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Post by counsel on Nov 30, 2007 17:32:57 GMT -5
Anyone have information on the dates of the training class? Is it still going to be broken down into two groups of 75 or one huge class? Just curious what people are hearing. Thanks!
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Post by aljsouth on Nov 30, 2007 21:11:59 GMT -5
Only rumors I heard had the class broken down into two (maybe three, but I don't think this latter rumor is true). Also heard likely candidates will be told at same time which class they will be in. As to when -- quien sabe? March to April for the first class is an educated guess. The budget issue may play a role in this.
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Post by doctorwho on Dec 1, 2007 9:09:23 GMT -5
Has anyone heard for sure how many spots are in play with this certificate? 75? 150? I was told by one of the contact people on the letter that is 150 and total vancies and that the total number of people on this cert was over 400. |
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Post by Pixie on Dec 1, 2007 9:14:39 GMT -5
From the looks of things it appears that SSA has requested a certificate to cover 150 slots. I think there will be two classes of about 75 each. The start date for the March 17, 2008 class is still a viable date, if the budget is worked out. Everything is being put into place so that Falls Church will be ready to roll when the budget is finalized, rather than waiting to start the process after the budget is passed. Good planning in my opinion.
My estimate of the class size is not based on any insider information, but is just my best guess based on the totality of the circumstances. Pix.
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Post by aljsouth on Dec 1, 2007 22:00:38 GMT -5
I almost missed that part of the email posted on this board. Get ready for a long bus ride folks.
Still, I have stayed in the inner harbor area near the street with lots of good italian restaurants. It was a really good place to stay. Had loads of fun. Went out to Ft. McHenry on a tour, usual tourist things. Had a blast.
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Post by doctorwho on Dec 2, 2007 15:54:50 GMT -5
I almost missed that part of the email posted on this board. Get ready for a long bus ride folks. Still, I have stayed in the inner harbor area near the street with lots of good italian restaurants. It was a really good place to stay. Had loads of fun. Went out to Ft. McHenry on a tour, usual tourist things. Had a blast. OK, I'll bite. Why would there be a long bus ride? Can't they just house the people where the classes are? What if the students are in the commuting area? |
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Post by Pixie on Dec 2, 2007 16:14:03 GMT -5
The long bus ride will be to the classes held in Baltimore with the hotel stay elsewhere. I was hoping they would forget that foolishness this time around, but from what I hearing, it will be a repeat.
The 2001 class was in downtown DC with classes at the host hotel. I believe the next class was in Dallas, and the after that was the bus ride class. Or the last two may have been the other way around. At any rate, everyone in the bus ride class hated it.
They used to have the classes in Alexandria with only one bus ride to Baltimore at the last part of the last week. Everyone liked staying in Alexandria. No bus ride, and it was close to DC for weekend trips. If I were a candidate, I would rather have the opportunity to complain about the bus ride than to not have that opportunity; it is only for a month. Pix.
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Post by Pixie on Dec 2, 2007 16:15:27 GMT -5
Sorry, I forgot to answer the last question you asked. If the students are in the commuting area, no hotel room for them; they commute. Pix.
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Post by Pixie on Dec 2, 2007 18:39:27 GMT -5
SSA Headquarters.
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Post by kingfisher on Dec 2, 2007 18:58:49 GMT -5
I almost missed that part of the email posted on this board. Get ready for a long bus ride folks. Still, I have stayed in the inner harbor area near the street with lots of good italian restaurants. It was a really good place to stay. Had loads of fun. Went out to Ft. McHenry on a tour, usual tourist things. Had a blast. I had supplemental training in Baltimore. If you stay there for training, try Legal Seafood. We really enjoyed it! |
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Post by Pixie on Dec 2, 2007 21:48:16 GMT -5
JFTB: Why do you think there were only 71 positions to be filled, and why do you think there weren't three names for each position to be filled? There were 71 locations, but some of the locations will get two or more judges to fill existing vacancies.
Normally ODAR will offer to interview everyone on the certificate. If not hired this time, the interview will usually be good for the next certificate, unless there is a large gap of time between the interview and the subsequent certificate.
No, you will not have an opportunity to formally express a preference for a specific location. Pix.
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Post by hooligan on Dec 2, 2007 22:41:45 GMT -5
Hi, yes, I guess 71 cities may mean multiple slots for some cities so they can hire 150 people now, but be that as it may, I don't understand the 3 person per position rule? Did OPM certify 3 names for each specific slot already? If that is so, why did they ask us to mark off where we would go from a list of 71? Why wouldn't they say "you have been certified for City A, B, and C." Please let us know if you are interested in interviewing for City A, B, and C?" There is one certificate. Each candidate is ranked and annotated with cities he/she will accept. Supposedly the openings are randomly generated and City A is processed first. They take the top 3 for that location and choose one. Then they move to City B and repeat the process. After City C is selected, three candidates will have been chosen and removed from the pool. It is possible that two other candidates will have been passed over twice and also removed from the pool. In order to reach deep into the pool, it is necessary to weed out some of the higher scores in this process. By the time they get to City 150, 149 names will have been removed by selection and perhaps another 75 may have been taken off the board because they were passed over twice (no justification required). The last choice only needs to consider the top three willing to go to that location. Some candidates who qualify for the list may not ever have been one of the top three for the limited number of allowable locations and will also be effectively off the board. That means that a low score with wide willingness to move may get that slot. Be of good cheer and remember it is not over until it's over. There is a long shot opportunity for a bonus shot. If someone declines a perceived bad location, they may backfill. In 2001, they hired 136 and I believe 3 were replacements for declinations. These people were notified about three days after the first batch. |
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