How does one get an attorney-advisor position with SSA

[buster]

Hi, can anyone tell me the qualifications the SSA looks for when hiring for the this position?  Right now, I am a staff attorney with an appellate court in FL.  I am looking to relocate home to TN, and I have seen this job advertised for the Knoxville office a few times over the past 6-7 months.  Anyone know why? Is there a large turnover in this position?  From earlier posts, it sounds similar to the job that I have now--reasonable hours, decent benefits, pay not great but you get to have a life outside of work. Also, do existing federal employees receive preference over an applicant who is not a federal employee?  Any information is appreciated! Thanks.

[jrh83]

1.   track OPM's USAJOBS site.
2.  apply online per instructions.
3.  be prepared to wait an absurdly long time [but regular follow-up calls are probably a good idea].

Knoxville has not had much turnover in the atty ranks, but up until the last few months we had not hired any new attorneys since 1996 [two others transferred in from other OHA/ODAR offices @1998 and 2004].

unlike paralegals, who almost all come up through the ranks, attorneys are first hired from the outside.  The Sr. Atty position is a promotion rather than an entry position.

I hope this info helps.

[buster]

why the long wait?

[jrh83]

wheels in personnel grind very slowly.

[buster]

what happens after you send your resume in and it is sent to the selecting official?  do I just keep checking back with HR in ATL?  i've been told by people in that office that the hiring process is about 2-3 weeks. 

[barkley]

I would be surprised if it went through that quickly.  Usually, the applcations are screened by an HR person at your Regional office.  Then, the applicatons are sent to the local office, who may or may not do interviews.  They "choose" but then sent their choice back to Regional Office for final selection.  Or at least that is how they used to do things.  They will call you if selected.

[buster]

Thanks for the info.  So it appears that the best thing to do is to keep checking back with the regional office to see if someone has been selected.  I think HR in ATL meant that the local offices usually take 2-3 weeks to make a selection.  Does this sound right or does it take longer for the local office to make a decision?  Or does it just depend on the local office?

[barkley]

It depends.  It can vary with the number of candidates and what the local offices want to do with the applications.  The general rule is that all candidates have to be treated equally.  So if the local office wants to interview one candidate, they are supposed to interview all.  If they call past supervisors on one, they must call on all, etc.  They could just look at the paper applications.  Also, it can vary based on how many applied for that particular office, as it is much easier to handle 5 applications than 15.  It could take longer if the HOCALJ (hearing office chief ALJ) has a busy travel schedule. 

Best of luck to you.

[buster]

Thanks.  I actually just got a call for a telephone interview with chief ALJ of a local office.  Any advice? 

[tn124]

I just realized that I posted in the wrong forum. 

Buster, congratulations on your interview.  When did the posting close for your position?

[kingfisher]

Hi, can anyone tell me the qualifications the SSA looks for when hiring for the this position?  Right now, I am a staff attorney with an appellate court in FL.  I am looking to relocate home to TN, and I have seen this job advertised for the Knoxville office a few times over the past 6-7 months.  Anyone know why? Is there a large turnover in this position?  From earlier posts, it sounds similar to the job that I have now--reasonable hours, decent benefits, pay not great but you get to have a life outside of work. Also, do existing federal employees receive preference over an applicant who is not a federal employee?  Any information is appreciated! Thanks.

As a busy, overworked  insider, I can only pass along experiences reported by some friends. One has been monitoring USAJobs and has not seen any attorney advisor postings, the other keeps in touch with people in the office(s) she wants to work at and has just completed the interview process.  How did it happen? I don't know. Like I said, busy . . . overworked, etc. But it seems to me that it would be a real good idea to make friends with folks in the office of choice and get help keeping up with job openings. Hope this helps. 

[admin]

There is a new posting.  I'm not sure when it will actually be filled since the Knoxville office is cramped for office space.

[buster]

Thank you for this information. I appreciate it.