Introducing 'CareerHere,' a Job Hunter's Dream
By Gregory Roa
Applying for a job at NIH will soon become a lot easier thanks to CareerHere, a new Web-based tool announced by the Center for Information Technology and the Office of Human Resource Management. Starting Apr. 26, anyone will be able to search for job openings at any IC, obtain complete vacancy announcements and submit applications with resumés entirely online. They'll just need to point their browsers to http://careerhere.nih.gov.
CareerHere, funded jointly by OHRM and CIT, allows visitors a number of ways to search for job openings — by position title, series, grade or other options. Users can then view full vacancy announcements at the touch of a button.
But what should excite most job hunters is the ability to build a resumé and apply online through CareerHere. Helpful links appear at every stage of the process to assist applicants, including nonfederal job seekers, complete each section. Applicants can even copy and paste entire resumés from a word processor right into the application.
And no more endless retyping whenever new openings come up — CareerHere lets applicants update their information and apply for other vacancies as needed. For each application submitted, the system automatically replies with a notification of receipt.
As an added feature, CareerHere posts the applications into a database available to human resources offices at every IC. That way, should a manager want to advertise a new position, HR can easily search for highly qualified candidates whose resumés are already on file. Privacy across the entire system is safeguarded by password protection and other security methods.
Such user-friendly features are the result of extensive pilot testing done by five ICs. Led by CIT, participants in CSR, NIDDK, NIAID and OD fashioned the kind of powerful, intuitive tool initially envisioned by the National Academy of Public Administration. NAPA has been working with the pilot group to improve human resources programs at NIH. In the first phase, CareerHere replaces the NIH Automated Vacancy Announcement System. When combined with other improvements designed at NIAID with additional OHRM funding, CareerHere will form part of the most comprehensive federal recruitment and staffing product yet developed.
Human resource staff stand to benefit from CareerHere's features as much as job seekers, for good reason. During testing, a special user group of HR officers from several ICs met frequently to advise designers and suggest modifications. Pilot users have commented that CareerHere saves many steps in creating and posting vacancy announcements. Not only is it faster to cut-and-paste vacancy announcements online, but also the new program automatically provides a direct link to OPM's USA Jobs Web site.
By making it easier to apply for NIH jobs, the new automated vacancy announcement system could improve NIH's ability to recruit top scientists and administrators. Developers expect job hunters will appreciate the advantages of having their applications available to multiple ICs, as well as the ability to modify their resumés for each new announcement that opens.
Now may be a good time to polish up your own resumé and get it online at http://careerhere.nih.gov.
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