Washington, DC- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has added the Hiring Toolkit to its website to assist and educate federal supervisors and managers on the many hiring tools and information available. It is an especially important resource for those wanting to combat the anticipated federal "retirement wave" and create an informed and dynamic workforce.

"At OPM, one of our top priorities is to help federal agencies bring high quality talent on board in a timely manner," said Acting Associate Director Solly Thomas, Human Capital Leadership and Merit System Accountability Division. "The delivery of this toolkit is another step in providing federal agencies with support to achieve this goal and to implement successful hiring strategies. It focuses on recruiting talent, retaining talent, developing talent and managing that talent to create a strong workforce."

The toolkit provides case studies, Frequently Asked Questions and hiring guidance tools. It also provides a Makeover Template which takes hiring officials and human resources officials through a step-by-step overview of the entire hiring process.

Most importantly, the toolkit is broken down into four easily navigateable features: "Prepare to hire" lays out the groundwork for the hiring process; "Recruit top talent" gives strategies to attract a wider pool of qualified talent; "Select the best" explains how agencies identify the best candidates for the job; and "Measure success" explains how to assess the hiring process.

The toolkit complements the Federal Hiring Flexibilities Resource Center, which OPM launched in 2005.  The Center provides step-by-step guidance in the use of hiring flexibilities; and it includes direction and guidance on the appointment of veterans, direct-hire authority, student employment, excepted-service appointments and category rating.

The toolkit may be found at http://www.opm.gov/hiringtoolkit/.

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.