USA Staffing

Specialized experience for the GS-15 is defined as one year of experience at the GS-14 level, or equivalent that is directly related to the position and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes:

- Supervising or leading staff by planning, organizing, and coordinating workloads and evaluating organizational or operational performance standards.; AND
- Developing recommendations for improving the efficiency of operational programs, and tracking performance; AND
- Analyze and evaluate issues/problems related to office operations, policies, and procedures and contributes to the development of major policies.

1. Select the choice that best describes your specialized experience.

A. I have one full year (52 weeks) or more of specialized experience equivalent in responsibility and scope to the GS-14 level as described above.

B. I do not have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the definition as described above.

2. I have performed the following leadership functions on projects and/or studies that I have led as a regular, recurring part of my job.

A. Established the project objectives, scope, methodology, milestones, and resource requirements.

B. Assigned tasks to project team members.

C. Reviewed completed work for technical adequacy and conformance with professional standards.

D. Provided constructive feedback based on work product reviews.

E. Identified areas where subordinate employees needed skills enhancements and discussed as appropriate.

F. Followed up with project team members to ensure project milestones were timely met.

G. Resolved conflicts, differences, or problems among project team members.

H. Coached and mentored project team members to achieve desired results.

I. Kept supervisors regularly apprised of project progress and results.

J. Led opening conferences, status briefings, and closing conferences with senior customer management.

K. Drafted or reviewed draft and final report products.

L. Assessed feedback received from customer management and made changes to reports, as appropriate.

M. Summarized the results of ongoing/completed project work for the purpose of communicating in a format other than a formal report.

N. Supervised employees in different locations but part of the same team.

O. Worked with a new employee or employee new to the work group to communicate the organization’s (or work group’s) policies and practices.

P. None of the above.

3. Select the response that best describes your experience in providing performance evaluations.

A. I have prepared performance evaluations for subordinate professional staff.

B. I have provided input as a team leader on performance evaluations for professional staff.

C. I have not performed any of the above tasks.

4. Select the one statement that most accurately reflects your experience with respect to influencing, motivating, and challenging others along with adapting leadership styles to a variety of situations.

A. I have had no experience related to this activity.

B. I have independently acted as a team lead to manage the work of one part of a larger project.

C. I have acted as a project lead to manage the work of a multidisciplinary team in order to complete a project.

D. I have acted as a mentor to others, providing guidance on a task or project.

5. Select the following leadership functions on projects and/or studies that you have led as a regular, recurring part of your job.

A. Established the project objectives, scope, methodology, milestones, and resource requirements.

B. Assigned tasks to project team members.

C. Reviewed completed work for technical adequacy and conformance with professional standards.

D. Provided constructive feedback based on work product reviews.

E. Identified areas where subordinate employees needed skills enhancements and discussed as appropriate.

F. Followed up with project team members to ensure project milestones were timely met.

G. Resolved conflicts, differences, or problems among project team members.

H. Coached and mentored project team members to achieve desired results.

I. Kept supervisors regularly apprised of project progress and results.

J. Led opening conferences, status briefings, and closing conferences with senior management.

K. Drafted or reviewed draft and final report products.

L. Assessed feedback received from customer management and made changes to reports, as appropriate.

M. Summarized the results of ongoing/completed project work for the purpose of communicating in a format other than a formal report.

N. Supervised employees in different locations but part of the same team.

O. Worked with a new employee or employee new to the work group to communicate the organizations (or work groups) policies and practices.

P. None of the above.

6. I have routinely and successfully applied the following interpersonal communication skills at work.

A. Presented project findings/discussion draft report results to senior management and resolved differences of opinion on issues discussed.

B. Facilitated the resolution of competing or conflicting interests with customers when cooperation was needed in order to meet goals or timeframes.

C. Interacted effectively in situations where frequent changes, delays, or unexpected events arose that caused shifts in priorities, timetables, or work assignments.

D. Provided direction, guidance, or instruction to lower grade professional staff.

E. Persuaded others to adopt new methods, procedures, or techniques in order to improve operations.

F. Diffused confrontational contact with customers and/or coworkers who are difficult, hostile, or distressed.

G. Discussed performance plans/expectations and evaluations with lower grade professional staff.

H. None of the above.

7. I have initiated the following forms of written communication as a regular, recurring part of my job.

A. Draft/Discussion Draft reports.

B. Final Reports.

C. Office correspondence signed by the head of my organization.

D. Projects/job proposals for the organization’s annual plan.

E. Interim/Annual Employee Appraisals.

F. None of the above.

8. I have reviewed the following forms of written communications as a regular, recurring part of my job to ensure they were logical, conformed to technical standards or contract requirements, and grammatically correct.

A. Draft/Discussion Draft reports.

B. Final Reports.

C. Office correspondence signed by the head of my organization.

D. Contractor deliverables.

E. Projects/job proposals for the organization’s annual plan.

F. None of the above.

9. Choose the statement(s) that describe(s) your communication/briefing skills that you use as a regular part of your job, as necessary to support agency goals and the agency leadership.

A. Regularly communicated organizational strategies, goals, priorities and in presentations.

B. Explained or justified decisions, conclusions, findings or recommendations.

C. Briefed managers outside the organization on agency goals and accomplishments.

D. Persuaded others to accept findings, recommendations, changes, alternative viewpoints, or to take another course of action.

E. Communicated strategies, goals, priorities and organizational accomplishments on a regular basis.

F. None of the above.

10. From the following list of evaluative methodologies, please identify those that you have successfully applied.

A. Statistical sampling.

B. Structured questionnaires.

C. Computer assisted audit techniques (CAATs).

D. None of the above.

Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).

11. Have you made contributions of a substantive nature to organization-wide planning and operations?

A. Yes

B. No

12. In what types of organization-wide activities have you substantively participated?

A. Strategic planning.

B. Annual program planning.

C. Program quality assurance reviews.

D. Preparation of regular summary reports to external parties on an organization’s activities.

E. None of the above.

Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).

13. I have planned evaluative projects in a program or operation not previously subject to external review.

A. Yes

B. No

14. In relation to the previous question, what part(s) of the planning have you performed?

A. Defined the project objectives.

B. Researched the applicable laws, regulations, or performance benchmarks.

C. Researched past studies or evaluations of the program or operation.

D. Determined the resources available to the program or operation and the key outputs and outcomes.

E. Determined the internal controls that were significant to the objectives and assessed the risk of fraud or other non-compliance with laws and regulations.

F. None of the above.

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