But yet, maybe not so "unbelievable." What follows are hiring situations I encountered at the civil engineering complex after I confronted senior management over their inability to reign in the two bad elements who mistreated me. These are a series of positions I applied for, and didn't get, the reasons why, and the interesting facts about who got it and why.
Budget Assistant - Attempt #1
2005 - Applied, Referred, Wasn't Selected - Reason Given: Not enough experience. Person chosen never had any experience in finances. I was a cost center manager and bookkeeper in the military and an accounts payable clerk and data entry clerk for local redevelopment authority just outside the base. Total experience - 13 years.
Budget Assistant - Attempt #2
2006 - Applied, Referred, Wasn't Selected - Reason Given: Same as before. Person chosen, again, never had any experience in finances.
Budget Assistant - Attempt #3
2008 - Applied, Referred, Wasn't Selected - Reason Given: None. Person chosen came from another state. He was experienced but no more than me. I should have appealed but didn't. They chose someone from half way across the country instead of someone right the hallway.
Budget Assistant - Attempt #4
2011 - Applied, Wasn't Referred, Wasn't Selected - Reason Given: I didn't match the time in grade. This is the one where they changed the hiring criteria so that no one, including me, who wanted to apply could in an attempt to keep the list clear of anyone who could oppose the person senior management was targeting. This is the one I almost walked out over.
Budget Assistant - Attempt #5
2014 - I never even saw the job advertised. No one on the base did, yet somehow someone in a town 75 miles away did. How did that happen? By the way I found out the job had been listed it was too late and someone else had already been hired. Once again I got screwed and management proved they were trying to keep me from applying.
Emergency Management Technician - Attempt #1
2007 - Applied, Referred, was not Selected. Reason - They didn't want to have to send me to a 12 week school, or anyone else for that matter. So where do you think they sent the person who was hired for 12 weeks? You guessed it, to the 12 week school.
Emergency Management Technician - Attempt #2
2007 - Applied, Referred, was not Selected. Reason - They said it was because I was colorblind. Come to find out later that reason was invalid.
That's just seven. There are several more, but you get the picture. This is the kind of garbage that gives federal employees a bad rap,and honestly, rightly so. This is dishonesty at its worst, and what makes this situation worse is these folks claim to be Christian. They are the most hypocritical lying thieving Pharisees I've ever met. At least the two malcontents in my former office made no attempt to hide their contempt for me. The senior management in the CE complex shook my hand while stabbing me in the back at the same time.
I have 25 years experience as a Mechanic, I applied 3 times for the same Mechanic position. The first time I showed up for the Interview and was given illegal test. It was a last minute decision to add the test. This is ONLY time testing was ever done for a Job Interview. The test had no standards, didn't meet ANY requirements for testing, was NEVER authorized, and to this day I have never seen the results of the test.
The person selected was a Carpenter and was close personal friends the Selecting official.
The second time I applied a Pipe Fitter/Welder was selected for the position, and one of the persons on the interview panel used to work for him. The same Plumber that was promoted to GS12 later. This Plumber also lied under oath about this.
The third time the Welder was selected.
The GS12/Plumber was a real slezeball.
He did so things that were illegal, like splitting Credit Cards, allowing Contractors to use Government Equipment and material, hiring family and friends. etc.
I raised so much hell about him, I was the reason he was forced to take a early retirement, and after they hired the Welder the Chief of HR as removed from her position. WE don't have any reason to hire a welder, we have NOTHING to weld. I talk with members of OPM from DC over this and gave them a packet with all on this stuff in it.
HR has finally been cleaned out, but it has taken some time. The biggest reason they do this is because they can. Most people don't have the money to fight them. We still have a LOT of illegal hires, but it least now HR is under new management.