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Post by Mister Atkins on Apr 22, 2022 19:23:01 GMT -5
Knowledge of the program is irrelevant? Must be nice being an ALJ and thinking all the knowledge attorneys use to constantly correct the countless errors that ALJs, especially new ones with zero background, make means nothing and shouldn't even be considered when assessing potential ALJs. Like I said - temperament. Insert gif snorting coffee out the nose, post reply |
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Post by theadjudicator on Apr 22, 2022 19:34:25 GMT -5
If I were a betting man..... I would guess that if it posts next week, it will be Monday or Tuesday.... it is the end of the month for reporting purposes across the Agency .... I can't imagine it drops any later than Wednesday.
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Post by dshawn on Apr 22, 2022 19:53:42 GMT -5
What’s new? Still all quiet on the board? Ha, ha. Seems like things are gonna heat up shortly.
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Post by montyburns on Apr 22, 2022 20:56:41 GMT -5
The answer used to be two days a week after one year and it needed to be within two hours of your duty station but everything is being renegotiated with Covid protocol. Really hope they offer fully remote telework positions. That would really make this position the icing on the cake. Not an SSAer but OMHA made all their ALJs go back 4 days a pp. And they have 100% telephone hearings. Of course they also don’t have a union….. |
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Post by workdrone on Apr 22, 2022 21:34:31 GMT -5
Lawyeredbylaws--for question 3--my friend was thinking she would put the OPM score toward the bottom of the resume, where one puts the lower value information such as awards received. I have no idea whether people reviewing the file at SSA would value the score or not, but I think some people involved in the process might. My thought is that existing ALJs had to succeed in the OPM process, and ALJs will surely be part of any interview panels, so perhaps a good OPM score on one's resume might still carry a little weight. The only downside--it seems to me--would be that it takes up space on the resume that might be put to better use (depending on what other accomplishments you have to work with). In the pre-Lucia ALJ hiring system, an individual's OPM score was relevant to TPTB to the extent it allows them to apply "the rule of three" and bypass someone else with Veteran's Preference. Now that's all ancient history and no longer applicable, a past OPM score is as valuable as Confederate currency after the Civil War. Moreover, SSA ALJ interview panels in the past have been composed exclusively of management judges (RCALJ, HOCALJ, etc.). A large portion of the current management ALJs are former insiders who became ALJs despite the OPM testing process, so I doubt they view the old OPM process with any fondness. Thus, if I'm applying now, I wouldn't bother putting it down unless it's specifically requested in the USAJOBS application instruction for some reason. |
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Post by intothewild on Apr 23, 2022 0:27:57 GMT -5
Really hope they offer fully remote telework positions. That would really make this position the icing on the cake. Not an SSAer but OMHA made all their ALJs go back 4 days a pp. And they have 100% telephone hearings. Of course they also don’t have a union….. OHMA really does not need judges in the office. |
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Post by montyburns on Apr 23, 2022 1:06:53 GMT -5
Not an SSAer but OMHA made all their ALJs go back 4 days a pp. And they have 100% telephone hearings. Of course they also don’t have a union….. OHMA really does not need judges in the office. Believe me, I could go on at length about this topic. However this is not the place to do so. Instead, I have written it all in a lengthy diatribe I carry with me in my car, to be found and disclosed when I die in a car wreck on the way to work trying to make sure I get there in time to do the telephone hearing I could have been doing from home. |
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Post by hopefalj on Apr 23, 2022 7:43:50 GMT -5
OHMA really does not need judges in the office. Believe me, I could go on at length about this topic. However this is not the place to do so. Instead, I have written it all in a lengthy diatribe I carry with me in my car, to be found and disclosed when I die in a car wreck on the way to work trying to make sure I get there in time to do the telephone hearing I could have been doing from home. I hadn’t seen you post in a while, so a belated congratulations on getting out of SSA and getting the ALJ gig! |
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Post by anciano on Apr 23, 2022 16:04:59 GMT -5
A little free advice (it is worth what you are paying for it) to prospective candidates. If you are fortunate enough to be one of first 1000 candidates and are selected for the structured panel interview:
1) Pay very close attention to the questions being asked;
2) If you are at all unsure of what was asked, ask to have the question repeated (the panel members are not allowed to comment further)
3) If the question asks for examples, that means more than one;
4) It goes without saying, answer the question that was asked, avoid tangents
5) when you are finished with your answer, stop talking. We are taking notes, and that may cause pauses;
6) If your background or experience does not precisely match what is being asked, provide a relevant example from the experience that you have had in the past.
7) the Agency is focused on you, not your organization, unit, or employer
As for potential references, them a heads up, it will aid in the process.
Good luck to all who apply, The Agency is looking for a few good women and men.
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 25, 2022 0:51:42 GMT -5
A little free advice (it is worth what you are paying for it) to prospective candidates. If you are fortunate enough to be one of first 1000 candidates and are selected for the structured panel interview: 1) Pay very close attention to the questions being asked; 2) If you are at all unsure of what was asked, ask to have the question repeated (the panel members are not allowed to comment further) 3) If the question asks for examples, that means more than one; 4) It goes without saying, answer the question that was asked, avoid tangents 5) when you are finished with your answer, stop talking. We are taking notes, and that may cause pauses; 6) If your background or experience does not precisely match what is being asked, provide a relevant example from the experience that you have had in the past. 7) the Agency is focused on you, not your organization, unit, or employer As for potential references, them a heads up, it will aid in the process. Good luck to all who apply, The Agency is looking for a few good women and men. This is super solid advice. The questions are not exactly what you imagine they will but there was only 1 question that was truly novel as far as I was concerned. So practice answering the kinds of questions you think you will get asked. Come up with relevant examples to those questions. Get a friend or family member to ask you those questions so you can develop better answers. I am betting the posting goes live this week and I am wishing you all the best of luck. |
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Post by monday on Apr 25, 2022 7:12:26 GMT -5
Good luck to all my fellow GS-12 attorney advisors. It's our only chance to get a non-management promotion. Hopefully, SSA doesn't change anything and completely block us out from even applying. I wouldn't rule it out though with how little they care for our position. Out of the former decision writers I know who have become judges, I believe they all had management experience before getting hired as an ALJ. So that may be the best route to take if you really want to be an ALJ. |
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Post by tripper on Apr 25, 2022 7:27:54 GMT -5
Good luck to all my fellow GS-12 attorney advisors. It's our only chance to get a non-management promotion. Hopefully, SSA doesn't change anything and completely block us out from even applying. I wouldn't rule it out though with how little they care for our position. Out of the former decision writers I know who have become judges, I believe they all had management experience before getting hired as an ALJ. So that may be the best route to take if you really want to be an ALJ. Yes, several former GS or HODs in my class, but I was an SAA with no management experience. I agree about the advice shared with respect to the interview questions. There was one that set me back a second but the rest you can prep for if you know anything about OHO. Think about what the PTB are looking for. Give examples. |
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Post by Gaidin on Apr 25, 2022 9:10:05 GMT -5
Good luck to all my fellow GS-12 attorney advisors. It's our only chance to get a non-management promotion. Hopefully, SSA doesn't change anything and completely block us out from even applying. I wouldn't rule it out though with how little they care for our position. Out of the former decision writers I know who have become judges, I believe they all had management experience before getting hired as an ALJ. So that may be the best route to take if you really want to be an ALJ. There were plenty of non-management writers in my class and the classes around mine. Many weren't even senior attorneys. I think being management can help. |
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Post by montyburns on Apr 25, 2022 11:23:14 GMT -5
Believe me, I could go on at length about this topic. However this is not the place to do so. Instead, I have written it all in a lengthy diatribe I carry with me in my car, to be found and disclosed when I die in a car wreck on the way to work trying to make sure I get there in time to do the telephone hearing I could have been doing from home. I hadn’t seen you post in a while, so a belated congratulations on getting out of SSA and getting the ALJ gig! Thanks judge. It was quite a ride. It’s nice to be retired…..from looking for jobs! |
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Post by southerner on Apr 26, 2022 15:09:18 GMT -5
Word has it as part of the new LM relationship extant under this administration, the union will have input on the hiring process for new ALJs.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2022 19:07:04 GMT -5
Word has it as part of the new LM relationship extant under this administration, the union will have input on the hiring process for new ALJs. I’m not opposed to this, but I do wonder how that jibes with getting these hires done this FY… Posts this week??? - gets 1000 applicants A few weeks in May to sort out who was ineligible but applied Some sort of written test (maybe?) or just resume review and ranking…that takes you to mid/end June? Then interviews? That’s July (Maybe quicker with video, but also a lot of summer leave in July/August). Reference checks - mid august (esp if we need 9 again) Then justifications/agency head approval? August/September…not to mention onboarding. I know 5 months seems like a long time, but if they have to start reinventing the process they’ve come up with, it feels awfully tight to get anything done. As a member of the ghost class of 2019, I really don’t want to run into a hard budget backstop (again). |
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Post by tripper on Apr 27, 2022 6:30:56 GMT -5
Word has it as part of the new LM relationship extant under this administration, the union will have input on the hiring process for new ALJs. Speaking of a new labor/management relationship, I thought the MOU on scheduling was generally a big improvement over the present situation. Especially glad to see consistent deadlines for submitting hearing dates/times. There’s no reason I should be submitted December’s calendar in April. |
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Post by nylawyer on Apr 27, 2022 14:10:43 GMT -5
Word has it as part of the new LM relationship extant under this administration, the union will have input on the hiring process for new ALJs. Speaking of a new labor/management relationship, I thought the MOU on scheduling was generally a big improvement over the present situation. Especially glad to see consistent deadlines for submitting hearing dates/times. There’s no reason I should be submitted December’s calendar in April. I loved so much about that. No more having all of my remand cases for a given month piled into one hearing day. The ability to add extra time to interpreter cases is huge, ever since we stopped using live interpreters it is such a mess. (I just recently did a hearing where- I looked- the claimant wasn't asked a single question about his medical condition until 1 hour and 25 minutes after start time. Went through three interperters. Just absolutely destroys the hearing day). Reasonable expectations of when to submit schedules? The ability to limit certain slots to certain types of cases? All huge. |
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Post by southerner on Apr 27, 2022 15:08:29 GMT -5
I like the new scheduling MOU signed off on 4/21/22--awaiting HOA approval.
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Post by justhinkin on Apr 27, 2022 15:09:55 GMT -5
I've done some soul searching. I have worked as a DW for OHO for 12 years. My dream was to be an ALJ. But now, I'm close to retirement (2 years) and the Judges in my office don't like their jobs-they say it has changed for the worse over time. I value my family time and my free time. I'm not going to apply this round (last time I traveled to DC twice for the interviews before all hiring stopped). I'm sad and relieved at the same time. Wondering if anyone else out there has tried\followed this Board for years, and now is deferring their dream for another good dream? Good luck to all who apply!
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