Briefs

Site helps military job-seekers

The Labor Department has a new World Wide Web site designed to help technical and nontechnical service members and veterans find a job in the civilian world.

The Use Your Military and Experience Training (UMET) Web site wants to make it easier for current and former military personnel to obtain the licenses and certifications required for jobs in the civilian work force.

For example, if you're a radio operator in the Army and you want to know what kind of credentials you need to get a similar civilian job, this site provides a good first step. The site also has information for employers interested in hiring former military employees.

The site's address is the hardest part: www.dol.gov/dol/vets/public/credentials/WEBSHARE/WWWROOT/DOL/index.htm.

Simplified senior exec hiring

The Office of Personnel Management wants to make it easier for agencies to fill their senior executive positions.

OPM late last month said it is amending the regulations that govern how agencies hire employees to the Senior Executive Service. The changes give agencies more flexibility in filling SES vacancies and improve the SES selection process, according to OPM.

For example, the new regulations and instructions issued with them:

* Delegate more authority to agencies in making temporary SES appointments.

* Reduce the paperwork required for Qualifications Review Board cases and streamline the QRB process.

* Reinforce the primacy of executive leadership qualifications and the government's commitment to merit system principles when hiring for SES positions.

OPM also encouraged agencies to promote diversity in the SES ranks by hiring women, minorities and people with disabilities.