preceding the permanent appointment and breaks in service of more than 90 days. This is decision that is made by agency management (not the HR office).

· Recruitment Incentive- Agencies may pay a recruitment incentive if the job is deemed difficult to fill. There are a variety of ways this can be paid. The usual maximum that can be paid is 25 percent of base salary, it can be increased up to 50 percent with OPM approval. Usually to be paid, the possibility must be mentioned in the announcement. Details here- https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/recruitment-relocation-retention-incentives/fact-sheets/recruitment-incentives/

· First Duty Station Travel- Agencies may authorize travel and transportation expenses to a first duty station for a new appointee to any position or a student trainee assigned to any position upon completion of college work. (Note I have never seen this actually used but it does exist)

· Advanced Pay- Agencies may advance payment of basic pay covering no more than 2 pay periods to a newly appointed employee (5 CFR 550.203) (Note I have never seen this used)

· Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual for Non-Federal Work Experience and Experience in the Uniformed Service Agencies may provide service credit that otherwise would not be creditable under 5 U.S.C. 6303(a) for determining the annual leave accrual rate for new hires A determination must be made prior to an individual’s entrance on duty to establish that the skills and experience the employee possesses are:

Essential to the new position and were acquired through performance in a non-Federal or active-duty uniformed service position having duties directly related to the duties of the position to which he or she is being appointed;

and Necessary to achieve an important agency mission or performance goal.

In other words, you can get more leave. This is experience based.

· Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)- Permits agencies to repay up to $60,000 of candidate or current employee’s Federally insured student loan as a recruitment or retention incentive. This is at the agency’s discretion.

For candidates with previous Federal service

· Highest previous rate (maximum payable rate rule)

At the discretion of the agency, an agency can use your highest previous rate- the rate has to have been held for at least 90 days and on an appointment not limited to 90 days or less. Some agencies require the rate to be held longer than 90 days.

If you currently hold a GS position at the same grade, then you lateral over to another GS position at the same step- no negotiation.

If you are being promoted from GS to GS, two step rule applies, no negotiation.

If you are coming from a non GS pay system, the non GS pay system often has a provision that the employee is converted out to a GS rate. See https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-administration/fact-sheets/special-conversion-rules-for-certain-non-gs-employees/. You will have to find out the specifics of your pay system.

WG to GS information is here- https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-administration/fact-sheets/pay-action-examples-in-the-federal-wage-system/

Basically, you do not get a chance for a superior qualifications appointment, just because you are coming from a different pay system.

Next, for God’s sake people, be reasonable – unless you are the next Dr. Fauci- you are not going to get all of these things. These incentives vary depending on agency policy and budget and your personal qualifications.

Questions, comments and corrections are welcome. Next up- Entrance on Duty and first days on the job.