News Release

Federal Official Tells National Guard – We Want You in Civil Service!

Washington, D.C. -- Representing U. S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director, Kay Coles James in Honolulu, Hawaii, Associate Director for Human Capital and Merit Systems Accountability Marta Brito Perez addressed 300 of the National Guard’s top Human Resource Officers at the biennial National Guard Bureau Human Resources Conference. Quoting OPM Director Kay Coles James, Perez stated “We can and we must develop systems that respond better to 21st century organizational demands and employee concerns.”

“What some call an impending human capital crisis we at OPM see as an opportunity to further develop the Federal workforce and evolve it through President George W. Bush’s Management Agenda (PMA),” Perez said. “Through this human capital initiative we will create a citizen-centered, results-oriented, and accountable government as outlined in the President’s plan, while maintaining the proven Merit System principles.”

Director James has developed several key recruiting strategies to help in implementing the President’s human capital initiative including OPM-sponsored job fairs that will take place throughout the country over the next several months. Another portion of the recruitment strategy is the active encouragement of America’s veterans to take advantage of job opportunities in the Federal civil service.

“OPM Director Kay Coles James has a strong and continuing commitment to America’s veterans. Implementing this campaign is further proof of it. Simply saying that we want veterans to join the ranks of the Federal Civil Service is not enough,” Perez said. “We are now going to actively reach out to them. They are among the best our nation has to offer and they have earned the right to continue to serve their country.”

Perez’s remarks coincided this week with the unveiling of the new USAJOBS website. This site will enable all veterans and other citizens to access more than 18,000 jobs. OPM has also designed special recruitment materials, such as exit posters, informational brochures and wallet cards, to increase awareness among veterans of Federal job opportunities.

All of these materials will be posted and available in over 200 military exit processing stations nationwide and to all VSOs that request the materials to distribute to their constituents through their own outreach programs. The materials direct interested veterans to the OPM USAJOBS web site and provide descriptions of federal benefits and advantages of working in the Civil Service.

While covered under title 32 the National Guard’s employees serve under a personnel system that mirrors title 5 of the Federal Civil Service system. This year’s conference is focusing on modernizing the guard’s human resources and on issues affecting the 80,000 full-time employees of the guard.

National Guard Human Resource Offices provide human resource operations, advisory services and training throughout the National Guard, in every state and territory and the District of Columbia and support the 80,000 full-time National Guard technicians and active guard and reserve members.

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OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also 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.

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