Federal Job Search

What to Know About the New Reduction in Force (RIF) Regulations

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In early September, the Office of Personnel Management released its final regulations covering RIFs. While RIF regulations have been in place for decades, the current Administration has made some significant changes. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Employee coverage. Initial probationary and trial-period employees, specified temporary or short-term time-limited employees, and Schedule C and Schedule G employees (a distinct non-career classification for political appointees—this is not Schedule Policy/Career) are excluded from RIF competition.
  • Competitive areas. Agencies may define competitive areas using official organizational units or geographic locations. Establishing or materially modifying an area within 90 days before notice issuance requires OPM approval prior to a RIF.
  • Transfers of function. The transfer-of-function procedures apply to transfers between agencies, not internal moves of work within one agency.
  • Retention standing. Competitive service and excepted service employees are on separate registers. Employees are ranked by performance credit augmented by veterans’ preference points, followed by tenure subgroup and actual service computation date as tie-breakers.
  • Performance credit. Ratings are converted directly to points: Level 5 = 7,Level 4 = 5, Level 3 = 3, and Levels 1-2 = 0.
  • Assignment rights. The revised rule replaces bump and retreat with a single right to assignment where a released employee may be assigned to a qualifying position held by an employee with a lower retention standing. Generally, this assignment requires a job-analysis-based qualification assessment but there are exceptions.
  • Competitive-area abolishment and exceptions. The rule provides a streamlined process when every position in a competitive area will be abolished within 180 days and updates USERRA protections among other exceptions.

So exactly when does a RIF occur? RIF procedures are used when an agency releases a competing employee from a competitive level by a furlough of 30+ days, separation, demotion, or a reassignment that requires displacement, and the release is required because of lack of work, shortage of funds, insufficient personnel ceiling, reorganization, or the exercise of reemployment or restoration rights. During a RIF, employees can be reassigned to an equivalent position; assigned to demoted (with saved pay / grade), or furloughed for more than 30 days or separated from federal employment not for cause.

RIFs are still complicated and individual situations may vary so definitive information about your situation should be coming from your agency HR people.

The new rules are effective for all RIF notices dated September 2, 2026, or later.

Are you facing a RIF or thinking about leaving your federal job? Check out Solutions for Starting Your Federal Career Transition or our other resources to help you navigate your next career move!

Shared Hiring Certificates; What You Need to Know

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To improve hiring efficiency and reduce redundancy, the Office of Personnel Management is encouraging agencies to use shared hiring certificates.

What They Are

A “shared certificate” is a list of job candidates who have already applied to a federal job announcement, been assessed against the job’s qualifications, and been found eligible for hire but who were not selected by the original hiring agency. Agencies that ran the original hiring action can share that certificate of eligible candidates (known as a “cert”) with other federal agencies looking to fill a similar position  without those agencies having to post their own announcement.

Agencies can also agree up front to hire off a single job posting, and to OPM’s “Talent Pools” portal on USAJOBS, launched in December 2023, where agency hiring managers can post or search for existing shared certificates.

How Federal Agencies Use Them

Instead of each agency issuing an announcement, assessing applicants, and putting together their own cert, an agency can request access to a certificate that another agency. Once approved, hiring managers there can make selections directly from that pool of applicants.

The current administration has set a goal of using shared certificates for 60% of all federal hiring actions within the next few years.

Five Things Employees and Applicants Should Know

  1. One application can lead to multiple opportunities. If you apply to a job announcement that results in a shared certificate, you may be considered by several agencies for similar positions without submitting a new application each time.
  2. You may hear from an agency you never applied to. Because certificates can be shared across agencies (and even within different components of the same department), you could be contacted about a position at an organization other than the one whose original announcement you responded to.
  3. Certificates expire. Eligibility on a shared certificate isn’t indefinite — it typically lasts up to 240 days for certs in the competitive service, or up to a year for certain OPM-run cross-government actions.
  4. Veterans’ preference and pass-over rules still apply. Merit system protections, including preference for veterans remain in effect.
  5. The original agency gets first pick. When a certificate is shared, the agency that ran the original recruitment generally has first claim to select candidates before the certificate becomes available to other, “receiving” agencies.

Still Struggling To Get Your Federal Resume To 2 Pages?

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As you know, federal resumes are now limited to 2 pages. While many of you have adjusted, others are still struggling. Here are some things to know:

  • The requirement for submitting a two-page resume should be clearly stated in the “How to Apply” and “Required Documents” sections of the job announcement. Applicants should adhere to the requirements outlined in the job opportunity announcement; failure to do so will result in your elimination (or only the first 2 pages read and considered).
  • Be sure to include your contact information including Name, Phone, Email address. Some postings require street address, City, and ST, so I recommend making these additional items “standard” on your resume.
  • In add instances, prioritize your recent and relevant experience
  • Use precise language and align your language with that from the job posting
  • Focus on skills and competencies—use accomplishments to demonstrate those skills and competencies
  • Remove outdated (typically >10 years) or unrelated experience

Below, you will see a chart with some additional information:

Relevant Work ExperienceEducation/Certification/ LicensureOptional Details
For each relevant work experience, make sure you include:
– Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal position)
– Start and end dates with month/year (e.g.,05/2019-08/2022)
– The number of hours you worked per week (no extra credit for more than 40!)

Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement. 		When relevant or required for the position, include your possession of education/certification/license and provide any required documentation such as transcripts, and/or details (type and date) of certification and license.

Education information should include:
– Name of institution
– Completion date
– Degree type
– GPA		When relevant, include:

– Current security clearance
– Job-related training
– Language skills
– Organizations and affiliations
– Professional publications
– Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouse, individuals with disabilities, etc.)

If you are still struggling to condense your federal resume into the new two-page format while maintaining impact and compliance, don’t hesitate to contact us for our resume writing services so we can help you present your qualifications strategically, clearly, and competitively.

What is the Rule of Many?

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If you have been in the government for a while, you are likely familiar with the Rule of 3 and/or Category Rating. Both of these terms refer to candidate lists provided to hiring managers from which they may select while ensuring that eligible veterans receive appropriate priority.

In a memorandum called, Reinvigorating Merit-Based Hiring through Candidate Ranking, OPM issued new guidance modernizing federal hiring by eliminating the Rule of 3 and replacing it with the Rule of Many. The Rule of Many is meant to provide hiring managers for both competitive and excepted service positions with a broader selection pool that emphasizes practical skills and merit by measuring both through various skills-based assessments.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • The Rule of Many rates candidates numerically using assessments. In addition, candidates are listed on the hiring certificate in rank order for selection. Veterans preference is taken into account in the scoring.
  • This process may be used for hiring under delegated examining (when vacancies are posted as open to all US citizens) when agencies use numerical ratings of applicants. It may also be used for hiring in the excepted service.
  • Unlike Category Rating which puts candidates into predetermined “buckets” such as best, qualified, highly qualified, etc.,  the Rule of Many uses numerical rankings for candidates and hiring lists are presented in numerical order. Basically, it combines the Rule of 3 and Category Rating.
  • Agencies may use the Rule of Many OR Category Rating to fill positions; the Rule of 3 may not be used. Hiring managers are not typically limited to 3 candidates.
  • When the Rule of Many is used, veterans preference points (either 5 or 10 points for CPS and CP disabled vets) are added to the score of candidates. Veterans with a 10% or more compensable rating are put at the top certificate (hiring list) except for Professional and Scientific positions (as defined by OPM) at GS-9 and above.
  • Job postings must state that they are using the Rule of Many when applicable.

The above is a lot, especially for people not that familiar with how federal hiring works. To summarize this in plain language, here’s what you need to know about the Rule of Many:

  • Your eligibility and rank will be based on scored assessments.
  • Your application may be among a larger pool of candidates considered than under previous rules.
  • Veterans with qualifying disabilities are still given preference as required by law.
  • Agencies are required to select fairly and document decisions clearly.

HR policies can be complicated and this information is not meant to be all inclusive.

Want more? Ask your Human Resources Representative or see:https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/reinvigorating-merit-based-hiring-through-candidate-ranking.pdf

Federal Hiring Freeze Update

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On October 15, the White House issued an Executive Order (EO), Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring. Here is a summary of what you need to know:

  • The hiring freeze is not over. According to the EO, “No Federal civilian position that is vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created,” with exceptions outlined in the EO.
  • The policy applies to all agencies and Departments, regardless of their funding  sources.
  • By mid-November, every agency should have a Strategic Hiring Committee with senior officials, including the Deputy head of the agency and the Chief of Staff to the agency head. They will approve the creating or filling of vacancies.
  • The Committee will ensure that hiring is, “consistent with the national interest, agency needs, and the priorities of [the] Administration.
  • Agencies are directed to improve operational efficiency and reduce redundancy, and reduce contractors, among other things while prioritizing filling national security, homeland security, and public safety positions.
  • The order does not affect the ability of agencies to provide Social Security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits.
  • The order does not affect positions related to immigration enforcement.
  • OPM may grant exceptions as appropriate. There are also carve-outs for Schedule C (political positions) and a few other things.

The bottom line is that the hiring freeze remains in effect for most positions. Federal employees should be aware that the pressure to reduce the size of government continues into 2026.

If you are interested in staying with the government, you should make sure your 2-page resume is ready to go; opportunities are likely to be limited.

If you’d like to stay up to date on federal and career news, follow us on LinkedIn!

Think You Might Get RIF’d?

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It is a challenging period for federal employees. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) estimates that the federal workforce will have 350,000 fewer employees by the end of 2025. Additional cuts are expected for 2026. So it behooves every federal employee to prepare for further potential cuts. Here are 7 things to know about:

  1. Get a copy of your eOPF and check it carefully to ensure it is complete and accurate. Alert your HR office in writing of any problems. While you can still request your eOPF after separation, several media outlets are reporting that HR offices are overwhelmed with requests and HR staffs are depleted. The sooner you start, the better. And it is best practice to keep a hard copy of every SF-50 whether or not you think you might leave the government.
  2. If you are RIF’d and in the competitive service, you are entitled to advanced notice and appeal rights. Excepted service rights are more complicated and depend on individual situations and agencies. Again, if you plan to appeal, recognize that the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and similar agencies are also overwhelmed and resolution is unlikely to be quick.
  3. You should not wait to start considering your options. The current job market is challenging and most recruiters are suggesting job searches will take 6-9 months—or more. Of course, you could be the exception but why take the chance?
  4. What about becoming a contractor? Federal contractors have been a traditional place for separating federal employees to land. However, many federal contractors are also laying off staff,. especially in the National Capitol Region, so targeting federal contractors only may not be the answer for everyone.
  5. What about getting another federal job? Competitive service employees who are RIF’d have CTAP (Career Transition Assistance Program) and ICTAP (Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program) rights. Basically employees who have been RIF’d must receive priority consideration in their own agency (CTAP) or in another federal agency (ICTAP) for positions at their grade or below in the same commuting area if they  are rated well qualified or higher. CTAP and ICTAP candidates must be offered a position before someone from outside the advertising agency is selected. RIF’d employees interested in exercising their CTAP / ICTAP rights must follow the instructions on the vacancy announcement. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
  6. Can I come back to the government if I retire? The short answer is yes—in many cases. Employees in this category are called reemployment annuitants. The specific rules and impact on a person’s annuity depend on the applicant’s  retirement system and the kind of reemployment. https://www.fedweek.com/experts-view/want-to-un-retire-returning-to-work-for-the-government/
  7. Ethics requirements can be complicated depending upon your federal position and agency. Employees should check with their Ethics Officer before reaching out to potential employers. https://www.fedweek.com/issue-briefs/oge-addresses-post-employment-restrictions-other-ethics-issues-for-deferred-resignation/

This is just a brief overview of things to be thinking about if you believe you might be RIF’d. Individual circumstances vary and it is those individual circumstances which affect eligibility and other details.