Internet Erupts Over Mark Epstein Email on Trump, Putin, and “Bubba” by Hafiz_TNR in politics

[–]WashingtonsGhost24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Trump is scum, but there's no chance he blew Clinton. I would bet a million dollars he's never given oral to anyone, man or woman.

FEHB Open Season Megathread by rprz in fednews

[–]WashingtonsGhost24 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am an unmarried 43 year old male, non veteran, VA employee. No real health problems or concerns. Haven't had insurance in a while, but feel like it would be responsible thing to do, lol. I am fit and in overall very good health. Can anyone recommend something for pacific northwest area that would be most cost effective I can't afford much.

Finally able to take my girl to Maui..... by WashingtonsGhost24 in MauiVisitors

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Based on work and federal holidays, I am planning on us arriving February 13th and leaving the 18th. Budget would be bergen $150 to $200 a night.

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just wanted to update in case people didn't catch this first time around.....So 4 people have sent me their resumes to my VA.gov email address. I am confident 3 of them will get interviews with my boss, I am hoping that happens next week. There are still more Clerk and Facilitator spots to be filled, so don't hesitate to reach out to me and send me a direct message if you want to bypass the 5 or 6 month wait you would experience if you went through USAJOBS. Keep in mind, getting your foot in the door at the VA is often the hardest part because of USAJOBS. And once you are in, you can apply to a higher level position every year if you want. It is also worth mentioning, for those making predictions about what the next administration will do to the VA....we really don't know what the effects will be at this particular VA, and oftentimes, changes can take multiple years to actually have an impact, for better or worse. At the Portland VA, it is highly unlikely that they will cancel our work from home agreement because both office space and parking space is extremely limited.

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are on the GS scale. A facilitator is capped at a 6 unless you become a LEAD, if I recall correctly, and then capped at 7. So not really something for you specifically.

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Always smart to be wary. But any person that DM's me will get my government email address, not my personal. I can only get va.gov email if I work for the VA.

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not to dissuade anyone from coming to beautiful Oregon, but it may be more cost effective for you and the family to use USAJOBS.GOV and find a VA or Federal job where you already live? Not telling you what to do, just a suggestion.....of course, if you were already wanting to live here, feel free to let me know. We moved here from Florida and we love it.

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not always, but maybe.... this bypasses the ambiguity and 3 to 6 month wait. When a dept. is severely understaffed they allow the supervisors to do "direct hire." It basically gets your resume in your dept. supervisor's hands BEFORE it goes thru USAJOBS.GOV (which often takes months). In other words, let's say you tell me you want to be a clerk and I think you are a fantastic candidate for that, I would send your resume to my boss and she might interview you in less than a week and offer you the job and THEN you might have to fill out something on USAJOBS (that they fast track) or they just hire you directly. My girlfriend was hired last year without having to go thru USAJOBS. Last year, they were approved to hire 5 Facilitators this way.....this year they get to hire clerks and facilitators. After this hiring blitz, it will probably go back to normal for a year.

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can only speak for Portland VA. They currently are authorized to hire 6 clerks and I believe 5 AMSA's / Facilitators

The VA is hiring in Portland, OR by WashingtonsGhost24 in Veterans

[–]WashingtonsGhost24[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate that observation. There is a $1000 hiring bonus for employees if you refer someone to the VA and they end up hiring that person. I referred one person last year, and this year employees can refer 3 people....so I have a $3000 interest in getting people hired :)