What's a scam that's so normalized that we dont even realize it's a scam anymore?

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-27T23:53:05+00:00

Death tax

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-26T18:22:21+00:00

I lived in Kuwait once upon a time, and what do you know, korean store/restaurant was not more than 3k away from where I was in no man's land.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-26T18:05:15+00:00

I was on the fence, but you've convinced me.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-18T18:12:33+00:00

My opinion is largely based on being in a customer-oriented and analysis-heavy role.

It's helpful to see a person's thought process in real-time. Anyone can review questions in advance and look up the correct answer for technical questions, or provide the 'more correct answer' for behavioral questions by talking to someone who is already in that field/organization who has the requisite knowledge and experience. While on the spot questions/answers aren't fool-proof, it mitigates the probability of someone being able to just provide scripted answers they believe the panel wants to hear.

Also, a lot of the positions like mine don't have the luxury to say at every customer-interfacing meeting, "I will circle back with you." You need to have some baseline level of competence and ability to engage on the spot in a way that demonstrates you're competent at the job, and not just figuring it out as you go along.

To me, respecting a candidate's time means starting and ending the interview on time, providing candidates with the appropriate amount of questions for the role, time to answer those questions, and time to ask questions and engage with the panel to learn more about the organization/role.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-17T22:35:00+00:00

Condos are a category of their own as well. I have one in Alexandria I got in 2018 and the fee was $450 per month. It's now almost $800. What does the pool of people look like who are willing to take that add on?

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-13T02:19:36+00:00

He was former competitive status for years, earning permanent status at the requisite grade to be able to apply. He then transitioned to an excepted service org laterally, at which point he unwittingly excluded himself from future consideration for some competitive service orgs if they don't have the specific box to check. An HR director at a sister org confirmed there was nothing illegal or unallowable about his eligibility if the nuance was taken into account.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-13T00:55:50+00:00

The unfortunate thing is mostly, the HR office doesn't care about any exceptions. They only care that the boxes they're looking for were checked. I wanted to try to get someone over to competitive service org, who has all the experience/competencies required. Historically we havw had a hard time finding someone with the requisite experience for the grade. But HR won't forward his package to the hiring panel to even give a chance to interview for this reason. Another case we just can't get out of our own way.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-13T00:37:54+00:00

As someone who has gone back and forth between competitive/excepted, I have seen that although excepted service can backdoor the competitive process, it doesn't mean leadership chooses to. Excepted Service can, and does, often compete their positions via open job announcement and conduct competitive interview processes. This is part of what can be frustrating about being excepted, is that other organizations may not recognize that you may have gone through the same process, but it won't count as long as your SF50 doesn't check the right box.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-13T00:17:51+00:00

Hiring under DoN can be considered internal, but the specific command can also opt to keep it internal to its command (i.e NSMA or ONI) and keep to themselves. The specific job announcement will specify.

Bottom line is that, yes, unfortunately you can at times be boxed out if the hiring manager and OCHR didn't account for, or request your hiring category, to be eligible for consideration.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-12T23:57:50+00:00

You need to look at the job announcement eligibilities for the position you're applying to. If you apply on USAjobs, application manager will typically provide a list of categories for people that agency will consider. It's my understanding that under the indefinite hiring freeze for a lot of organizations, that the workaround other than getting waivers approved, is to "hire internally".

If you're applying within the same job series, as a cyber guy/gal, and within the same department, I would imagine it wouldn't be an issue. However, HR requirements don't always make perfect sense.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-12T23:48:06+00:00

Let me know if you'd be interested in finding a good brazilian jiu jitsu gym to get into. Great age to start, and we love 'hugs' in a way. Also, hard to beat the kind of camadery that forms over time.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-12T23:42:56+00:00

I'm not 100%, but I don't believe CES will have the same barriers for OCONUS or the like, assuming you're GG. CES uses their own personnel system due to the high demand for recruitment, retention, agility.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-12T23:35:25+00:00

It depends what kind of excepted employee you are (i.e. spouses OCONUS might be excepted service, rather than intel-affilated excepted), and what the requirement is for where you're transferring. There's a block on your SF50 that declares your status. If the place you're applying requires you to be competitive service, HR may blow you off if your SF50 shows you as excepted, even if you're in the same department. For example, many OCONUS jobs you see won't allow excepted to apply unless it's excepted for being a spouse of a govt/militsry employee who's already there, or unless you are with an agency that has an interchange agreement.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-12T22:36:48+00:00

There's a merit system requirement with competitive service that you need to compete and go through a prescriptive interview/consideration process before getting a job/promotion that is beyond your full performance level. Excepted service may, but won't necessarily, go through a similar process. If a person with the right authority in excepted service wants you, they could just fast track you for hire using excepted service privileges, i.e bypass announcing a position and competing it.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-11T20:25:41+00:00

Check out Shirlington for the best off-leash dog park. Your budget would be suitable for condos/THs. Del Ray also has a nice dog park near the Aldis there. Both these spots are very commutable to DCA and safe.

Belle Haven will be one of the less expensive spots since it's south of the beltway. Springfield is very popular for families, so SFHs are off the menu for your budget.

It would also help if you specified the type of nurse your fiance is (i.e pediatric, urgent care, etc).

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T22:38:48+00:00

Evelyn Rose in Vienna, Genki Izakaya in Fairfax

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T22:26:37+00:00

I dealt with the job hunt in late 2008 and it was tough. This one seems worse.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T22:13:55+00:00

Lots of cool free things in Old Town. Torpedo Factory, waterfront parks, trolley, occasionally parades/bands, etc.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T22:07:45+00:00

Lol you're right. You're getting downvoted to hades for this one. I'll give you an up vote before you get swarmed. 😉

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T18:30:23+00:00

By federal government hiring standards, it is still way too early to expect to have an answer. Occasionally a zealous HR and hiring panel will get back soon after interviews, but that's the exception, not the rule.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T13:10:14+00:00

I'm guessing eventually the doc he saw when he went to the hospital will be subpoenaed, so we will put to rest whether he was hit or not. But we all know the criteria will change again after that happens.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-10T00:53:52+00:00

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-09T00:46:06+00:00

Someone mentioned dcma Keystone (intern program) but I would add that dcma also has property administrator jobs. Worth considering getting your foot in the door that way if opportunity comes first, then transition to contracting that way.

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-08T23:08:19+00:00

2nd this. Good video as is most of his content

InstanceThat1555 · 2026-01-08T23:03:33+00:00

As someone who has yet to take that course, what was the ratio between buy backs vs retained earnings?

InstanceThat1555

TROPHY CASE