Topline
Essay questions about government efficiency and President Donald Trump’s executive orders will soon be included in federal job applications, the Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday, adding new requirements for civil service job seekers that could gauge their political leanings.
The questions were listed in a Thursday memorandum from the Office of Personnel Management. (Photo … More
Key Facts
The questions will apply to applications for positions GS-05 and above, a federal pay grade with annual rates as low as $34,454, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management.
Four essay questions will be added with a limit of 200 words per answer, with applicants required to certify that they did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence for their answers.
The Office of Personnel Management said the questions are being added as part of Executive Order 14170, which Trump signed in January and seeks to make the federal hiring process more efficient.
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What Are The New Essay Questions In Federal Job Applications?
1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.
Chief Critic
The new questions do not explicitly ask applicants about their political preferences, which is prohibited under federal law. However, Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, told Bloomberg, which first reported on the job application questions, that the new inquiries were “deeply problematic” and an “almost partisan and ideological overlay without understanding the responsibilities they’re hiring for.”
What We Don’t Know
When exactly the new questions will begin appearing on federal job applications provided by USAJobs, the official employment site for the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
Trump signed Executive Order 14170 with the stated goal of streamlining and making the federal hiring process more transparent. He also signed Executive Order 14173 to curb diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in federal hiring, claiming the initiatives, which are intended to accommodate marginalized groups in the workplace and in the hiring process, are “illegal, demeaning, and immoral.” Last month, The Washington Post reported some 280 employees working on environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for the Environmental Protection Agency resigned from the agency themselves or were told they would be fired. The president’s goal to reform federal hiring has been pushed alongside the firing of hundreds of thousands of federal employees, which has been done to “enhance accountability, reduce waste, and promote innovation,” according to the president. However, some of the layoffs have been reversed by the Trump administration or blocked by courts.
Further Reading
Federal Government Layoff Tracker: State Department Reportedly Cutting 15% Of U.S. Staff, EPA Firing DEI Workers (Forbes)
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