National Park Service Finds Success at Hiring Event

National Park Service (NPS) Fire and Aviation Program leadership, human resource specialists and hiring officials participated in a special hiring event held in Bakersfield, CA on February 22-23, 2020.

NPS Employees meet with potential candidates at a DOI hiring event in Bakersfield, CA.

DOI

The unique event was sponsored by the Department of Interior (DOI) Human Resource Office and the DOI Office of Wildland Fire and included the four DOI Bureaus (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service) collaborating on hiring vacant wildland fire positions across the country.

Human Resource personnel processed hundreds of applicant paperwork at the DOI hiring event in Bakersfield, CA.

DOI

Five national parks with wildland fire job openings participated:

Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave National Preserve, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and Yosemite National Park. The event was successful for applicants and hiring officials. It brought together hiring managers, human resources personnel, and applicants to one place; streamlining the process. Approximately 120 Interviews were conducted, and tentative job offers made to approximately 100 people on the spot. Applicants did not have to be present at the event to apply, interviews were conducted on the phone for those who could not travel. Human resources personnel worked expeditiously to process online and in-person application packages.

Job candidates met face to face with hiring officials to answer questions.

DOI

The applicants attending in person took advantage of the face to face time with hiring officials.

Jim Shultz, the National Wildland Fire Training Program Manager, was one of the NPS representatives who participated in interview panels and met with applicants. “The first day was slammed and there were lessons learned, but the second day was much more organized, and we were able to process and talk to more people.” Applicants present had many avenues to interact with agency personnel. Public information officers held Q&A sessions for applicants to connect with subject matter experts. It was invaluable for potential candidates to hear from people working in their field of choice.

Mike Theune of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks worked as a public information officer for the event spoke with attendees who said they found lots of great information on our websites, but meeting in person to get specific questions answered was extremely helpful. Theune noted there was a “huge advantage to have all four bureaus there to meet with people and let them know we care.”

Potential candidates met with several hiring officials and subject matter experts.

DOI

Shultz also saw the impact of meeting face to face, “It was advantageous for the applicants who were able to come; whether or not someone was offered a job, they made contacts, received advice on how to get a job, and learned more about the agencies there in one place.”

The NPS had 15 wildland fire positions available for hire during the event. Tentative offers were made on all of them. The jobs were posted under the Direct Hire Authority which was effective January 13, 2020. This authority provided competitive service career, career-conditional (permanent), term, or temporary appointments as appropriate to meet staffing requirements needed for the upcoming fire seasons. Human resource personnel that were new to understanding this were able to collaborate to provide quick and effective service.

Hiring officials were able to get an in-depth look at a diverse applicant pool due to the collaborative postings.

It made it easier for hiring officials to work off the same page and easier for applicants to decide what location or agency they may fit best. “I noticed many applicants who had some college or completed degrees and that made me think that even if the job they applied for did not require a degree, then these people are set up for advancement,” said Shultz. Hiring panels were organized by geographic location and applicants could refine the search for their desired area. Overall, the collaborative hiring event was a huge success and an advantage to the applicants, the bureaus and to the public we serve.

The jobs posted for this hiring event are closed, but other wildland fire jobs are open now. NPS wildland fire jobs are listed under Current Job Opportunities and applications are accepted via USAJOBS.