U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Category Rating

• What it provides: Category-based rating (commonly called category rating) is an alternative way to assess job applicants for positions filled through the competitive examining process. It allows agency human resources staff to present a larger group of qualified candidates to hiring managers.
• When to use it: Category rating is most effective when meaningful differences in competency levels are important but may be difficult to assess using traditional selection procedures.

  While category rating may be used for any group of applicants, it is often most helpful when an agency needs to fill a large volume of similar positions. An agency may also choose category rating as its standard process. For example, an agency can use category rating for its internal merit promotion process as well as its external examining process.

• Benefits to the hiring manager:
  • Provides a flexible system that allows a quick infusion to the existing workforce.
  • Helps in making timely job offers to the most qualified candidates.
  • Features a streamlined administrative process for creating lists of applicants from which to choose.
  • Decreases the likelihood of inadvertently screening out qualified candidates.

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