Attracting and Employing Top Tier Civilian Technical Talent in the Department of the Air Force: A Comparison of Six Occupations with Other Federal Agencies and the Private Sector
Abstract
The purpose of this report is to identify barriers related to the ability of current Department of the Air Force (DAF) hiring authorities and practices to attract and employ top-tier civilian technical talent in six occupational series (Computer Science, Operations Research, Electronics Engineer, Engineering Technician, Airfield Manager, and Nurse) and to explore alternative employment options and practices that the DAF may be able to use to better compete for that talent. For each occupational series, the report highlights key recruiting and employment challenges, the use of available hiring authorities and flexibilities, and how current DAF pay compares with pay in the sister services, other federal agencies, and the private sector. The report also describes findings from interviews with university career services offices and private-sector recruiting experts regarding the factors potential job candidates consider when making employment decisions. In addition, drawing on interviews with recruiting and hiring representatives from the sister services and other federal agencies, the report documents potential alternative employment options and practices that other federal organizations have found effective that the DAF could adopt to attract top talent. The report concludes by providing recommendations on actions the DAF can take to better compete for top-tier civilian technical talent.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1204747
Entities
People
- Diana Myers
- Ginger Groeber
- Hannah Acheson-field
- Jenna Kramer
- Kirsten Keller
- Philip Armour
- Samantha Dinicola
- Shirley Ross
- Shreyas Bharadwaj
- Stephanie Williamson
Organizations
- RAND Corporation