Washington, DC - Today the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) demonstrated to the Chief Human Capital Officers Council standardized vacancy announcement templates for three of the top 30 ranked occupations. These announcements will be easy to understand and use by applicants seeking entry level jobs.

"We expect that as agencies begin announcing their positions using these templates the quality and number of applicants will increase," OPM Director Linda M. Springer said. "By standardizing the vacancy announcements, applicants will be able to submit the same application for multiple positions within these occupations, making the application process less onerous for prospective employees."

The templates are streamlined, easy-to-understand, standardized vacancy announcements agencies can use to help attract a broader pool of qualified applicants for secretarial, accounting and accounting technician positions. Use of the templates will also be easier for agencies since they will now simply need to insert limited information concerning their specific jobs such as the name of their agency, what the specific duties of the position are, and where to send the application.

Written in plain language, the vacancy announcements include basic qualifications requirements for the position up front and standardized knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Federal HR staff will be able to access these templates through USAJOBS (Employer Services tab) and USAStaffing. Use of the templates is optional; however, OPM believes such standardization should reduce applicant frustration and improve the federal hiring process.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.