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OARS Frequently Asked Questions
Applying for Jobs
- I would like to send you my application via email. Please put it into the job I'm interested in.
- If the system only accepts online applications, how do I send my transcripts, SF-50, Veterans Preference documentation, or CTAP/ICTAP documents?
- Are college transcripts required?
- Where do I enter my KASOC's?
- Do I have to answer questions for every job I apply for? Some of them have the same questions but different job numbers.
- What if I don't answer the vacancy-specific questions?
- The job I'm applying to has narrative questions. How do I fill them out?
- Is there any way I can see which positions I have applied for? Can I find out the status of these vacancies?
- When filling out an application there's a question that I can answer either of two different ways. Which answer should I select?
- What's the difference between Merit Promotion and DEU Announcements?
- Can I make changes to my application after it's been submitted?
Q: I would like to send you my application via email. Please put it into the job I'm interested in.
A: We cannot accept résumés via email. In order to apply for jobs in the USGS you must login to OARS (read the instructions), search for vacancies that you are interested in, and apply online.
Q: If the system only accepts online applications, how do I send my transcripts, SF-50, Veterans Preference documents, or CTAP/ICTAP documents?
A: Unless otherwise stated on the announcement, do not send these documents until they are requested. Usually veterans preference documents will need to be faxed to the appropriate office within 48 hours of the closing date of the announcement. The hiring manager or personnel specialist may request other documentation from you through email or telephone. These documents (such as SF-50s, college transcripts, etc.) will only be requested from the "best qualified" candidates or those who are scheduled to be interviewed.
Q: Are college transcripts required?
A: For occupations with specific coursework required, college transcripts will be required and requested from individuals under consideration for selection. They will be used to verify your qualifications for specific positions and grade levels to which you are applying, and your eligibility for special rates or special appointing authorities based on superior academic achievement or Outstanding Scholar qualifications. The vacancy announcement for which you apply will indicate at what point transcripts will be required.
Q: Where do I enter my KASOC's?
A: There are no KASOC's for non-research USGS positions advertised in OARS. You are rated and referred based on your responses to the vacancy-specific questions as supported by information in your résumé. The vacancy-specific questions used in OARS are derived from KASOC's defined by the selecting official in consultation with a personnel specialist, and have been validated by USGS subject-matter experts as appropriate for the USGS job vacancies in OARS.
For research positions your KASOC responses should be entered directly into the boxes indicated in the vacancy.
Q: Do I have to answer questions for every job I apply for? Some of them have the same questions but different job numbers.
A: There are two sets of questions that must be answered when applying to jobs in OARS:
- The personal information questions. These questions cover your basic information and include your name, resume, and demographic information. These are the questions you answer during your initial registration and only need to be filled out once, although you can change your answers at any time.
- The vacancy-specific questions. These are the questions that are in the vacancy announcement itself, and are used to establish your qualifications for a particular job. These questions must be answered for every vacancy you apply to.
You may also view our Flow Chart that shows the process of applying to vacancies with the U.S. Geological Survey. It describes the necessary steps to follow to update user profile and resume information, change your password, or how to apply for a vacancy.
Q: What if I don't answer the vacancy-specific questions?
A: If the announcement closes and you have not provided answers to the vacancy-specific questions, you will not be considered for the vacancy that you applied for. You must input your résumé into your OARS account and answer the questions in the vacancy announcement you are applying to in order to be considered.
Q: The job I'm applying to has narrative questions. How do I fill them out?
A: Similiar to your résumé, OARS does does not allow for special formatting or spell check in narrative responses at this time. Text in these responses is free-form and not rated by the system, but is reviewed manually by the personnelist and selecting official. When submitting answers to these kinds of questions it is generally easiest if you compose your responses in a word processing program first, and then "copy and paste" the results into the appropriate boxes in your application. This technique allows you to easily review and edit your responses, check them for spelling, and save them for future reference. Make sure that you make all of your changes prior to midnight Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement.
Q: Is there any way I can see which positions I have applied for? Can I find out the status of these vacancies?
A: To keep track of the vacancies you have applied to you should elect to receive an email confirmation of your application when you apply for jobs in OARS. Keep this as a record of your application and save it. You should also print out a copy of the vacancy announcement itself, or at a minimum note the name, telephone number, and email address of the Personnel Specialist listed as the contact person. If you have any questions about your application or the status of the vacancy, please direct your question to the Specialist in charge of your vacancy. Make sure you tell the Specialist the job number AND the job title so they will know which vacancy you are referring to.
Q: When filling out an application there's a question that I can answer either of two different ways. Which answer should I select?
A: If you're having a hard time deciding between two different answers to a question, make sure you select the one that best describes your education and/or experience. Do not select an answer unless you fully meet all the criteria described for that response. Do not select an answer that only partially applies to you.
For example, in response to the question "Describe your experience with Hydrologic Instrumentation" do not answer "I have experience using data loggers, flow meters, and water-quality meters as a routine part of my daily work." if you only have experience using data loggers without also having experience with flow meters and water-quality meters.
Q: What's the difference between Merit Promotion and DEU Announcements?
A: The Personnel Office may advertise vacancies using one or both of the recruitment methods outlined below.
Merit Promotion
- Open only to current Federal employees with career or career-conditional status; former Federal employees who are eligible for reinstatement; and persons eligible for Federal employment through special appointing authorities.
- Time-in-grade requirements apply.
- Applicants receive a numerical rating based on their responses to the job related task statements.
- Veterans' preference does not apply.
- No probationary period is required if one has already been completed.
- Any candidate referred on the best qualified list may be selected.
Delegated Examining
- Open to all U.S. citizens.
- Time-in-grade requirements do not apply.
- Applicants receive a numerical rating based on their responses to the job related task statements.
- Veterans claiming preference receive 5 or 10 additional points depending
on their preference type (determined by active duty service and/or a service-connected
disability).
- For scientific and professional positions grade GS-9 or higher, names of all eligible candidates are listed in order of ratings, augmented by veterans' preference, if any.
- For all other positions, the names of 10-point preference eligibles who have a compensable, service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed ahead of the names of all other eligibles regardless of their rating. The names of all other candidates are listed in order of their numerical ratings augmented by veterans' preference, if any.
- Generally requires completion of a 1-year probationary period.
- Selection must be made from among the top 3 available candidates on the certificate of eligibles and management cannot pass over a veterans' preference eligible to reach a non-veteran. (Current and former Federal employees with status who apply under delegated examining are subject to this same rule.)
Q: Can I make changes to my application after it's been submitted?
A: You can change any of your answers to the vacancy specific questions of any vacancy you applied to as long as the vacancy announcement is still open. Once a vacancy has closed you may no longer make any changes to your application for that announcement.
To update your answers login to OARS as a Registered User and select "Go to USGS Vacancy Announcements." Select the vacancy announcement you had previously applied to from the list, and "apply" just like you did before. You will see the answers you had submitted previously, and you may then make any changes you wish. Make sure you click "Finish" when done.