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This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens; Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program and Career Transition Assistance Program eligibles in the local commuting area.

Duties

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Work is primarily in Russellville, AR but will include travel throughout Pope and Yell counties.

THIS POSITION IS PART-TIME ONLY AND DOES NOT LEAD TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT. THIS IS NOT ENTRY LEVEL FOR AN ECONOMIST POSITION. The initial average hours per week will be 16 to 32 hours to start depending on workload and training requirements. Work schedule will vary week to week depending upon work requirements. This is not a job for a person who needs full-time work or who cannot be available for work when required, which includes a mix of day, evening and weekend hours as needed. Additionally, this position requires visits to retail stores, businesses, and residences to gather the required information.

Selectees must travel to the Bureau of Labor Statistics training center in Washington, D.C. up to two times during the first year for mandatory classroom training as follows: Two (2) week introductory commodities and services training and One (1) week of advanced data collection. Housing training is accomplished through distance learning.

Economic Assistants collect prices and related statistical data on a wide variety of commodities, services, and housing for the BLS Consumer Price Index. Data for commodities and services are collected by conducting personal and telephone interviews with store managers and buyers, managers in auto dealerships, doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals. Data for the housing survey are obtained by personal visit or telephone interview with either property managers, tenants, or homeowners. Duties include, but are not limited to:

Visiting retail and service establishments such as department stores, supermarkets, medical offices, and hotels to collect retail price data. A limited amount of data is collected by telephone/fax.
Contacting homeowners, renters, and apartment management companies by personal visit to neighborhoods and follow up telephone interviews.
Collecting and entering data on a handheld computer.
Obtaining voluntary cooperation from survey respondents.
Traveling to a field office for on-the-job training and periodic meetings.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Requires a valid drivers license.
Requires a probationary period.
Must be at least 16 years old and an U.S. Citizenship.
Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations. As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal executive branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to submit documentation of proof of vaccination or to be in the process of requesting an exception to the vaccination requirement before appointment or onboarding with the agency. The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request to be considered for a legally required exception from this requirement.

Currently, implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 14043 has been suspended pursuant to an injunction pending further litigation.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet qualifications, legal and regulatory requirements for the position by the closing date of this announcement.

GS-05: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level.

Specialized experience is the experience that is in or related to the work of the position being filled which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Examples of qualifying experience may include: experience in performing research or related work that involved collecting, compiling, verifying, analyzing, or reporting data. Significant experience in retail sales; specific knowledge of a wide variety of assorted products and/or service(s) offered by retail stores and businesses to the consumer; cold-calling sales; real estate sales or management; survey or marketing work; interviewers or in-take workers; jobs or volunteer experience that required detailed recordkeeping and/or oral persuasion skills and/or public contact. Direct contact with, and direct sales to, the public is a plus; knowledge of products and service specifications; public outreach; specific knowledge of area housing sales and stock, pricing and customer base; general knowledge of constantly changing consumer marketing practices; familiarity with state, federal and local laws as they relate to consumer products/services especially prices, (i.e., licensing requirements, state taxes, excise taxes, labeling regulations, etc.). Using good skills in communicating, both orally and in writing. Using personal computers and applications such as Windows-based software applications, email, and the internet.

Education

Education substitution: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in economics, or 24 semester hours of courses in subjects such as business law, statistics, algebra, precalculus, calculus, or economics. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying.

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. This type of announcement provides the Bureau of Labor Statistics with a readily available source of applicants when vacancies occur. Eligibility and qualifications will be verified when there is a vacancy for the location for which you applied. The intent of this announcement is to establish a standing register of qualified candidates. Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement period or at management's request. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. The final cut-off date for receipt/referral of applications to be considered for available vacant positions will be August 15, 2022.

This vacancy announcement may be extended and cut-off dates may be updated.

Explanation of Competencies:

Decision Making and Problem-Solving: Employs strategic and critical approaches to decision-making and/or problem-solving, e.g. identifying, and considering issues/problems, determining accuracy and relevance of information, as well as generating, identifying, evaluating, and implementing alternative solution approaches, to resolve issues/problems, deliver services and provide value.

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, professionalism, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness, even with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed.

Oral Communication: Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Planning & Evaluations: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Self-Management: Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of motivation, initiative, effort, and commitment towards timely completion of assignments with minimal supervision.

Influencing/Negotiation: Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions.

Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).

This position is inside the bargaining unit.

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) Authorization No. DOL-1

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories:
Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Please see the other information section for explanation of competencies.

The information you provide on your resume may be verified by a review of your work experience, employment start/end dates/hours worked and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified." Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

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The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password-protected documents.

- Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and the number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.

- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to https://www.fedshirevets.gov

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents – Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted. Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires

– Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - submit if using education as a basis for qualifying for this position. If so, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, PHD, etc). If specific course work is required to qualify, you must supply transcripts from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

OFFICIAL Transcripts MUST BE RECEIVED prior to selection and report date. Reference the “Education Section” for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Help

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section.

Follow the steps below to apply. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.

SAVE your information before the 30 MINUTE TIMEOUT! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center.

STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. FOR EACH EMPLOYMENT PERIOD, include: start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week); otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.

STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the title and click the "Apply" button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Click “Start Application” and proceed through the 5 steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. At Step 5, click “Continue to Agency Site”.

STEP 3 – Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL) On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click “APPLY TO THIS VACANCY”. Continue through the 7 progress steps indicated by circles at the top of the DOL page. The 3rd progress step is where you answer the vacancy specific questions. The 4th progress step "Documents" is where you submit required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy. If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission.

STEP 4 – On the “Review and Submit” step, click “Submit Application” The last “Confirmation” step will turn green noting that your application was submitted successfully.

STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm ET of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then “Update Application”.

Agency contact information

Mitchell Desy

Phone: 312-353-1591
TDD: 711
Email: desy.mitchell.t@dol.gov

Address: Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
230 S Dearborn St
Chicago, Illinois 60604
United States

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days from the issuance date of the certificate.

For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to: USAJOBS Help Guide.

USAJOBS will no longer send status email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency point of contact on the job announcement.