Bringing more qualified employees into the federal government quickly is the key to addressing growing human capital challenges. But the government is in "crisis" because the current hiring system is broken.

That's the view of Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, who chaired a Senate federal workforce subcommittee hearing on the issue.

"Every day, talented people interested in federal service are turned away at the door," he said.

Part of the problem is the Office of Personnel Management is not leading by example, said Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio.

"You're OPM, the organization that oversees the whole system and your application stinks," he said. OPM should look at the forms used by successful agencies and private organizations "and make a new form for your own agency" that can serve as a model for the rest of government.

Voinovich called for closer oversight and gave OPM two weeks to provide a written strategic plan to streamline the hiring process.

"We are getting toward the end [of the Bush administration] when it becomes hard to get things done," he said. "The first thing OPM ought to be able to do ... is straighten out its own application process."

Angela Bailey, OPM's deputy associate director for talent and capacity policy, stressed that progress is being made.

The agency is currently seeking input from agency chief human capital officers to develop "one application template" for common entry-level jobs, which should be implemented by July 1, she said. The template will enable applicants to fill out one application for all comparable openings, governmentwide.

Bailey said OPM also plans to release best practices in September, along with templates and scripts, to help hiring officials sell federal jobs to potential applicants.

Take steps now

In the meantime, stakeholders offered some best practices that agencies can use immediately to hire talent quickly. Agencies should:

* Establish an "applicant bill of rights" to guarantee prompt action on applications, clearer job descriptions, less paperwork and more transparency.

* Make the hiring process more transparent. "Almost everything that needs to be done to improve federal human capital management is happening somewhere in the public or private sector," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service. "We need to encourage the sharing of best practices so that improvements are made throughout government."

* Explain federal opportunities better. "Government service is simply off the radar of most job seekers," Stier said. Agencies need to follow the lead of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and explain employment expectations up front so employees know the type of career they can have at the agency.

* Get the hiring manager more involved in the employee selection process. When there is a vacancy, the agency should involve the manager in the decision-making process from the start, said James McDermott, the NRC's HR director.

* Make a business case for necessary funding. "There is a budget problem," said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Employees Treasury Union. "Every year, agencies define what they need and the [Office of Management and Budget] cuts their budgets ... so they can't move forward with their hiring plans."

* Improve the use of existing flexibilities. The NRC, for example, offers recruitment bonuses and competitive salaries, and promotes government benefits, such as flexible work schedules and telework, McDermott said.

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