Federal Hiring: Testing for Entry-Level Administrative Positions Falls
Short of Expectations (Letter Report, 03/30/94, GAO/GGD-94-103).

The Administrative Careers With America (ACWA), the government's most
recent program to test applicants for entry-level jobs, was established
by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 1990 to replace an
examination system that had allegedly limited hiring opportunities for
minorities.  Many agency officials prefer not to use ACWA because it is
so time consuming.  Although agency officials promptly receive ACWA
certificates from OPM, it can take weeks to contact the job applicants,
receive and review their resumes, conduct interviews, and verify
education and employment experience.  Furthermore, the law requires
agencies to choose from the top three candidates on a certificate and
gives hiring preference to veterans.  Because most veterans are men,
agencies have difficulty meeting affirmative actions goals for women
through ACWA certificates.  Many job applicants are also frustrated with
the ACWA hiring process, in part because they are not contacted about
openings after they have taken the ACWA exam.  Further, applicants often
overestimate their chances of obtaining government jobs because they
receive little or no information from OPM on hiring patterns.  Under
changes being considered by OPM, applicants would apply for specific
vacancies rather than be considered for potential openings, agencies
would help decide the criteria used to score applicants, and the ACWA
exam would become optional. In addition, OPM has started providing
applicants with more specific information on openings, including the
number of eligible candidates who have applied for the job and the
average scores of candidates hired from certificates.  But seven of the
largest ACWA job categories, such as Internal Revenue Officer, Customs
Inspector, and Social Insurance Claims Examiners, are exempt from the
changes.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  GGD-94-103
     TITLE:  Federal Hiring: Testing for Entry-Level Administrative 
             Positions Falls Short of Expectations
      DATE:  03/30/94
   SUBJECT:  Human resources utilization
             Hiring policies
             Personnel management
             Personnel recruiting
             Eligibility determinations
             Fair employment programs
             Federal agencies
             Employment discrimination
             Federal employees
IDENTIFIER:  OPM Central Personnel Data File
             OPM Administrative Careers with America Program
             Outstanding Scholar Program
             OPM Bilingual/Bicultural Program
             
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