When you find a job announcement of interest, read it carefully. The announcement gives you information about the position. For example, the job title, duties, location, qualification requirements, who can apply (area of consideration) and how to apply will be identified. Many DFAS jobs require appointment eligibility . If you have appointment eligibility, you can apply on any DFAS vacancy announcement provided your eligibility is included in the area of consideration. If you do not have appointment eligibility, you can only apply for jobs advertised through the Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) . DEU job announcements are easily recognized by the job announcement prefix which will always begin with "D". DEU announcements are always open to all U.S. citizens.

DFAS Vacancy Announcement Fields

Bargaining Status
This tells you whether the job is in a bargaining unit represented by a Union.

Pay Plan
All Federal jobs fall into one of several pay plans. The majority of our jobs are on the General Schedule (GS) pay plan. This pay plan is used for clerical, technical, administrative and professional jobs. We have a few Wage Grade (WG) jobs. The WG pay plan is used for manual labor and recognized trades and craft occupations. You can view the salary tables for these pay plans on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) web site . Some DFAS jobs are converting to the National Personnel Security System (NSPS). NSPS has several pay plans depending on the level and type of position. NSPS is a pay for performance system , so salaries vary.

Series
All Federal positions are classified by a numeric occupational series which corresponds to the duties of the job. For example, all secretaries are in the 318 series; all accountants are in the 510 series.

Entry Grade
In the Federal government grades correspond to pay levels. The entry grade is the grade level you will be placed at when you start the job. Pay at each grade consists of a basic salary and a differential for the area in which the job is located.

Target Grade
This is the full performance level of the job. It may be different from the entry grade on the announcement. The person selected may be advanced to the target grade of the job without further competition when all the requirements for advancement have been met.

Type of Job

• Temporary or Term
  Some vacancy announcements are used to hire people for a specified period. These announcements indicate the type of job is temporary or term. Temporary jobs are for positions not to exceed one year. Term jobs are normally for positions not to exceed two years. You must have status to apply for a Temporary or Term job. Temporary and Term jobs are intended to meet temporary staffing needs. We may extend a temporary employee's service for up to 2 years of total service. A Term employee may be extended for up to 4 years. Temporary employees do not serve a trial or probationary period; they are released first if we downsize; and, they may be terminated at any time upon notice in writing. To find temporary and Term vacancy announcements, enter %Q in the Announcement Number field in our Vacancy Announcement Search page.
  
• Permanent
  Permanent jobs do not have a time-limit. They are intended to meet on-going staffing needs. Permanent employees are eligible for many benefits .

Area of Consideration
This explains who may apply on the announcement. If you apply and you are not within the area of consideration, you will not be considered for the job. A list of the consideration categories and their descriptions may be found on the Area of Consideration web page.

Background Investigation/Security Clearance
In the interest of national security and because of the public trust inherent in a government position, all persons appointed to a position in an agency of the federal government are subject to a background investigation. This investigation is required whether the duties of the position include access to classified material or not. (Note: Some positions may require secret or top secret clearance.) The scope of the investigation will vary depending on the nature of the position and the degree of harm that an individual in that position could cause. Current employees may be subject to periodic investigations (for example, upon promotion or assignment to another position). We have summarized below the types of negative information that may affect your suitability for the position and cause us to withdraw a job offer.

• Issues related to use or possession of alcohol such as drinking and driving and the illegal manufacturing or sale of alcohol.
  
• Issues related to illegal use/possession of controlled substances including marijuana such as possession for sale and regular use of a controlled substance other than marijuana.
  
• Issues related to financial responsibility such as a judgment with no attempt at restitution or a pattern of financial irresponsibility as reflected in the person’s credit history
  
• A pattern of immoral conduct as reflected in conviction records.
  
• Issues related to honesty such as grand theft or grand larceny or burglary.
  
• Issues related to disruptive or violent behavior such as assault, battery or a pattern of violence as reflected in conviction records
  
• Issues relating to firearms/weapons violations such as carrying a concealed weapon
  

Any negative information is evaluated and such factors as the recency of the information, seriousness and relevance to the position are considered in relationship to all other information about you.

The background investigation (or security clearance process if the position requires a secret or top secret clearance) will likely delay your start date if you are offered a position. In rare circumstances the investigation may take more than 6 months although investigations are normally completed in 4 to 6 months. If you are selected and a favorable determination cannot be made within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed issues in the background investigation (or you cannot obtain the secret or top secret clearance required for the position), the employment offer may be withdrawn.

Financial Statement
Some jobs require you to file a statement of financial interest because of the nature of the duties.

Managerial or Supervisory Probation
Management and supervisor jobs require you to serve a probation if you have not already done so. If you have served a managerial or supervisory probation in a Federal job you may be exempt from this requirement.

Travel Requirements
Some positions require travel. For jobs requiring travel, the announcement will state the degree of travel required as a percent of the available work hours. If jobs with similar duties but with different travel requirements will be filled from the same announcement, the announcement will state that the travel requirement is variable. When you completed your on line resume, you selected one of four travel availability codes: 1 (none), 2 (Seldom or less than 15% of the time), 3 (Occasionally or 20-30% of the time) or 4 (Frequently or 40 % or more of the time). We use the availability for travel you indicated when you submitted your resume to screen for positions filled from extended announcements. (Extended announcements are announcements from which many similar jobs may be filled). If the availability for travel on file with your resume does not cover the travel requirement of the job, you will not be considered for the position. For example, if the travel availability code on file with your resume is 2, indicating you do not wish to travel any more than 15% of the time, you would not be considered for a job filled from an extended announcement that required travel up to 30% of the time (code 3, occasionally). If the travel availability code on file for you is 4 indicating you will travel 40% or more of the time (frequently) you would be considered for the position. Although you specified your travel availability code when you submitted your resume, you can log in and change your travel availability code at any time. If you wish to be considered for any job filled from the announcement, you should make sure your travel availability code is 4 (frequently or 40% or more).

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the law that governs premium pay and overtime for most clerical, technical and administrative support positions. Jobs not covered by the Act are typically Executive, Administrative and Professional positions.

Specialized Experience
Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. The experience described in the vacancy announcement defines the type of specialized experience which is required in order to be qualified for the position.

Opening Date
This is the date we will begin accepting applications for the announcement.

Closing Date
This is the date the announcement closes. A Resume Builder application must be submitted by midnight CST of this date. If you mail your application packet, it must be post marked by this date.

First Cut-Off
Applications received by this date are guaranteed consideration for the very first jobs filled from an announcement.

Extended Announcements
Extended announcements (formerly called open continuous announcements) are used to accept applications in anticipation of vacancies. Extended announcements give DFAS a readily available source of applicants when vacancies occur. Self-nominations for extended announcements are not reviewed until there is an actual job vacancy; therefore, you will not see any activity associated with your self-nominations until a list is requested. Extended announcements can be identified by an "X" in the vacancy announcement prefix. i.e., XI-0000-04. To ensure consideration for the very first jobs filled from an extended announcement, you should apply early.

Time In Grade
Time in Grade applies to the promotion of current and former Federal employees in the GS pay system. Time in grade does not apply to NSPS covered positions. Generally, employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade restrictions do not apply to former federal employees who have had a break in service of more than 1 year. It also doesn't apply to current or former Federal employees applying for a new appointment on a DEU vacancy announcement.

How To Apply
When viewing vacancy announcements for which you wish to apply, make sure you follow the application instructions in the How to Apply section of each announcement.

A position will be filled only through the process indicated in the announcement. One of two processes will be indicated, the DFAS Resume Builder , or the DEU Resume Builder . If you do not follow the procedures in the How to Apply section you may not be considered for the job.

Qualifications
Like any other employer, DFAS expects its employees to be qualified for the jobs they hold. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has published qualification standards to help assure that Federal employees are, indeed, qualified. Your background and experience will be evaluated against the minimum qualifications established by OPM. All applicants must meet these minimum qualifications to be considered for employment. Applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be evaluated further. The vacancy announcement includes information about the minimum qualifications for the job.

If you are relying on your education to qualify for a job, you may be required to submit an official transcript. Please read our transcript policy carefully. It explains when you must submit a transcript and how to submit one.

Point of Contact
This indicates the phone numbers you may call to get more information about the announcement.

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