Onboarding Step 2: Official Job Offer

 

Step 2 involves more emails and obtaining an ID card.

Key Information

• Watch for another email from the USA Staffing Office with an @opm.gov address with your official job offer.
• Accept your official job offer within 5 days.
• Watch for an email from “HSPD12Admin” with instructions for getting an ID card.

Receiving and Accepting Your Official Job Offer

This is the moment you and your hiring park or program have been waiting for! Now it’s time to be on the look-out for another email from the USA Staffing Office with an @opm.gov address with your official job offer. Your official job offer will confirm the details of your position, your supervisor’s information, and your start date.

Similar to the tentative job offer, you will need to officially accept your official job offer. You have 5 calendar days after receiving the official job offer to formally accept.

To accept the official job offer:

• Click the personalized link in your email to visit USA Staffing, or
• Login to the USA Staffing website with the username and password you used for USAJOBS, where you applied for the position.

Be sure to follow any additional instructions from Human Resources to ensure a smooth process and complete any outstanding pre-employment requirements within the time frames indicated.

 

Enrolling for a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Card

All federal employees must have a standard and secure form of identification. This identification, called a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card, allows access to government sites and systems, you may need to access while on the job. You will need to enroll at a credentialing center to initiate the process to get your PIV card.

During the hiring process (i.e., before your first day), you will receive an email from "HSPD12" in your personal email inbox. It will have instructions to schedule your enrollment appointment at a USA Access Credentialing site. If you can’t find the email in your inbox, check your spam or junk folders. The email will also include a point of contact for you to reach out to if you have questions about the PIV card process listed below.

1. Schedule your enrollment appointment at the nearest shared credentialing center. Please try to schedule your appointment at a Department of the Interior (DOI) credentialing site; if there is no DOI site nearby, please choose a site that is listed as a “shared location” enrollment site.
2. After you complete your enrollment appointment, your digital fingerprints are submitted for a background check. It takes Personnel Security approximately 48 hours to receive your official background check information.
3. Once the background check is cleared and your investigation is scheduled by DCSA (the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency), your PIV card will be submitted for printing. It takes approximately 5-7 business days for your new PIV card to be printed and delivered to the requested credentialing center.
4. You will be notified via an email from “HSPD12” when your PIV card arrives at the requested credentialing center. You will then be required to make an appointment to go to a credentialing center to activate and receive your PIV card.
5. If you do not receive an automated email notification within 7 days of your start date advising that your PIV card was delivered, please check your junk or spam email folders. If you are still unable to find the message, please contact your PIV Sponsor or Hiring Manager for assistance.

 

Onboarding Terms

We use a lot of technical terms and acronyms during the hiring process. Please ask your hiring manager if you need any terms explained. A few common terms you will hear during the onboarding process include:

• Entry on Duty Date (EOD): The EOD is usually the first day of a two-week pay period when you are starting your new position. Two-week pay periods start on Sundays.
• Reporting Date: While you may officially enter on duty on a Sunday, you may not be asked to report to work that same day. For example, if you have a Monday through Friday work schedule, your EOD would be Sunday, but your reporting date would be Monday.
• Service Computation Date (SCD): The SCD represents the first date of creditable federal service. Your SCD date would include military service and past federal civil service. Your SCD is used to calculate things like your retirement eligibility and leave benefits.

Pay Schedules

A pay schedule is a system the federal government uses to determine how much employees get paid. The following pay schedule links will take you to information provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which sets pay scales. You can find your grade and step listed in your official job offer in these pay tables. You can visit with your Human Resources point of contact or your supervisor if you have questions.

• General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay Tables
• Federal Wage System Pay Schedules
• Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) General Schedule Locality Pay Tables
• Special Rate Tables
• Executive and Senior Level Employee Pay Tables

Payroll Calendar

Our payroll is handled through the Interior Business Center (IBC). Annual payroll calendars are available on the IBC site.

Federal Benefits

Now is a good time to learn about Federal employee benefits. This will help you make enrollment decisions that must be made within 60 days after starting your new job. Some benefits will depend on whether you are on a full-time, part-time, or intermittent work schedule. Your official job offer will outline which benefit programs apply to your position. Find more information about benefits.

Federal Holidays and Leave

The Office of Personnel Management Federal Holidays Fact Sheet provides more information on the eleven paid holidays. Federal employees also earn paid annual/personal and sick leave. Visit these links to learn more about the leave you will earn and how it can be used:

• OPM Annual Leave Fact Sheet
• OPM Sick Leave Fact Sheet
• Family Leave Fact Sheet

Flexible Work Schedules and Locations

Some positions are eligible for flexible work schedules. Your position may also accommodate a flexible place of work, telework, or remote work. Visit with your supervisor to determine whether your position allows for flexibility to the set schedule or a flexible office location.

Remote Work

If you are being hired into a remote work position (meaning your official duty station will be your home and not a National Park Service worksite) your supervisor will discuss the terms of your remote work arrangement. Please note, office furniture is generally not provided.

If you will be using privately owned equipment, please provide the make and model to your supervisor so that IT can ensure compatibility with Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)—laptop, tablets, phones, etc.

Additionally, if you are an individual with a disability that requires equipment or resources by way of a reasonable accommodation, your supervisor will also work with you to ensure you have what you need to be able to perform your job successfully.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program. It offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems. Department of the Interior, of which the National Park Service is a bureau of, has contracted with Espyr, Inc. to provide you with comprehensive EAP services.

National Park Service employees can get free help from the EAP through a confidential and comprehensive program. The program can help employees with personal concerns, including:

• Emotional
• Relationships
• Family
• Alcohol
• Job Concerns
• Financial Issues and Financial Planning
• Legal
• Employees can contact the EAP 24 hours a day seven days a week by calling 1-800-869-0276.

 

Next Steps

Now that you have reviewed step 2 of official job offer, go forward or back for more information about onboarding.

• Onboarding Introduction
• Step 1: Tentative Selection
• Step 2: Official Job Offer (current page)
• Step 3: Preparing for Your First Day