|
Post by valkyrie on Feb 10, 2014 12:14:36 GMT -5
This is second hand, but allegedly ODAR and the unions recently had some kind of get together in which a significant amount of overtime availability was discussed, along with the hiring of 400 support staff and 90+ ALJs.
|
|
|
Post by Ace Midnight on Feb 10, 2014 13:10:30 GMT -5
What do you mean by "significant"? Like 24+ hours per pay period?
|
|
|
Post by everflowing on Feb 10, 2014 13:53:54 GMT -5
It was said at an ODAR forum meeting.
Within the next 4 months, ODAR intends to hire up to 90 ALJs, 400 support staff (SCTs and decision writers as external hires), and there are 330,000 hours of overtime allocated for decision writing and even pullers (depending on the office) for Saturdays.
|
|
|
Post by funkyodar on Feb 10, 2014 14:09:17 GMT -5
It was said at an ODAR forum meeting.
Within the next 4 months, ODAR intends to hire up to 90 ALJs, 400 support staff (SCTs and decision writers as external hires), and there are 330,000 hours of overtime allocated for decision writing and even pullers (depending on the office) for Saturdays. Very funkin nice.
|
|
|
Post by sandiferhands (old) on Feb 10, 2014 15:04:14 GMT -5
It was said at an ODAR forum meeting.
Within the next 4 months, ODAR intends to hire up to 90 ALJs, 400 support staff (SCTs and decision writers as external hires), and there are 330,000 hours of overtime allocated for decision writing and even pullers (depending on the office) for Saturdays. "Within the next 4 months" Feb March April MAY May hires? If so, what would a likely training schedule and start date look like for new hires?
|
|
|
Post by valkyrie on Feb 10, 2014 15:21:02 GMT -5
It was said at an ODAR forum meeting.
Within the next 4 months, ODAR intends to hire up to 90 ALJs, 400 support staff (SCTs and decision writers as external hires), and there are 330,000 hours of overtime allocated for decision writing and even pullers (depending on the office) for Saturdays. "Within the next 4 months" Feb March April MAY May hires? If so, what would a likely training schedule and start date look like for new hires? Well, lets see. They have to finish processing the transfers so they can find out where the open slots will be. They they have to issue the cert for all of those locations. Then the candidates on the cert have to indicate which locations they would accept. The Agency-level background/references checks have to be completed. Interviews have to be scheduled and completed. Then the decisions have to be made. I would say the earliest chance for a lucky call from Bob would be somewhere into the early fall.
|
|
|
Post by gottabeme on Feb 10, 2014 16:43:03 GMT -5
ironically, the OT in our office was just cancelled. We had been told that OT would be through at least all of February for decision workers only, but then we were told that the last OT was Feb 8th with no more for the rest of the month.
|
|
|
Post by funkyodar on Feb 10, 2014 17:01:17 GMT -5
Same at my office
|
|
|
Post by papresqr on Feb 10, 2014 17:31:40 GMT -5
Haven't heard about our office yet, but we were only told week by week anyway. There goes the extra fund for my new car payment.
|
|
|
Post by sandiferhands (old) on Feb 10, 2014 17:42:27 GMT -5
Well, lets see. They have to finish processing the transfers so they can find out where the open slots will be. They they have to issue the cert for all of those locations. Then the candidates on the cert have to indicate which locations they would accept. The Agency-level background/references checks have to be completed. Interviews have to be scheduled and completed. Then the decisions have to be made. I would say the earliest chance for a lucky call from Bob would be somewhere into the early fall. At the risk of being obtuse... I presumed that "hire" meant that all those things you list in your reply, Valkyrie, had already been done, and the lucky ones got a call in which the Wizard of Odar said "You're hired. Report to x place on y day."
|
|
|
Post by aljwatch on Feb 10, 2014 18:35:22 GMT -5
Well...ODAR can't request any Cert lists for any cities until there is a New Register (unless they hire off the old register, but my question on another thread regarding whether they might do that was unanimously shot down as impossible). The way I see it, though, all that really tells us is that ODAR knows when the NORs will come out, and that it will be sometime in the next 4 months...hopefully earlier rather than later. So, the waiting continues...
|
|
|
Post by ssaogc on Feb 10, 2014 19:56:21 GMT -5
Well...ODAR can't request any Cert lists for any cities until there is a New Register (unless they hire off the old register, but my question on another thread regarding whether they might do that was unanimously shot down as impossible). The way I see it, though, all that really tells us is that ODAR knows when the NORs will come out, and that it will be sometime in the next 4 months...hopefully earlier rather than later. So, the waiting continues... SSA is in the driver's seat in regards to the NORs. Keep us posted on what is going on in ODAR because you will see that the NOR release will coincide with moves made by ODAR. NORs have been ready since December or maybe even earlier but OPM office of ALJ Program is waiting to receive the nod from their biggest benefactor.
|
|
|
Post by Ace Midnight on Feb 11, 2014 10:12:10 GMT -5
SSA is in the driver's seat in regards to the NORs. Keep us posted on what is going on in ODAR because you will see that the NOR release will coincide with moves made by ODAR. NORs have been ready since December or maybe even earlier but OPM office of ALJ Program is waiting to receive the nod from their biggest benefactor. While I was dismissive of this notion, initially - here we are in mid-February. No NORs. No register. Only a twinkling of movement on the transfer front. Although it truly does not pass the smell test, "ODAR is not OPM's only customer with this" - the elephant in the room remains ODAR and I can only conclude that this is what is happening through unofficial channels. There is no other reasonable explanation for the delay. There must be a desire to synchronize the process, for timing, for appeal purposes - I'm sure it makes sense to the practitioners. It is just maddening for us at this end. Let this be a lesson to those of us who get appointed - there are real human beings on this end of a process, and getting a timely answer out, yes or no, has an impact on people's lives.
|
|
|
Post by valkyrie on Feb 11, 2014 10:50:32 GMT -5
SSA is in the driver's seat in regards to the NORs. Keep us posted on what is going on in ODAR because you will see that the NOR release will coincide with moves made by ODAR. NORs have been ready since December or maybe even earlier but OPM office of ALJ Program is waiting to receive the nod from their biggest benefactor. It is just maddening for us at this end. Let this be a lesson to those of us who get appointed - there are real human beings on this end of a process, and getting a timely answer out, yes or no, has an impact on people's lives. Actually, based upon SSA ALJ pay rates, you have a much better shot at getting a favorable disability decision than you have of getting an ALJ job offer, even if you have made it onto the new register. If the Agency decides to hire 120 new ALJs, you have to be pretty close to the top 360 scores on the register just to get an interview, and even then you only have a 33% shot. The current SSA ALJ pay percentage is somwhere in the mid 40s. Reality check. Don't rearrange your life for a very arbitrary process. It makes about as much sense as preparing to win the lottery.
|
|
|
Post by Ace Midnight on Feb 11, 2014 11:09:46 GMT -5
Reality check. Don't rearrange your life for a very arbitrary process. It makes about as much sense as preparing to win the lottery. While I agree in theory - there are all sorts of things that have to be considered - I have 2 weddings this fall, a late summer annual training event, all of the things associated with getting references lined up. It is impossible to pretend this isn't going on and it is maddening that there is no apparent progress. I don't want to get a bad score, but assuming that is going to be the case, such news isn't going to improve with age. 1 year - no NORs - no scores - no register.
|
|
|
Post by steelrain on Feb 11, 2014 11:13:07 GMT -5
True Valkyrie, however (at least in my little corner of the world) job openings in the $100,000 plus range are routinely seeing over 200 applicants per position. I have a good friend at USDOJ and their most recent opening drew in over 250 resumes (they simply stopped counting them at 250).
If you look at open positions on Linkedin it will show how many Linkedin members have submitted resumes. I routinely see 100 plus submissions.
So if the Register has 1,100 applicants and if there will be 120 hires this year that is a 11% chance for a position and a 33% chance of getting an interview (I know this is not really accurate as there are many variables such as GAL and scores that come into play - but it is illustrative). Much better odds then I have seen out here in the real world.
The truth is the legal market is very saturated right now and there are many of us in private practice looking to escape the 2,000 hour a year grind. As someone that has been exploring other options during the last year I can tell you that this is the most competitive job market I have seen for lawyers with 10 plus years of experience - seems like everyone is trying to escape from private practice.
So in the words of Lloyd Christmas...
|
|
|
Post by bartleby on Feb 11, 2014 11:23:42 GMT -5
I have heard the Agency will hire 150 ALJ's this year. Other than that, the Agency is planning sitting Judge training sometime in July and August for what it's worth.
|
|
|
Post by valkyrie on Feb 11, 2014 11:39:13 GMT -5
True Valkyrie, however (at least in my little corner of the world) job openings in the $100,000 plus range are routinely seeing over 200 applicants per position. I have a good friend at USDOJ and their most recent opening drew in over 250 resumes (they simply stopped counting them at 250). If you look at open positions on Linkedin it will show how many Linkedin members have submitted resumes. I routinely see 100 plus submissions. So if the Register has 1,100 applicants and if there will be 120 hires this year that is a 11% chance for a position and a 33% chance of getting an interview (I know this is not really accurate as there are many variables such as GAL and scores that come into play - but it is illustrative). Much better odds then I have seen out here in the real world. The truth is the legal market is very saturated right now and there are many of us in private practice looking to escape the 2,000 hour a year grind. As someone that has been exploring other options during the last year I can tell you that this is the most competitive job market I have seen for lawyers with 10 plus years of experience - seems like everyone is trying to escape from private practice. So in the words of Lloyd Christmas... This process has always been a crap shoot, regardless of the legal job market. Of course, naturally the current job market IS making it MUCH worse. My comment was more geared toward the Register to Cert level of the process. You may certainly consider yourself fortunate to make it on the register or even onto a cert, but never forget that EVERY level of the process, even the highest levels, leaves far more people dissapointed than happy. The 33% chance at the cert level is probably your BEST odds of any part of the process, and even that is a "best case" scenario. Going back to Acemidnight's post, plan on going to the weddings and the training!
|
|
|
Post by steelrain on Feb 11, 2014 11:50:30 GMT -5
I guess what I meant it is all perspective. In my case, the other positions I applied for I had a 1% chance of landing an interview (most private employers only interview 2 candidates) and a .5% chance of getting the position (again from a purely mathematical standpoint).
So from that perspective the ALJ odds, by far, are the best odds I have seen in the last year. Of course depending on your local job market and legal background YMMV.
So from my perspective applying for that one open position with DoD is like playing the lottery, not this process.
|
|
|
Post by hopefalj on Feb 11, 2014 12:06:01 GMT -5
I guess what I meant it is all perspective. In my case, the other positions I applied for I had a .01% chance of landing an interview (most private employers only interview 2 candidates) and a .005% chance of getting the position (again from a purely mathematical standpoint). So from that perspective the ALJ odds, by far, are the best odds I have seen in the last year. Of course depending on your local job market and legal background YMMV. So from my perspective applying for that one open position with DoD is like playing the lottery, not this process. Unless you meant to say there are 20,000 applicants for the other jobs you've been applying to, you have mistyped your odds. :-) I agree with your overall premise, though. I know of jobs that have had 300-500 applications for a single position. I would take 1/60 chances (100 hires from an applicant pool of 6000 for the ALJ position) over those odds.
|
|