Hiring Freezes?? Forum

[Dnova002]

I get the concerns, but I thought the guidance from OMB was actually pretty encouraging. It doesn't require revoking prior offers, and seems to give quite a lot of discretion to agency heads and allow for exceptions.

I'm 100% with you. Hate the position we are all in, but the memo was encouraging.

[ScratchableItch]

I get the concerns, but I thought the guidance from OMB was actually pretty encouraging. It doesn't require revoking prior offers, and seems to give quite a lot of discretion to agency heads and allow for exceptions.

Well, this guidance is certainly better than retroactive recission of offers for those who haven't started yet, but it's also not assurance that those offers that were made will be honored. It leaves a lot of discretion to the agencies which may mean that we won't know how it shakes out for several weeks at least.

[Anonymous User]

Accepted offer, passed background check, waiting for start date with a USAO. Heard back from HR today, they said under every prior freeze USAO offers had been honored. They also said the acting AG is very pro-USAO, and therefore did not anticipate issues in generously interpreting both what is a vacancy and what is public safety.

People with accepted USAO offers, in other words, have been fine in other times where this kind of thing has happened. But other times this has happened have also been implemented by people who were not Trump.

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.

[Dnova002]

Accepted offer, passed background check, waiting for start date with a USAO. Heard back from HR today, they said under every prior freeze USAO offers had been honored. They also said the acting AG is very pro-USAO, and therefore did not anticipate issues in generously interpreting both what is a vacancy and what is public safety.

People with accepted USAO offers, in other words, have been fine in other times where this kind of thing has happened. But other times this has happened have also been implemented by people who were not Trump.

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.

What does "going to the security section early" mean. In fact, I didn't even know you went to a specific section first. I also sent my application early December but haven't heard anything.

[Anonymous User]

Accepted offer, passed background check, waiting for start date with a USAO. Heard back from HR today, they said under every prior freeze USAO offers had been honored. They also said the acting AG is very pro-USAO, and therefore did not anticipate issues in generously interpreting both what is a vacancy and what is public safety.

People with accepted USAO offers, in other words, have been fine in other times where this kind of thing has happened. But other times this has happened have also been implemented by people who were not Trump.

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.

What does "going to the security section early" mean. In fact, I didn't even know you went to a specific section first. I also sent my application early December but haven't heard anything.

I'll fix my grammar. t went to the security section in early January. I checked on my application with HR and was told that they sent it to the 'security section.' My best guess (total guess) is that the USAO reviews whatever they need to review and once the application is good on their end, they send it to the FBI to complete the background check.

[Anonymous User]

Accepted offer, passed background check, waiting for start date with a USAO. Heard back from HR today, they said under every prior freeze USAO offers had been honored. They also said the acting AG is very pro-USAO, and therefore did not anticipate issues in generously interpreting both what is a vacancy and what is public safety.

People with accepted USAO offers, in other words, have been fine in other times where this kind of thing has happened. But other times this has happened have also been implemented by people who were not Trump.

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.

What does "going to the security section early" mean. In fact, I didn't even know you went to a specific section first. I also sent my application early December but haven't heard anything.

I'll fix my grammar. t went to the security section in early January. I checked on my application with HR and was told that they sent it to the 'security section.' My best guess (total guess) is that the USAO reviews whatever they need to review and once the application is good on their end, they send it to the FBI to complete the background check.

[Anonymous User]

Accepted offer, passed background check, waiting for start date with a USAO. Heard back from HR today, they said under every prior freeze USAO offers had been honored. They also said the acting AG is very pro-USAO, and therefore did not anticipate issues in generously interpreting both what is a vacancy and what is public safety.

People with accepted USAO offers, in other words, have been fine in other times where this kind of thing has happened. But other times this has happened have also been implemented by people who were not Trump.

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.

What does "going to the security section early" mean. In fact, I didn't even know you went to a specific section first. I also sent my application early December but haven't heard anything.

I'll fix my grammar. t went to the security section in early January. I checked on my application with HR and was told that they sent it to the 'security section.' My best guess (total guess) is that the USAO reviews whatever they need to review and once the application is good on their end, they send it to the FBI to complete the background check.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I get the concerns, but I thought the guidance from OMB was actually pretty encouraging. It doesn't require revoking prior offers, and seems to give quite a lot of discretion to agency heads and allow for exceptions.

Well, this guidance is certainly better than retroactive recission of offers for those who haven't started yet, but it's also not assurance that those offers that were made will be honored. It leaves a lot of discretion to the agencies which may mean that we won't know how it shakes out for several weeks at least.

Glass half-full/half-empty situation, I guess? No, it's definitely not as good as being told the offers will be honored, I was just afraid it was going to be NO JOBS FOR YOU!!!! and at least it's not that yet. (I tend to think agency discretion is good because IME if they had a job opening they're going to want to find a way to fill it.)

[Anonymous User]

I accepted a DOJ Honors offer (for a Main Justice position that is not related to public safety or national security) in early December and then submitted my e-QIP forms and other documentation in late December. I reached out to my HR contact today asking where I was in the hiring process and whether she had any new information re: the hiring freeze. Her response was that all I had left to do was take a drug test, and then she asked if I would be available to do that on certain dates. She didn't address my question about the hiring freeze at all, but this seems like a good sign.

[Anonymous User]

I accepted a DOJ Honors offer (for a Main Justice position that is not related to public safety or national security) in early December and then submitted my e-QIP forms and other documentation in late December. I reached out to my HR contact today asking where I was in the hiring process and whether she had any new information re: the hiring freeze. Her response was that all I had left to do was take a drug test, and then she asked if I would be available to do that on certain dates. She didn't address my question about the hiring freeze at all, but this seems like a good sign.

DOJ isn't going to release the official go ahead (or failure to go ahead) until Sessions (or someone else, I suppose) is in charge and officially makes the call.

[Dnova002]

Accepted offer, passed background check, waiting for start date with a USAO. Heard back from HR today, they said under every prior freeze USAO offers had been honored. They also said the acting AG is very pro-USAO, and therefore did not anticipate issues in generously interpreting both what is a vacancy and what is public safety.

People with accepted USAO offers, in other words, have been fine in other times where this kind of thing has happened. But other times this has happened have also been implemented by people who were not Trump.

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.

What does "going to the security section early" mean. In fact, I didn't even know you went to a specific section first. I also sent my application early December but haven't heard anything.

I'll fix my grammar. t went to the security section in early January. I checked on my application with HR and was told that they sent it to the 'security section.' My best guess (total guess) is that the USAO reviews whatever they need to review and once the application is good on their end, they send it to the FBI to complete the background check.

I see what you're saying. My office had me print everything out and we went through it together before sending it to DC on 12/07. I think 4 weeks is optimistic though. They've had mine for almost 8 and still none of my people have been contacted. Hope I'm wrong and you get cleared ASAP.

Also, I've heard my clearance was contracted out. FBI not handling it. Which may explain the delay.

[Anonymous User]

Tentative offer. Background check pending. Sent 12/07. Just got the call, praise the lord, as long as my clearance is done by 2/22 and I start by then, I am good. Big meeting just finished, so news should be coming.

Praying for all of you.

[Anonymous User]

Happy for you! Thanks for the update.

[Anonymous User]

Out of curiosity, how long after you submitted your background stuff did it take for you to get your clearance. Sent my 12/07 and still nothing. Trying to figure out about how long they usually take.

I am curious about this too. I sent my application (e-qip) early December, it went to the security section early January. HR told me 4-8 weeks from there. I am praying for a quick turnaround.[/quote]


What does "going to the security section early" mean. In fact, I didn't even know you went to a specific section first. I also sent my application early December but haven't heard anything.[/quote]

I'll fix my grammar. t went to the security section in early January. I checked on my application with HR and was told that they sent it to the 'security section.' My best guess (total guess) is that the USAO reviews whatever they need to review and once the application is good on their end, they send it to the FBI to complete the background check.[/quote]

I see what you're saying. My office had me print everything out and we went through it together before sending it to DC on 12/07. I think 4 weeks is optimistic though. They've had mine for almost 8 and still none of my people have been contacted. Hope I'm wrong and you get cleared ASAP.

Also, I've heard my clearance was contracted out. FBI not handling it. Which may explain the delay.[/quote]

Original anon. Mine took a loooooong time. I got the materials to HR in mid October and got the call to arrange a start date in mid January. My guess is that they slowed down following the election, slowed down again through Thanksgiving>Christmas>NYE, then dragged their feet again to get a feel for what Trump was going to do.

Posters on this site have disputed it, but for me and everyone I know, the full check is usually done by OPM, not the FBI. And that check takes a full year. The pre-employment check is done by USAO investigators who didn't call me or any of my references before giving me the go-ahead (then WTF did you take 3 months to do?).

You guys are in an interesting position because even if Sessions doesn't exempt you from the freeze, the 90 days will likely expire before you would have started, anyway.

[Anonymous User]

Tentative offer. Background check pending. Sent 12/07. Just got the call, praise the lord, as long as my clearance is done by 2/22 and I start by then, I am good. Big meeting just finished, so news should be coming.

Praying for all of you.

Are you heading into a criminal AUSA position? HR told me that they aren't concerned because criminal AUSAs have qualified as public safety every time so far, and even if they didn't, extended offers have been honored every time so far. I think the 2/22 start date is for all kinds of jobs. I would be a touch concerned about them finishing the background check in time to get a 2/22 start date because there's got to be a ton of people in the same situation and my check took several months.

[Dnova002]

Tentative offer. Background check pending. Sent 12/07. Just got the call, praise the lord, as long as my clearance is done by 2/22 and I start by then, I am good. Big meeting just finished, so news should be coming.

Praying for all of you.

Are you heading into a criminal AUSA position? HR told me that they aren't concerned because criminal AUSAs have qualified as public safety every time so far, and even if they didn't, extended offers have been honored every time so far. I think the 2/22 start date is for all kinds of jobs. I would be a touch concerned about them finishing the background check in time to get a 2/22 start date because there's got to be a ton of people in the same situation and my check took several months.

Yes, criminal AUSA. I'll take the exception if I'm out of the 2/22, but they said they reached out to DC and were told it's in the last stages of review. Which translated to any day now.

[Anonymous User]

Can confirm a clarifying meeting today, HRs now know what's coming.

[Anonymous User]

Can confirm a clarifying meeting today, HRs now know what's coming.

For what agency? What do you mean?

[Dnova002]

Can confirm a clarifying meeting today, HRs now know what's coming.

For what agency? What do you mean?

What I said about a "big meeting just finishing". There was a national call with the AUSA's. They have some guidance now.

[Anonymous User]

I was told by one individual that official guidance will be released by that particular agency (not DOJ) within the next few days but that the individual is expecting to receive some sort of waiver for hiring under the "otherwise necessary" clause in the memo despite hiring for jobs that don't qualify as public/national safety stuff.

Also I am in DOJ and have not heard anything at my component other than "we are awaiting guidance from AG (or acting AG)." Sad that USAO has their shit together but not mine.

[Anonymous User]

Now appearing on DOJ's website:

Please note that a hiring freeze is in effect as of January 22, 2017. The following information describes our normal recruitment and application procedures. If you are interested in applying to a specific vacancy announcement, you are welcome to submit your resume and other application materials for possible future consideration. Please be advised, however, that most positions cannot be filled until the freeze is lifted.

[avzmgv]

Where does it say that? Do you have a link?

[MillerTime15]

Where does it say that? Do you have a link?

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/a ... d&sort=asc

[Npret]

Can confirm a clarifying meeting today, HRs now know what's coming.

For what agency? What do you mean?

What I said about a "big meeting just finishing". There was a national call with the AUSA's. They have some guidance now.

No clue what it contained? I keep hoping people aren't going to be unemployed, but my confidence in that is low.

[Anonymous User]

I am not the original anon, but I have heard that the USAOs will follow the OBM guidance. Here's hoping for everyone with offers to clear before Feb. 22.