What is a Direct-Hire Authority?
A Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) is an appointing (hiring) authority that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) can give to Federal agencies for filling vacancies when a critical hiring need or severe shortage of candidates exists.


What is the purpose of Direct-Hire Authority?
A Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) enables an agency to hire, after public notice is given, any qualified applicant without regard to 5 U.S.C. 3309-3318, 5 CFR part 211, or 5 CFR part 337, subpart A. A DHA expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" procedures.


Where can agencies and applicants find the current Direct-Hire Authorities?
OPM published supplementary information and regulatory language in the Federal Register that explain the Direct-Hire Authority. See the final regulation, published June 15, 2004, 69 FR 33271, and the interim regulations published June 13, 2003, 68 FR 35265. The final regulations are codified at 5 CFR part 337, subpart B, in the CFR edition(external link). In addition, Chapter 2 of the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook(PDF file)contains information on the use of the two types of direct-hire authority.

View more information on the OPM website: Direct Hire Authority (opm.gov)

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is firmly committed to a drug-free society and workplace. The unlawful use of drugs by NCIS employees is not tolerated, and those who apply for employment with the NCIS and currently use illegal drugs are considered unsuitable for employment. While we do not condone prior unlawful drug use by applicants, we realize some otherwise qualified applicants may have experimented with illegal drugs at some point in their past. The following policy sets forth criteria for determining whether applicants’ prior use of illegal drugs renders them unsuitable for employment. The policy balances the needs of the NCIS to maintain a drug-free workplace and the public integrity necessary to accomplish its law enforcement and counterintelligence mission with the desirability of affording employment opportunities to the broadest segment of society, consistent with those needs.

CRITERIA:

• Applicants who have illegally used drugs while in law enforcement or a prosecutorial position, or while employed in a position requiring a U.S. Government security clearance are considered unsuitable for employment.
   
• Applicants who have deliberately misrepresented their drug history in their application are considered unsuitable for employment.
   
• Applicants who have been involved in the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, processing, or sale of any illegal drug for profit are considered unsuitable for employment.
   
• Applicants who have used cannabis and/or anabolic steroids or any derivatives thereof, within the past three (3) years are considered unsuitable for employment during the requisite 3-year time frame. An applicant’s experimental use of the above referenced drugs, which occurred more than three (3) years prior to the application for employment, will be considered based on an evaluation of factors.
   
• Applicants who have used any prescription drug or a legally obtainable substance in a manner for which it was not intended within the past three (3) years prior to the application for employment, will be considered based on an evaluation of factors.​Applicants who have illegally used any drug (other than experimental use of cannabis and/or anabolic steroids) within the past 10 years are considered unsuitable for employment, absent compelling mitigating circumstances. An applicant’s experimental use of drugs other than those referenced above, which occurred more than ten years prior to the application for employment, will be considered based on an evaluation of factors

A Federal Resume is your employment biography. A well-written resume allows you to highlight your accomplishments and display your competitive skills, which demonstrates to the employer your value and ultimately determines your pay level.

Whereas a private sector resume may be 1-2 pages, a federal resume is regularly 3-5 pages, if not more. Be thorough! Use more detail than you think you need. List how much, how many employees, how big of an organization, the size of the budget, the percentage of your time spent doing the task, the number of people who reported to you, the impact of what you did, etc.

Read the job announcement carefully and PAY ATTENTION to the wording. Though it is not advisable to cut and paste directly from the announcement (managers can spot that a mile away), it is important to respond to the needs of the position. For example, if an HR Specialist job announcement says “Able to provide advice and guidance to managers and the walk-ins” you want to show experience giving great customer service to both higher level supervisors and the general public. The phrase “advice and guidance” is one you can steal for your resume, but the experience should be all yours! Also, each Agency has different requirements for submitting a resume. If you fail to follow the directions, you will not be considered among the applicants.

Don’t waste time by not following instructions. LOOK CLOSELY at the “Who May Apply” section. If you do not meet one of those categories, you will not be considered.

To write your federal resume, we strongly suggest using the Resume Builder available on USAJOBS.gov. It will guide you through the resume writing process, ensuring that you do not leave out important pieces of your application. It also allows you to store multiple resumes, so that you can tailor each one to a different position. The Resume Builder will also eliminate decorative formatting by generating a template that looks the same for every applicant, ensuring a fair and equal process.

Provide basic information, including your name, contact information, and citizenship. Most positions require applicants to be a U.S. citizen in order to apply, but there may be exceptions for hard to fill jobs. You also need to identify whether you have ever worked for the federal government and whether you qualify for veteran's preference. If you have never served on active duty in the Armed Forces, then you are not eligible for veteran’s preference.
Required: Name, contact information, citizenship, whether you claim veteran’s preference, federal employee information.

WORK EXPERIENCE
List the required elements for any relevant jobs you've held. Each component is essential to your resume meeting the minimum qualifications. Experienced workers may choose to list only jobs held in the last 10 years. Required: Employer, location, position title, start and end date, average hours worked per week, responsibilities and accomplishments. * Optional: You may want to include your supervisor(s) as a reference. Including your salary is also optional and will not exclude your resume from consideration.

EDUCATION
Include basic information about all schools attended and coursework completed. Only list degrees from accredited schools or programs that meet the Office of Personnel Management’s standards. If you wish to substitute education for experience to qualify for a job, you must include the information about coursework in your resume. To ensure that you receive appropriate credit for your academic credentials, you should provide as much information as possible. Required: Schools attended, degrees obtained Optional: Grade point averages, relevant coursework taken, academic papers or projects, key presentations, honors received, other important accomplishments.

View Federal Resume samples

Start your journey with a law enforcement agency dedicated to a critical global mission. A challenging and rewarding adventure awaits you at NCIS.

NCIS also offers a wide variety of career paths in areas including:

- Forensic Science
- Information Technology
- Security/Clearance Adjudication
- Polygraph
- Cyber
- Administrative Support

We do not accept phone calls. If you have a career question, contact NCIS at NCISCAREERS@ncis.navy.mil.

View all current NCIS job openings on the USAJobs site: USAJOBS - Search

• 200+ health plan options throughout the U.S.
• No waiting period or physical examination to enroll/no exclusions for pre-existing conditions
• Employer contribution to health premiums
• Coverage for self and family members available
• Opportunity to retain coverage into retirement with full government contributions

For more information on the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, visit Healthcare (opm.gov)
For more information on Dental and Vision Insurance Programs, visit: Dental & Vision (opm.gov)

  Elect pre-tax salary dollars to save money on a variety of eligible health care and dependent care expenses. For more information, visit FSAFEDS
 

• Multiple plans available
• Covers long-term care if you can no longer perform everyday tasks due to a chronic illness, injury, disability, or aging
• Family member coverage available
• Easy application

For more information on Long Term Care Insurance programs, visit: LTCFEDS | The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)
 

• Basic life insurance and 3 options provide coverage for self and eligible family members
• No physical required for initial enrollment
• Opportunity to retain coverage into retirement

For more information on the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program, visit: Life Insurance (opm.gov)

-- Holidays - 10 paid a year
-- Sick leave - 13 days accrued annually with no carryover ceiling
-- Vacation leave - 13, 20, or 26 days accrued annually depending upon years of service
-- Carry up to 30 vacation days into the next calendar year
-- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows up to 12 weeks per year of unpaid leave for caring for a sick family member
-- Leave Sharing Programs allow co-workers to transfer leave to others in need
 
-- Alternative Work Schedules other than the traditional 8-hour day/40-hour week may be available
-- Telework
-- Transportation Subsidy - employees taking public transportation/carpools in some locations may be reimbursed for transportation costs
-- Health & Fitness - many Navy/Marine Corps installations have well-equipped fitness centers available to civilian employees at little or no cost
-- Dependent Care - the Department of the Navy has outstanding childcare programs and referrals to Federal childcare centers
-- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

- Retirement annuity for life beginning as early as age 55
- Benefits based on length of service and salary
- Military service may be credited toward FERS (deposit required)
- Vesting after 5 years of creditable civilian service
- Eligibility for survivor and disability benefits after 18 months of civilian service
- Earn Social Security credit

*For more information on FERS, visit: FERS Information (opm.gov)
 
- Supplements retirement annuity
- A choice of tax treatments - tax deferred (IRA) or after-tax (Roth IRA) contributions
- Largest single defined contribution plan in the U.S. similar to a 401(k) plan
- Multiple investment options
- Agency matching (up to 5%) contributions
- Option to roll over money from an existing retirement plan
 
*For more information on TSP, visit: http://www.tsp.gov