Hire Power

Wednesday marked the deadline for agencies to assign teams to work on the hiring reform efforts laid out in a June 11 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget. These teams will be responsible for mapping their hiring processes and writing plain-language job descriptions for their 10 most prevalent positions by Sept. 30.

News of this is encouraging, especially as I've attempted to apply to some federal jobs in the last few months (before I was offered the opportunity to write Wired Workplace) and only had the patience to finish just one application. Still, the hiring process is something the federal government so badly needs to get right, and I feel like they're missing one crucial piece here: input from you all. This seems like a perfect opportunity to use technology to encourage participatory democracy and solicit input on what's good and what's bad about the federal hiring process and any innovative ways the government can make it better. While it may not get as much mainstream attention as, say, health care or technology, I think enough current federal employees, nonprofits, college students and want-to-be feds could contribute to make it worthwhile.

For now, though, I'm interested in hearing your complaints, praises, ideas and suggestions on the federal hiring process and how the government can make it better, especially through use of Web 2.0 technologies. Feel free to leave a comment below, or send an e-mail to: bballenstedt@govexec.com.