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Recent Graduate - IT Specialist (Applications Software)

Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Office of Technology and Survey Processing
This job announcement has closed

Summary

ITSPEC (APPSW) vacancies will be filled under the Department of Labor (DOL) Recent Graduates program in the excepted service. DOL Recent Graduate appointments are one-year. The entire duration of the program constitutes a trial period. Upon successful completion of the program, and at the agency's discretion, appointees may be converted to term or permanent positions in the competitive service.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/08/2024 to 03/13/2024
This job will close when we have received 75 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$68,405 to - $88,926 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
District of Columbia, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Recent graduates
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12 - Upon successful completion of the Recent Graduate program, and at the agency's discretion, appointees may be converted to term or permanent positions in the competitive service. If converted, promotion potential is the GS-12.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PW-24-CHI-BLS-12341754-KDZ
Control number
780793200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Students who will meet the education requirements at the end of Spring semester 2024 may apply.

Duties

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The BLS headquarters is currently located in Washington, D.C. but is in the process of relocating within the National Capital Area to the Suitland Federal Center in Suitland, Maryland. If selected for this position, your assigned duty station will be Washington, D.C with the option to telework from an approved telework site within the locality pay area of Washington, D.C./Baltimore/Arlington while future headquarters is being built. Upon completion of the new headquarters offices in Suitland, MD, you will be required to report onsite to the Suitland Federal Center for some portion of each pay period after receiving notification to do so.

Vacant positions are located in DOL, BLS, Office of Technology and Survey Processing (OTSP). BLS measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making. OTSP provides IT support to all aspects of BLS data development initiatives.

This position is that of an OTSP Applications Software Developer. Duties include but are not limited to the development of applications using Java and SQL for the purpose of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining software applications that meet technical and functional requirements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be at least 16 years of age.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
  • Subject to a trial period throughout the duration of the Recent Graduate program.
  • Appointees must sign a DOL Pathways Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement.
  • Appointments expire at the end of the one-year service period unless the participant is selected and approved for conversion to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.

Qualifications

Applicants must demonstrate proof of meeting one of the below minimum qualification requirements, that is, either the requirements specified in Education or the requirements specified in Experience and Specialized Experience as follows:

Education

  • Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree. Degree must be in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management OR the degree provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or networks.

OR

Experience

IT-related Experience; experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. Experience must have demonstrated each of the four competencies listed below.

  1. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. An experience indicator at this level includes planning, prioritizing, and organizing one's own work.
  2. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services. An experience indicator at this level includes orally presenting information and ideas in an understandable manner.
  3. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. An experience indicator at this level includes orally presenting technical information in an effective, professional, and understandable manner in formal settings; engaging in discussions and sharing of information with co-workers or team members.
  4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. An experience indicator at this level includes resolving simple or routine situations that impact one's own work; gathering and applying information from standard materials or sources; investigating and collecting needed information to outline a proposed solution to a simple problem; utilizing various sources to conduct research to acquire information sufficient to support decisions and problem resolution recommendations; gathering and analyzing facts and drawing logical conclusions.

AND

Specialized Experience

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-07, in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as the following:

  • IT applications software experience that resulted in the development of an application. This level of experience must have been demonstrated by writing and/or testing code using C++, C#, Java, .NET, or Python.

Education

To be eligible for an appointment, you must meet requirements A. or B.

A. Completed (or will complete by the end of Spring 2024) all requirements for an associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years;

or

B. Was released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years, where the applicant is a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying for a recent graduate position during any portion of the two-year eligibility period following completion of his/her degree or certificate requirements, provided that not more than six years have transpired since the applicant completed the requirements for a degree or certification. You must submit an academic transcript from your academic institution showing the date that you most recently completed the academic requirements described above. See the Required Documents section of this announcement.

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 coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements.

The appointee must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for conversion to the competitive service upon successful completion of the program.

This position is inside the bargaining unit, with a duty location within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, therefore, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

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

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Click here for Telework Position Information

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

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.

  • Category A - Meets the minimum qualifications requirements and demonstrates superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position.
  • Category B - Meets the minimum qualifications requirements and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position.
  • Category C - Meets the minimum qualifications requirements and demonstrates familiarity in applying critical competencies required by this position.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

  • Database Management Systems
  • Software Development
  • Software Engineering
  • Technical Documentation


You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12341754

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

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