Excepted Service

Excepted service is a special authority used by the federal government, which allows agencies to use a streamlined hiring process rather than hiring through the traditional competitive process. This authority allows agencies to help meet an unusual or special hiring need. Agencies can use this authority to individuals with backgrounds in highly needed or hard to recruit areas of government, like attorneys, chaplains, medical doctors, etc., because for these types of jobs it is often impractical to use standard qualification requirements in order to rate applicant using a traditional competitive process.

The excepted service authority is also used to fill a job under a special circumstance; for example, when there is a part-time or temporary job in a remote location or when there is a critical hiring need. U.S. Office of Personnel Management may also use a special hiring authority on a case-by-case basis to make a political appointment. Special hiring authorities can also be used to hire applicants with a special disability.

Certain excepted service hiring programs also are used as fast-track ways to bring talented individuals in at the entry levels, such as the Federal Career Intern Program authority and the Presidential Management Fellows Program. These programs include training and development components and are typically two-years in duration, with the potential for conversion to a full-time permanent position.

Excepted service positions are not required to be posted on USAJOBS.gov. As a result, it is important to look at individual agency Web sites for job announcements.

Excepted Service

Major Excepted Service Agencies