Federal regulations (5 CFR 315.606) offer certain present and former Foreign Service officers and employees the ability to apply to Federal Government announcements and to be appointed non-competitively to a position. Your eligibility does not entitle you to a job within the Federal Government. You must still meet qualification standards, go through the selection process and meet any additional requirements, such as a background investigation.
If applying to an announcement directly, the announcement must be accepting applications from outside of the Department of Health and Human Services.
You may be eligible if you meet the requirements below:
- You served in the Foreign Service under an unlimited, career-type appointment;
- You served at least 1 year of continuous service immediately before separation from that appointment; and,
- Your separation date from the Foreign Service is within 3 years from the date of you being appointed into the competitive service.
Required Documentation
To verify your eligibility, you must submit
- A copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) reflecting your nontemporary status in the Foreign Service.
- Reference Standard Form 15 (SF-15) for required documents if you are entitled to veterans’ preference.
You must submit all required documents by the closing date of the announcement with your application package.
For more information, review OPM’s website on competitive hiring.
This 3-year requirement does not apply to those entitled to veterans' preference or individuals who have completed 3 years of substantially continuous service under one or more nontemporary Foreign Service appointments immediately before separation.