Offers

[lee]

Am I correct in believing that who recieve offers will be randomly assigned to the 3 classes? or will there be an effort made to accomodate the needs of people who are closing done practices, etc?

[odarite]

My connection on Gossip Central says that the first class will report to their new duty station April 14 and to Baltimore for training April 28, (which probably means travel on the 27th (if that's the Sunday before the Monday report date). My thoroughly disreputable source says that the first class will be filled mostly with government attorneys to allow the others time to close their practices. Whether that's true or not will surely play out on this board.

[zia234]

These questions may have been asked and answered before, but I don't remember.

Will SSA make all 150 offers (or 175 offers) at once next week, even though there are 3 staggered training classes?

Will they make more offers than positions available to compensate for declinations?

[nyctourist]

My phone rang Saturday, and the caller identified herself as calling from The Chief Judges' Office. Can I tell you? My heart really jumped!!! Alas. She only had a question about my travel voucher. After calming down enough to provide the information, I then told her I thought she was calling to make me a job offer. She really got a good laugh at that, but she did tell me that "they" were working really hard on that issue.

Anyway, I now have practiced telling my nerves to get a grip so that I can actually listen to what anyone has to say should they call from that office. I hope I get to employ my new found skills and not just add them to my"skill set" for the next time I have to go through this.

[crazybroad]

Feb 14, 2008 19:12:08 GMT -5 nyctourist said:

My phone rang Saturday, and the caller identified herself as calling from The Chief Judges' Office. Can I tell you? My heart really jumped!!! Alas. She only had a question about my travel voucher.

I would have had a heart attack. I wonder where (home, cell, office) they will call - same place they called to set up the interview?

[dazedandconfused]

I got that beat: the other day the receptionist in my office called down to me to let me know there was a letter from FC that just came for me in the mail. Remembering that Pixie said rejections would come by mail my heart sank. As I slumbered towards the reception area I felt like yelling, "dead man walking". I took the letter with shaking hands back to my office, closed the door, breathed deep and opened. Alas, just some info on a retiring employee. Quite an unnecessary adrenaline rush.

[tootsie]

It's hard when you work for ODAR. Unless you are so stoic that you didn't tell anyone you applied, everybody knows you're hoping for good news, and they are asking daily "did you hear?" I told folks in my office that Feb 29th would be "Crying Day" and I would graciously accept offers of tissues. Hoping to put a cork in that pity fount early!

[Pixie]

Feb 14, 2008 19:02:27 GMT -5 zia234 said:

These questions may have been asked and answered before, but I don't remember.

Will SSA make all 150 offers (or 175 offers) at once next week, even though there are 3 staggered training classes?

Will they make more offers than positions available to compensate for declinations?

It appears that all 150 will be filled at one time, with the additional 25 to be filled from another certificate.

If someone declines the offer, personnel will call the second name on the list for that location, or the third, if necessary. Pix.

[judicature]

Clearly, tootsie, there are advantages to being in an office environment, like mine, where everyone is clueless as to the pending application.

The family, on the other hand, is on edge with the possibility of a move in the offing.

[nothingventured]

Feb 14, 2008 21:03:51 GMT -5 Pixie said:

Feb 14, 2008 19:02:27 GMT -5 zia234 said:

These questions may have been asked and answered before, but I don't remember.

Will SSA make all 150 offers (or 175 offers) at once next week, even though there are 3 staggered training classes?

Will they make more offers than positions available to compensate for declinations?

It appears that all 150 will be filled at one time, with the additional 25 to be filled from another certificate.

If someone declines the offer, personnel will call the second name on the list for that location, or the third, if necessary. Pix.

How long do people get to accept/reject an offer?

[aljsouth]

Make sure you stay near you phones. Get call forwarding.

Seriously, the next two weeks will be intense. Good luck to all.

As to how long do candidates have to accept or decline? I was left a message on my home phone on a Tuesday night and called back from work by 8:30 a.m. eastern the next day to accept. I really don't know the time limit but I expect OCALJ will want a quick decision. After all you have had several chances to eliminate these locations.

I am still told April 14 is the report date to your hearing office for the first group with training in Baltimore starting 2 weeks later.

[hopeful2]

Does anyone know? Will they pass over candidates they might want to hire because they only preferenced two locations, for example, and they were not the highest scoring candidate in either location? Is matching the candidates to their preferences primary or important at all, or do all candidates now have a final "score" and an attempt is made to hire the top scoring candidates, or at least those who have no adverse references, etc. Any idea of how the process works? Just keeping busy while we wait..... And good luck to all!!!

[Propmaster]

Feb 14, 2008 18:07:43 GMT -5 odarite said:

My connection on Gossip Central says that the first class will report to their new duty station April 14 and to Baltimore for training April 28, (which probably means travel on the 27th (if that's the Sunday before the Monday report date). My thoroughly disreputable source says that the first class will be filled mostly with government attorneys to allow the others time to close their practices. Whether that's true or not will surely play out on this board.

Is it likely they'll make allowances for people who observe Passover, a Jewish holiday that would interfere with reporting to duty in the first class? I assume so, but I wonder if they will have already taken that into account (not based on the applicant, but simply the fact that there is a major holiday in the middle of the first 2 week period for the April class).

[testtaker]

Some just observe the two seders - - the first seder is on Saturday 4/19 and the second seder on Sunday 4/20. More observant individuals may observe the entire holiday (8 days).

[hopeful2]

Thanks, Pixie. Obviously I was not as avid a reader of this board at that point in time. Guess this is just a time to wait and see.....which is actually quite challenging. Again, I wish everyone good luck! Let's do our best to enjoy the long weekend...for those of us who are Federal employees...and then celebrate for those on the board who get offers.

[nightowl]

Well, Propmaster, something tells me that if you are in the first group of 50, you better be flexible enough to accept the offer and concede some aspects of Passover for this year. Somehow I think He will understand for this one year.

[odarite]

I, on the other hand, believe that if you are observant, you should simply tell the person who calls you that you accept the offer for the location given, but please accommodate my religious observance and put me somewhere other than in group 1 (if group 1 is what is offered). I would also expect to find that you had vacation/leave already scheduled with your current employer if you chose to make this request.

[Pixie]

You will have enough flexibility that you can do most anything you want, as long as you hear and decide the cases and don't abuse time and attendance. Pix.

[snowman]

It has been said on this board that calls will begin Friday. Are calls being made on Saturday, too? Or just weekdays? I assume weekdays, but I recall people saying elsewhere on the board that they were called on Saturdays for scheduling interviews.

[morgullord]

I agree with Pixie. SSA/ODAR is intensely goal-oriented. Nevertheless, if you don't play by the rules (such as T&A), you will run the risk of making your work life unnecessarily caustic.