Direct-hire authority is designed to provide the needed flexibilities to effectively recruit eligibles for career- conditional appointment to positions in shortage or critical shortage occupations. The implementation of direct-hire authority includes the direct receipt of applications, the examination of competitors, and compliance with competitive selection rules in cooperation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) examining office. Direct-hire procedures permit these functions to be accomplished by the Bureaus (versus OPM).

Normally, use of direct-hire recruiting results in fewer than three qualified and available candidates for a position. However, should there be more than three candidates or a mix of veterans preference eligibles and nonpreference eligibles, then the "rule-of-three" and veterans preference must be applied to determine which candidates are within reach for selection.

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Revised: 11/10/98
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U.S. Department of the Interior