USA Hire and Alternative Assessments

TO:  All IBC Employees

FROM:  Melody Jameson, Chief, Human Resources Operations Division 

SUBJECT: USA Hire and Alternative Assessments

Beginning Monday, April 19, IBC will implement the online assessment program USA Hire for the majority of IBC vacancies.

Executive Order 13932, issued June 26, 2020, requires agencies to expand the use of skill- and competency-based assessments in the federal hiring process. The EO states that agencies may no longer solely rely on the candidates’ self-reporting assessment results, but instead must supplement that assessment with other tools in order to create a multiple hurdle approach to evaluating candidates during the selection process.

To meet the directive, DOI issued Personnel Bulletin 20-21 and acquired USA Hire, an OPM-developed suite of assessment tools available for use across the Department. USA Hire measures general competencies identified by government-wide job analysis to be critical to several dozen occupational series and grade levels throughout the federal government.

IBC has developed a framework around the use of USA Hire as our first new assessment approach to strengthen hiring practices and meet the requirements of EO 13932 and PB 20-21.

Resources

• Executive Order #13932 – Modernizing and Reforming the Assessment and Hiring of Federal Job Candidates
•  Personnel Bulletin (PB) 20-21 – Requirements for Assessment Practices During the Selection Process
• In HR Quarterly Newsletter - November 2020 – View page 9 to read more about USA Hire and what it means for you.
• Assessments page on IBC Customer Central – Visit our new Assessments page for the most up-to-date information and resources related to the EO, PB and USA Hire.

Questions?

• If you have questions related to USA Hire or alternative assessments, please contact your servicing HR Specialist or the POC listed on the vacancy announcement to which you are applying.