Applicant Resources
- Application Process – Frequently Asked Questions
- Glossary of Federal Terms
- Interview and Selection Procedures – Frequently Asked Questions
- Job Announcement Terminology
- On-Line Employment System (HHS Careers) - Frequently Asked Questions
- Pay and Benefits – Frequently Asked Questions
- Reinstatement Eligibility – Information for Individuals with Prior Federal Service
- Resume and KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)Tips
Job Announcement Terminology
Job announcements at the CDC are announced on-line through HHS Careers. A description of each field in the job announcement is provided.
Overview Tab
Job title (e.g., Public Health Advisor, Epidemiologist, Accountant, etc.)
Salary Range - Includes the low and high salary range for each grade (e.g., GS-05) level. The salary may be expressed as annual (per year) or hourly.
Series and Grade: Includes the pay plan, series, and grade level (e.g., GS-0685-12)
- Pay Plan – Represents the type of job and specific wage schedule from which the job is paid (e.g., GS, WG, RS, AD, ES, etc.).
- Series - The occupational family to which the position belongs (e.g., the series code for the Public Health Advisor is 0685).
- Grade - The numerical designation (01-15) which represents the pay-level and is based on the level of difficulty and responsibilities of the position (e.g., a Public Health Advisor position at the GS-11 level of difficulty would be expressed in a job announcement as GS-0685-11.)
Promotion Potential – Identifies the highest grade level to which you could be promoted in this position without having to reapply.
Who May Be Considered - Identifies who may be considered for the position. The options are:
- General Public - To be considered for a job that is open to the General Public, the only basic requirement is that you must be a United States citizen. Current or prior federal work experience is not required to be considered for positions open to the public.
- Current and Former Federal Employees - To be considered for a job that is open to Current and Former Federal Employees, you must have career status or be eligible under a special appointing authority. Examples include:
- You are currently working for CDC on a career or career-conditional appointment.
- You are currently working for a different federal agency on a career or career-conditional appointment.
- You previously attained career status in the federal government on another appointment, left federal service, and now wish to obtain a new appointment.
- You served in the federal service on a career-conditional appointment within the last three years, left the federal service, and now wish to obtain a new appointment.
- You are eligible for appointment under the Veterans Recruitment Appointment, the 30% or more Disabled Veteran Program, or the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.
- You are eligible for appointment under the Disability Program.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Employees Only
- To be considered for a job that is open to CDC Employees Only, you must be currently working for CDC on a career or career-conditional appointment or under a special appointing authority (e.g., Veterans Recruitment Appointment, Disabilities Program).
- If you are working for CDC on a temporary or term appointment, you are not eligible unless you previously attained career or career conditional status in the federal government on another appointment.
Open Period - The date the job announcement is open to receive applications.
Position Information – Identifies the duration and work schedule of the job.
- Duration
- Jobs are typically listed as "permanent", "temporary", or “term”.
- Permanent jobs do not have a time limit.
- Temporary and term jobs have a time limit and the expected ending date will be noted on the job announcement. This date may be shortened depending on the business need. An employee may be released from a temporary (or term) job when his/her services are no longer needed.
- Work Schedule
- "Full time" positions have a 40-hour work week.
- "Part time" positions have a 32-hour or less work week.
- "Intermittent" positions involve irregular and occasional work schedules.
- Duty Location
- Includes the number of jobs that may be filled under this job announcement
- Includes the location of the position
Job Summary – Identifies the organizational location of the position and a summary of the duties and responsibilities of the job. Additional job requirements may be listed in this section.
Key Requirements – Identifies critical requirements of this specific job announcement. Additional requirements may be listed in the Job Summary. Read the information carefully.
Duties Tab
Identifies the major duties and responsibilities of the position and additional duty location information.
Qualifications and Evaluation Tab
This section includes the:
- qualification requirements for the job
- process which will be used to evaluate applications
Common terms that typically appear in this tab are:
Basic Qualifications or Minimum Qualification Requirements
- Standards set by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- Help ensure that job applicants are qualified for a particular job.
- Must be met to be considered for this particular job.
- Are stated in terms of general or specialized experience.
- General experience is progressively responsible clerical, office, or other type of experience that shows you have the ability to perform the duties of the job being filled.
- Specialized experience is usually obtained from having worked in a position similar to the job being filled.
For some jobs, you can qualify based on
- your education instead of experience; or
- combination of your experience and education
Some jobs have a required education level and experience level that you must have to qualify.
Selective Factor
- A selective factor is a special qualification requirement that is essential to performing the duties and responsibilities of a particular position (e.g., Fluency in speaking and writing Spanish).
- Essentially, the selective factor is part of the basic or minimum qualifications described above.
- You must meet the selective factor in order to qualify for the position. If you do not possess the required selective factor, your application is rated ineligible.
- The selective factor is indicated in the job announcement, if applicable.
How You Will be Evaluated
This section provides a description of how your application will be evaluated. Your experience, education, awards, performance appraisals/evaluations, training, self-development, and responses to the assessment and core questions are evaluated and rated based on the requirements of the position.
Benefits and Other Information Tab
This tab identifies benefits available to federal employees and other critical position information. Read the information carefully.
How to Apply Tab
This tab provides:
- critical information and procedures for applying for the job
- required documents (e.g., college transcripts, licenses, etc.)
- contact information in case you have questions about the job announcement; and
- what you can expect after you have submitted your application.
Read all the information and follow all instructions carefully. Failure to follow the instructions may result in your not being considered for the position.
Other Common Terms
Bargaining Unit
This statement identifies whether the position is represented by a recognized union.
Probationary/Trial Period Requirements
This statement describes the requirement to serve a probationary or trial period.
- You must serve a one-year probationary/trial period when you are first hired for a permanent job on a career or career-conditional appointment.
- You must serve an additional one-year probationary period if you are selected from a public notice announcement for a new position, even if you have already served a probationary period (e.g., when you were first hired).
- You must serve a two-year probationary/trial period if you are hired for an excepted service appointment.
- You will be required to serve a one-year managerial or supervisory probationary/trial period when you are selected for your first management or supervisory job in the federal service.
Promotion Potential
Identifies the highest grade to which you could be promoted without further competition. For jobs with promotion potential, promotions may occur, at management’s discretion, after you have:
- worked at the lower grade level based on the requirements of the position (i.e., some positions require three months, six months, or one year at the lower grade level.);
- performed at an acceptable level of competence;
- demonstrated your ability to perform work at the next higher grade level.
For example, a position advertised at the GS-11 level with promotion potential to the GS-13 level means that you would be eligible for promotion to the GS-12 level, assuming acceptable level of performance, at the end of your first year of employment. Once promoted to the GS-12 level, you would be eligible for promotion to the GS-13 level at the end of a year assuming acceptable level of performance.
Time-In-Grade
- Time-in-grade applies to the promotion of current and former federal employees. Generally, employees must serve three months, six months, or one year at the next lower grade level based on the requirements of the position. This requirement is called time-in-grade.
- Time-in-grade restrictions do not apply to former federal employees who have had a break in service of more than one year.
- Time-in-grade also does not apply under vacancy announcements open to the public.
- Employees are eligible for competitive merit promotion consideration if they are within 30 days of meeting the time-in-grade requirements of the position.
Page last modified: 10/30/2006
