OPM Revises Hiring and Mentoring Practices

The federal government is retooling how it recruits new talent and mentors new employees.

This month, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released its recruiting “roadmap” that lays out new standards to give managers additional tools to seek out job candidates.

Ultimately, OPM is emphasizing a data-driven strategy to “attract, develop, and retain a talented, engaged, and diverse workforce.”

Specifically, OPM wants to improve or develop the following key initiatives:

–          Untying hiring knots

–          Revitalizing USAJOBS.gov

–          Improving the effectiveness of the Pathways Program

–          Expanding the use of social media tools for strategic recruitment

–          Enhancing OPM’s role as a premier source for innovative recruitment and hiring tools and services

–          Expanding partnerships with stakeholders, including colleges and universities

–          Eliminating barriers to attracting diverse talent to the Senior Executive Service

A full version of the roadmap can be viewed here.

Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is encouraging managers to help out struggling new hires whose performance may be so poor that they could be either fired or they may want to resign.

“Day-to-day performance management activities (such as providing regular performance feedback to employees) can produce more desirable outcomes for agencies and employees than dismissal options,” according to the GAO study. “Employees and agency leaders share a perception that more needs to be done to address poor performance, as even a small number of poor performers can affect agencies’ capacity to meet their missions.”

The full report can be downloaded here (.pdf).