The federal civil service is comprised of three distinct services:
- Competitive Service
- Excepted Service
- Senior Executive Service
Competitive Service
Competitive Service jobs are those in the executive branch of the federal government that are not in the Senior Executive Service or excepted from the rules governing competitive service. Competitive Service positions are by far, the vast majority of federal jobs. Candidates must meet the requirements for the position for which they receive an appointment.
Note: Veterans’ preference applies to these federal job openings.
Excepted Service
Excepted Service positions are federal civil service jobs that have been excepted in one or more ways from the rules governing competitive appointments. Excepted Service positions enable agencies to hire when it is not feasible or not practical to use traditional competitive hiring procedures, and can streamline hiring. Such appointments do not confer competitive status.
In some cases, Congress has excepted all positions in an agency from the Competitive Service, for example the U.S. Postal Service and the Central Intelligence Agency. To find openings, search individual agency websites for job announcements, as some are not required to be posted on USAJOBS.gov.
Note: The Excepted Service is subject to the provisions of Veterans’ preference unless otherwise exempted.
Senior Executive Service (SES)
SES positions include positions classified above GS-15 that encompass duties identified as executive or managerial. The SES is a corps of executives selected for their leadership qualifications in five areas: leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and building coalitions.
The Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications, available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference-materials/guidesesservices.pdf provides detailed information about the five qualification areas and examples of how they can be described in a resume or an accomplishment record.
Agencies can consider several hiring options to meet their needs in filling SES positions.
- Publish a vacancy announcement
- Reinstate a former SES member
- Reassign a current SES member
- Transfer a current SES member
- Appoint an SES Candidate Development Program graduate
- Make a noncareer appointment
Initial career appointments to the SES must be based on merit competition. Agencies establish an Executive Resources Board to oversee and participate in the merit staffing process. Generally, the process includes widespread public notification of the job announcement, preliminary review of applications, rating and ranking of applicants by a panel with in-depth knowledge of the job's requirements, evaluation of each candidate's qualifications by an Executive Resources Board, and final recommendation to the appointing authority. SES career appointees serve a 1-year probationary period.
Some agencies conduct SES Candidate Development Programs, which is one way to qualify for an initial career appointment in the SES.
Note: Veterans do not receive hiring preference for SES positions.