|
Post by jaglawyer on May 12, 2010 8:35:38 GMT -5
I am brand new to this board. There seems to be a lot of great information on here. Thanks everyone. I see that there are going to be positions at SSA. Any info on the location of these spots?
|
|
|
Post by redwhiteblue on May 12, 2010 9:16:06 GMT -5
Many locations with the expected large number of new hires this summer, but all the actual locations may not be known until all the existing ALJS awaiting transfer are processed.
|
|
|
Post by jaglawyer on May 12, 2010 12:42:47 GMT -5
Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by friarfan on May 12, 2010 16:54:45 GMT -5
I didn't find out about this board until I was at my interview...and now know that I severely limited myself in choosing too few locations. Is there a site to find out how many ALJs are at a particular location and, after the transfer process, where the openings might be? While I did received a pretty decent score (high 70s), I think my GAL limitation may be a death blow for me. I'd like to do a better job at this next time! Thanks in advance for your help...
|
|
|
Post by Propmaster on May 12, 2010 17:01:46 GMT -5
I didn't find out about this board until I was at my interview...and now know that I severely limited myself in choosing too few locations. Is there a site to find out how many ALJs are at a particular location and, after the transfer process, where the openings might be? While I did received a pretty decent score (high 70s), I think my GAL limitation may be a death blow for me. I'd like to do a better job at this next time! Thanks in advance for your help... Luckily, many of the sites on the GAL will be receiving more than one ALJ. By the time anyone would be able to get the list of potential openings to you, you will have received (or not) the cert notification with a list of potential openings. If you are in New York or Washington DC, your options are usually slimmer. Indeed, the entire northeast needs fewer judges in general, to my understanding, although that info might be dated. Historically, it is impossible to get appointed to Honolulu, if that was your only choice.
|
|
|
Post by friarfan on May 12, 2010 19:12:29 GMT -5
Unfortunately, my locations are in NY and western MA. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that there is some movement and that my score is high enough to get me on the cert... Thanks for your help!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 12, 2010 19:27:21 GMT -5
I didn't realize that it was so hard to find an opening on the East Coast. My GAL is Philadelphia area, South Jersey, Northern New Jersey. I looked on this Board and it looks like no hiring has been done in my GAL recently. I hope there are openings. However, I also see on the current poll that lots of folks put down very broad GALs. I suppose time will tell how this will all shake out. Does anyone know why the East Coast might need fewer Judges, given the large population?
|
|
|
Post by southeastalj on May 12, 2010 19:40:22 GMT -5
I didn't realize that it was so hard to find an opening on the East Coast. My GAL is Philadelphia area, South Jersey, Northern New Jersey. I looked on this Board and it looks like no hiring has been done in my GAL recently. I hope there are openings. However, I also see on the current poll that lots of folks put down very broad GALs. I suppose time will tell how this will all shake out. Does anyone know why the East Coast might need fewer Judges, given the large population? There are many reasons. Most of the east coast population centers already have multiple offices and have generally not been as backlogged as other parts of the country that are growing more rapidly. most offices in regions 2 and 3 are located in older office space/federal buildings without a ready ability to expand their size. Most new judges as well as new offices are being tasked to the Southeast and Southwest where ODAR's infrastructure has not caught up with population shifts. having said all that, with transfers/retirements and the ability to cram an extra office in here and there, there is no reason to think that there won't be at least a few hires sent to the part of the world you are most interested in.
|
|
|
Post by privateatty on May 12, 2010 19:45:05 GMT -5
I didn't realize that it was so hard to find an opening on the East Coast. My GAL is Philadelphia area, South Jersey, Northern New Jersey. I looked on this Board and it looks like no hiring has been done in my GAL recently. I hope there are openings. However, I also see on the current poll that lots of folks put down very broad GALs. I suppose time will tell how this will all shake out. Does anyone know why the East Coast might need fewer Judges, given the large population? How many people are originally from Boston vs. Phoenix or LA? People like to go home and sitting ALJs get first dibs through transfers. Most (by far) ALJs start as orphans--they don't start their career where they are from. People like to visit their real estate and that includes cemetery plots.
|
|
|
Post by southeastalj on May 12, 2010 19:54:01 GMT -5
Just to give an illustration to my point, an area such as Philadelphia metropolitan statistical area (the MSA covers Philly, southern NJ and northern DE) is serviced by essentially 5 hearing offices (Phila, Phila East, Elkins Park, Vorhees and Dover). the Dallas/Ft. Worth MSA has 500,000 more people than Philadelphia and only 3 hearing offices. The Houston, Miami and Atlanta MSA's all have populations similar to Philly's and also only have 2 offices each.
|
|
|
Post by hrhearingofficer on May 13, 2010 18:04:26 GMT -5
I must admit I am surprised at the number of people who are willing to move half way across creation to take one of these jobs. I have exactly two metropolitan areas on my GAL which I presume has doomed me to non-selection. What I can't understand is why there is no preference approach to the GAL. Is this inherent in the methodology? I am on the East Coast (as are the majority of you apparently), and know that I will lose out to a candidate from Anaheim if his score is higher...but if there is an opening in Anaheim (random choice btw), doesn't that person get to choose Cali over the EC?
|
|
|
Post by 71stretch on May 13, 2010 18:10:43 GMT -5
I must admit I am surprised at the number of people who are willing to move half way across creation to take one of these jobs. I have exactly two metropolitan areas on my GAL which I presume has doomed me to non-selection. What I can't understand is why there is no preference approach to the GAL. Is this inherent in the methodology? I am on the East Coast (as are the majority of you apparently), and know that I will lose out to a candidate from Anaheim if his score is higher...but if there is an opening in Anaheim (random choice btw), doesn't that person get to choose Cali over the EC? As I understand it, once you get on a cert, you don't automatically lose out to someone with a higher score. if you do well on the interview for a particular location, you can be hired over someone with a lower score. As far as right to "choose" a closer location over a remote one, (do you mean if both were offered?) others would know that. The only person I am familiar with who is an SSA ALJ (we have had the same last two jobs, but not at the same time... he was gone when I started both times) had to take a post initially far from home and where he wanted to be, but he eventually made it back to where he lived, by transfer.
|
|
|
Post by issuegirl on May 13, 2010 18:27:19 GMT -5
Observer: I am still so confused about this process. If you are selected to interview, do you get to give any sort of ranking as to which cities you would prefer over others you chose on your GAL? I thought there was only one interview left, but your post says "if you do well on the interview for a particular location, you can be hired over someone with a lower score." This implied to me that we will be interviewed more than once. Can someone please help me out? Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by runningman on May 13, 2010 18:39:18 GMT -5
There will be one interview per agency. With SSA, one does not rank cities in order of preference. If you are on a certificate of eligibles for more than one city, you may eliminate any of those cities you wish.
|
|
|
Post by 71stretch on May 13, 2010 18:42:38 GMT -5
Observer: I am still so confused about this process. If you are selected to interview, do you get to give any sort of ranking as to which cities you would prefer over others you chose on your GAL? I thought there was only one interview left, but your post says "if you do well on the interview for a particular location, you can be hired over someone with a lower score." This implied to me that we will be interviewed more than once. Can someone please help me out? Thanks. Actually, I didn't mean that there were interviews at each location, as I understand that there are not. I just meant the interview after making the cert, as the post above indicates, you just get one interview. Sorry for confusing you more. I'm trying to keep all this sorted out myself.
|
|
|
Post by aljsouth on May 13, 2010 19:16:04 GMT -5
The worst thing any candidate can do is to list only a few locations. This is way too far in the process to change; but for anyone applying in future list as many places as you can stand to live.
For the sake of clarity, NO you cannot rank the locations. SSA does not allow this.
NO you cannot add locations.
Yes, you can remove a location. Circumstances do change and you might not be able to move across the country like you could have when you listed you locations. SSA does allow removals. It used to preach don't expect a transfer. Lately, this has not been true with all the hiring and the reduction of time to 90 days before you can put down your name on the transfer list. Supposedly this hiring is designed to fill almost all vacant ALJ offices. If true, then the golden days of easy transfers may be coming to an end. If the agency only hires 50 to 70 a year for the next few years, in order to fill vacancies created by retirements, death, etc, then the opportunities for transfers will be drastically reduced.
|
|
|
Post by marylandattorney on May 13, 2010 21:32:00 GMT -5
When I filed my application, I seem to recall listing several locations for particular cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia. Yet my NOR only lists Chicago and Philadelphia without spelling out the various locations within those cities. Does that mean I would be considered for all the locations in those cities, or did some clerk make a mistake when noting the locations in those cities that I listed? If so, should I be contacting OPM before the cert goes out-which I will hopefully be on? Edited: I stand corrected. Chicago only has one listing, and both Philly listings are indeed listed on my NOR. However Washington DC, and Cincinatti are not, and I definitely listed those 2 cities on my application . What can I do at this point?
|
|
|
Post by 71stretch on May 13, 2010 23:36:51 GMT -5
I would think that if you did list those on your application, you ought to be able to contact someone to verify that and be sure you are on the cert for those cities.
|
|
oldschool
Full Member
Newbie FAQ Contributor
Posts: 101
|
Post by oldschool on May 14, 2010 5:49:27 GMT -5
email the ALJ help desk at opm. The address is aljapplication@opm.gov. They may take a while to respond, but they will correct the oversight.
|
|
|
Post by barkley on May 14, 2010 7:37:38 GMT -5
I must admit I am surprised at the number of people who are willing to move half way across creation to take one of these jobs. I have exactly two metropolitan areas on my GAL which I presume has doomed me to non-selection. What I can't understand is why there is no preference approach to the GAL. Is this inherent in the methodology? I am on the East Coast (as are the majority of you apparently), and know that I will lose out to a candidate from Anaheim if his score is higher...but if there is an opening in Anaheim (random choice btw), doesn't that person get to choose Cali over the EC? What you said would make sense in the real world - let higher scoring candidates pick their slot, but because of the Rule of 3 (as long as it is applied - who knows on that account), it does not work that way. If selected, your candidate from Anaheim will get a call "HI! We'd like to offer you a ALJ job in Big East Coast City. You want it?" To which the answer is either No or Yes. Candidate Anaheim cannot reply, "Yes, but I'd rather stay here if it is all the same to you." Which then leads to the painful transfer process about which so much has been written. The transfer process has worked great for some; others have been screwed, even those who want to go to more remote locations. Go into the process with your eyes open. Yes, having as broad a range of places on your GAL may increase your chances of getting the job, but there is more to life than the job. Really look at the things which are important to your quality of life and family before leaving a place on your final list. Don't count on being separated for just 90 days and then going home, as it might not happen - particularly if the rumors are true that after this summers big hire, openings will become fewer and fewer to just meet attritition needs.
|
|