National LEAGUE of Postmasters Presents

Postal Support Employee (PSE)

Guidance for Recruiting, Testing, Hiring
(shown with a green background)

& Applying
(shown with a white background) June 2011

The Postal Support Employee (PSE)

Per the APWU Agreement:
http://www.apwu.org/news/nsb/2011/nsb07-110418-highlights.pdf

PSEs are a new type of bargaining unit employees intended to provide the USPS with flexibility. A PSE will be appointed for a term not to exceed 360 calendar days. If there is still an Operational need, a PSE may be reappointed for another NTE 360 day term after a 5 day break in service.

PSE Implementation Timeline

APWU Contract ratified by members 5/11/2011

HCES and eCareer system changes completed System and process ready for PSE hiring APWU Contract Effective Date PSE Guidance memo signed and released Local Services can begin eCareer Requisition process. Submit an RAR100 to the HRSSC requesting PSE positions in appropriate organizational units. HRSSC will create the positions and respond to the submitter with new position numbers. Newly created positions load to eCareer overnight. PSE Employment Opportunity letter to APWU Casuals, APWU TEs, and PMR/LRs released; Local efforts for outreach Local Services drafts PSE Requisitions with carefully timed opening and closing dates, and PSE hiring process begins.

5/16/2011 5/21/2011 5/23/2011 5/25/2011

5/25/2011

5/27/2011

5/27/2011 and beyond

APWU Casuals and APWU TEs, PMRs must be off the rolls

8/23/2011

This is information necessary for completing the hiring form and the exams that will be necessary:

PSE Jobs Established To Date and Exam Requirements

APWU PSE's must be selected competitively from an externally-posted announcement.

eCareer will be used to announce the vacancies and manage the process. Submit an RAR100 to HRSSC to create the position. This form can be found at: http://blue.usps.gov/human resources/professionalport al/erm/hrss/toolkits_organiz ational%20management.sh tml?

Competitive Posting
eCareer Processors can begin the process of creating positions and drafting vacancy announcements for posting on usps.com.
Timing of open and closing dates are important to allow for diversity outreach efforts and local efforts to notify APWU Casuals, APWU TEs, and other noncareer employees of announcement plans.

Policy requires posting for a minimum of 5 business days.

Perception of fairness and equal opportunity Opportunities for veterans to gather and attach documents to support veteran preference claims

The following slides (8-13) offer information specific to Creating/posting for this Job Position

Competitive Posting
Include the following statement for Benefit Information: Limited benefits include raises, paid vacation days and access to health insurance after the first 360-day term. Include the following statement for PSEs who will perform window duties: PSEs who will be assigned to serve the public at a public window will be required to enter a training program and may be required to qualify on an after-training test. Include a statement directing current noncareer employees who wish to apply to use or create a new external email account, a new external Candidate Profile, Apply, and follow instructions for testing. Avoid closing dates that will create a holiday conflict such as the upcoming July 4 holiday.
For postings requiring an online exam (e.g., PSE Clerk, which requires Test 473), avoid a close date of June 20, 2011. For postings requiring a Paper/Pencil Exam (e.g., PSE Custodian, which requires Test 916), avoid closing date of June 19 through June 23, 2011.

Competitive Posting eCareer will populate your Requisition with the salary for the grade as stored in the payroll system pay tables, just like the TE salaries. Overwrite with the negotiated PSE pay rate only:
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 $12.00 $12.38 $13.74 $14.60 $15.52 $15.85

Plan your Announcement Strategy

Consider posting announcement to open on a Monday at 12:01am so posting does not go over a weekend. An eligibility statement regarding area of consideration may be used at your discretion.
When using an area of consideration limitation, Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) applicants may not be eliminated. VEOA eligibles are: Veterans Preference Eligibles Veterans with 3 or more years of substantially continuous military service Local services will be responsible for determining individual applicant eligibility and justifying any rejections based on these eligibility statements.

Expect to need more applicants?

Recruitment plans for surge PSE hiring have been developed for each Area. These plans provide useful information to target your hiring outreach efforts, including
General Job Fairs Diversity Job Fairs Technical School Disability Outreach and Events Veterans Outreach Find them on the Talent Acquisition and Retention web site. Involve your District Manager of Learning Development and Diversity for help executing an effective recruitment strategy.

PSE Testing PSEs must meet the qualifications established for the PSE job, including any required examinations. eCareer will automatically route applicants through the appropriate examination process with our testing vendor, pan, and add claimed veterans preference points to passing scores and sorting applicants per policy.

PSE Testing
Current and former noncareer employees who wish to apply for externally-posted announcements must create a new external Candidate Profile, Apply, and follow instructions for testing. Cannot use the email address associated with previous Candidate Profile. Cannot use previous Candidate Profile used in the past as it was converted to an internal Profile when hired. Any email/Profile combination used in the past cannot be reused.

 Following are tips for Completing the eCareer Profile

type USPS.com in the browser bar.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Careers

eCareer External

Either Click on Search jobs online Or Create your eCareer profile

P l e a s e n o t e

Create an Account

Set Criteria for your job Search Use Keyword PSE Enter your choice of state

Click on the job posting to view the job description, purpose and requirements

Be sure to read the position information before applying

Ensure that all

* are completed

Answer each question

This is where you explain why you want this position. Compose in word then copy and paste

Do not attach anything unless the vacancy announcement asks for an attachment

List your qualifications and accomplishments here that might apply to this position. You can create this in Word and spell check and edit before pasting into this section. ALSO Dont forget to complete information in the References tab.

General Hiring Guidance A PSE may not have an effective date of appointment prior to May 23, 2011. Selections are made from Hiring Lists using Rule of 3. A Casual employee selected from a competitive Hiring List for PSE must have a 6 day (or more) break in service before appointment as a PSE. An insurance-eligible noncareer employee (NALC TE, APWU TE, and PMR/LR with more than 1 year service) selected from a competitive Hiring List for PSE must have a 5 day break in service before appointment as a PSE. Dual appointments may be made when and if a currently employed RCA, TRC, or PMR/LR applies and is reached and selected competitively for a PSE vacancy announced in eCareer. Dual appointments are at the discretion of the installation head.

General Hiring Guidance, Cont.

There is no need to reorder drug tests, criminal record checks, or motor vehicle record checks for noncareer employees if the break in service will be (or has been) less than 90 days. Enter PSE seniority date and rank for the eCareer data transfer activity that generates the accession Form 50. Seniority tie breakers are still under discussion with the APWU. For now, rank similar to RCA seniority, as follows:
By installation, by craft, by level per rank on Hiring List

General Hiring Guidance, Cont.

A currently employed APWU PSE may be reassigned to a different APWU PSE job in the same or different office at the installation heads discretion provided the PSE qualifies on the appropriate test prior to placement. PS 50 Nature of Action Code 721, Reassignment, or 925, Reassignment/Change Appointing Office, required for:
Reassignment to an APWU PSE job in a different office Reassignment to an APWU PSE job in a different craft or with a different exam requirement No promotion or change to lower level actions; noncareer employees considered to be one grade

General Hiring Guidance, Cont.

PSEs fulfilling an ongoing operational need may be reappointed on the expiration of their term after a 5 day break in service. PSEs being reappointed as PSE must have a 5-day break (no more, no less) because a 6 day or more break will negatively impact the employees eligibility for health insurance. PSEs separated for lack of work must be qualified on the appropriate test prior to rehire as a PSE. Evidence of qualifying on the appropriate test in the past is acceptable. This is the only type of separation to which this applies. A PSE who resigns is not eligible for noncompetitive selection for a PSE vacancy.

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NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POSTMASTERS

OF THE UNITED STATES information@postmasters.org

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