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Post by Administrator ALJ on Dec 23, 2015 19:26:37 GMT -5
Hi all, I am in the pool of "call backs" that were initially told in 2013 to go away because we were losers, but then miraculously (cue angels singing Hallelujah)were asked to test (WD/LBMT) and interview (SI) in an email this past August. I like to believe it's because OPM realized it made a horrible mistake and love us all dearly and won't be persuaded otherwise. I'm just wondering how long it will take, given the trending analysis done on a prior timeline thread, for an NOR to be compiled. It seems to be taking OPM (or whomever mysteriously scores these things) longer to come up with the NOR. See below dates I copied from said prior timeline thread: Invitation to take WD/SI 7/11/2007* 10/1/2008 2/26/2010 7/11/2013 Notice of Results (numerical score) 10/30/2007 2/27/2009 5/12/2010 3/13/2014 We in this last round were invited in August of 2015 to test and interview. I believe testing and interviewing are just wrapping up. If that is true and the 2013/2014 trending continues, it would look as if we wouldn't get the NOR until April 2016. I took math for lawyers, so you might want to double check that. Anyone have a different time frame (I accept facts based on rumours as well as innuendo)? Thanks!
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Post by Serious, J. on Dec 23, 2015 20:16:05 GMT -5
I don't have different math or a view (or inside info) on a different time frame. I am also in the group of losers (But wait! There's more!) who got the August email and tested in the October to December time period.
I am prepared for the time frame you suggest. I figure March is the earliest, May is probably a bit on the late side, and April could be just right. Once we get the NOR, it could be soon thereafter that we are notified we made a cert, or it could be never. Somewhere between the two on that.
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Post by cafeta on Dec 23, 2015 20:58:38 GMT -5
Due the perceived urgency OPM has been displaying, and the request to confirm interest and update GALs by Jan. 7 (thanks for that tip Gary), I think late January is feasible, and February quite likely. Just my swag, and I've been wrong before, very wrong (I still am on the line for a beverage on the last error), but I am feeling confident about this one!
PS: it really is January 6, so please don't anyone be confused by my joke.
PPS: I've now been told to tell you it really is January 7, and that you should eliminate from your GAL any cities that begin with an alphabetic character!
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Post by Gaidin on Dec 23, 2015 21:06:16 GMT -5
Due the perceived urgency OPM has been displaying, and the request to confirm interest and update GALs by Jan. 7 (thanks for that tip Gary), I think late January is feasible, and February quite likely. Just my swag, and I've been wrong before, very wrong (I still am on the line for a beverage on the last error), but I am feeling confident about this one! PS: it really is January 6, so please don't anyone be confused by my joke. PPS: I've now been told to tell you it really is January 7, and that you should eliminate from your GAL any cities that begin with an alphabetic character! I like whoever is telling you things.
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Post by gary on Dec 23, 2015 22:18:18 GMT -5
Due the perceived urgency OPM has been displaying, and the request to confirm interest and update GALs by Jan. 7 (thanks for that tip Gary), I think late January is feasible, and February quite likely. Just my swag, and I've been wrong before, very wrong (I still am on the line for a beverage on the last error), but I am feeling confident about this one! PS: it really is January 6, so please don't anyone be confused by my joke. PPS: I've now been told to tell you it really is January 7, and that you should eliminate from your GAL any cities that begin with an alphabetic character! The check's in the mail, Cafeta.
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Post by lawmom90 on Dec 24, 2015 6:41:39 GMT -5
I'm from the government and I'm here to help you ;-)
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Post by auroraborealis on Dec 24, 2015 8:21:37 GMT -5
My WAG is February for the same reasons noted by Cafeta.
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Post by Administrator ALJ on Dec 24, 2015 10:43:18 GMT -5
I like the earlier predictions. It's not that I'm tired of the merry-go-round of ALJ testing/interviewing, as I've really only just gotten to that phase, but I'm deficient in the patience gene.
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Post by Serious, J. on Dec 24, 2015 11:08:25 GMT -5
Right. I like the earlier predictions too, but the pattern has been "hurry up, and wait."
I'd love for the ALJ gig to come through. I've put other options on hold until I see how this plays out. It's my first choice, and I'm not going to take another job now if the ALJ job is an option. I don't relish telling a new employer who passed over other qualified applicants to hire me that, well, I'm not going to be staying because I'm taking a job I applied for in March 2013... Once I have my NOR, I'll see where that is likely to take me, and decide whether to pursue those other options.
Add in the possibility of relocation, and yeah, I'm a little impatient.
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Post by auroraborealis on Dec 24, 2015 16:03:54 GMT -5
I initially had thought of putting other things on hold, but a management position has become available and I'm considering applying. I think the added experience will only enhance my credentials during an SSA interview. I figure at this stage I need to think more selfishly about professional development if I'm lucky enough to get an NOR and make the register.
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Post by ba on Dec 24, 2015 16:48:53 GMT -5
Live your life. Follow your career. If it happens, great and few employers would not understand leaving for it. If it doesn't, nothing lost.
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Post by 71stretch on Dec 24, 2015 17:43:40 GMT -5
Live your life. Follow your career. If it happens, great and few employers would not understand leaving for it. If it doesn't, nothing lost. Can't like this post enough, as one who has been on this merry go round longer than most of you. Apply for the job. Take it if it's offered and you want it, without regard for the ALJ marathon. Good luck!
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Post by Gaidin on Dec 24, 2015 19:19:49 GMT -5
I think making professional or personal decisions based primarily on how they impact your ALJ application will result in frustration and disappointment. As 71stretch, Pixie, ba, and others have said live your life in a way that makes you happy. Don't live for the ALJ job because it is entirely to unpredictable.
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Post by jessejames on Dec 24, 2015 20:43:52 GMT -5
I agree with Gaidin. If you get even a slightly better job, this could improve your resume for the ALJ position and potentially get a higher starting salary for the ALJ position if you eventually get an offer.
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Post by Serious, J. on Dec 25, 2015 10:14:03 GMT -5
Live your life. Follow your career. If it happens, great and few employers would not understand leaving for it. If it doesn't, nothing lost. Thanks for this post, and those who liked it or commented on it. I understand what you are saying. My major motivator for seeking the ALJ job is that my current job won't last long enough to take me to retirement. Otherwise, it's great. And at this point, there is no end date. The jobs I would be applying for are lateral transfers with a minimum time commitment of a few years; they would involve a relocation at my own expense. And I have been around long enough to see what happens when someone accepts one of those positions and leaves before the commitment is up. Let's just say that the "powers that be" are not "understanding." I would risk an unfavorable reference from that employer during the ALJ reference check. Why chance it? So I can wait at least for the NOR to come out. If I don't make the cut or my score is very low, it is safe for me to start considering other possibilities. At this point, it's only a few months' wait. Rest assured that I am living my life and making what is, for me, a wise career decision.
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Post by Ready-Now! on Dec 25, 2015 11:58:48 GMT -5
And therein is the rub with changing jobs at this point. You risk your prior employer giving a bad reference. So, you must be very very sure about what type of reference he or she will give should you leave your current employer.
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Post by ba on Dec 25, 2015 12:43:06 GMT -5
Live your life. Follow your career. If it happens, great and few employers would not understand leaving for it. If it doesn't, nothing lost. Thanks for this post, and those who liked it or commented on it. I understand what you are saying. My major motivator for seeking the ALJ job is that my current job won't last long enough to take me to retirement. Otherwise, it's great. And at this point, there is no end date. The jobs I would be applying for are lateral transfers with a minimum time commitment of a few years; they would involve a relocation at my own expense. And I have been around long enough to see what happens when someone accepts one of those positions and leaves before the commitment is up. Let's just say that the "powers that be" are not "understanding." I would risk an unfavorable reference from that employer during the ALJ reference check. Why chance it? So I can wait at least for the NOR to come out. If I don't make the cut or my score is very low, it is safe for me to start considering other possibilities. At this point, it's only a few months' wait. Rest assured that I am living my life and making what is, for me, a wise career decision. If it helps, you will be offered to not have the agency contact your current employer, but instead to provide your most recent performance appraisal. While I doubt my boss would have intentionally said anything that would have affected my application, she did have a habit of talking too much when prospective employers called her employees, so I exercised this option.
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Post by Serious, J. on Dec 25, 2015 13:12:34 GMT -5
Thanks, ba, but it doesn't help. They don't do written performance appraisals where I am, or where I would be looking to do a lateral transfer.
But this is good information for someone who might be in a similar position.
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Post by gary on Dec 25, 2015 13:24:21 GMT -5
Wait, get on your first set of certs, interview, then change jobs. That way when you land an ALJ gig a month later you'll be considered both a traitor and sneaky.
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Post by williamthepleaser on Dec 25, 2015 20:34:21 GMT -5
I'm in the "group of losers" also. I was completely at peace with the decision and had not given it much thought until the email in August. The email was a blessing and a curse. I'm glad I'm still in the running (at least until my exam and interview are graded) but now there is one more thing to worry about. I'm a sole practitioner and I'm at the point where I have to invest more for the business. It would be great if I knew something before I had to take on more risks but the world isn't built that way. It's full speed ahead until I hear something. Good luck to everyone.
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