Understanding Federal Employment Service Types (Competitive, Excepted, and SES)

The following post takes a closer look at Understanding Federal Employment Service Types.

Are you an aspiring federal employee? If so, you should know that the U.S. federal government categorizes all civilian federal jobs under one of three different ‘service types’.

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Each service type has different hiring processes, qualifications, and career implications. Before you start searching and applying to federal jobs, you should be sure to understand the different service types.

Here’s what you need to know.

Overview

The three service types are: Competitive Service, Excepted Service, and Senior Executive Service.

Each service type features its own distinct rules and processes for hiring. So, where can you find the service type for a job? On the righthand side of every job listing on USAJOBS you’ll find a category called ‘service’.

In the sample job description below, we see the posting is labeled as competitive service.

Pictured: Sidebar of a sample USAJOBS posting showing competitive service.

Competitive Service

The majority of listings on USAJOBS are Competitive Service.

Simply put, all applicants for Competitive Service jobs go through a formal evaluation and hiring process that is open to everyone.

That’s because Competitive Service positions are subject to the civil service laws passed by Congress (most notably Title 5) ensuring fair and equal treatment in the hiring process.

The Competitive Service process includes:

• Written tests
• Evaluations of education and experience
• Assessments of other necessary skills and attributes

Excepted Service

Excepted Service positions are the least common service type.

Excepted Service roles are not bound by the same rules as Competitive Service and can be filled using a variety of specialized appointment methods that offer more flexible hiring processes.

Examples include:

• VRA: Allows agencies to hire eligible veterans without competition (Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment).
• Pathways Participants: Includes internships and full-time positions for recent graduates.
• Attorney Positions: Certain legal positions are categorized as excepted due to specialized qualifications.
• Schedule A: Used for hiring individuals with disabilities.

Senior Executive Service

Senior Executive Service (SES) are for senior management roles at the highest levels of government.

SES positions are typically filled through a non-competitive evaluation and selection process. Likewise, SES positions are often appointed by the President or other senior officials (involving a rigorous vetting process).

Although SES positions are technically ‘non-competitive’ – in the sense that they are not open to everyone – SES roles are indeed among the most competitive and sought-after positions within the federal government.

Pictured: Screenshot from OPM.gov on SES.

Many SES positions require applicants to submit Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) demonstrating their expertise in key leadership areas including leading people, managing results, and building coalitions.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope this helps with understanding the different service types for federal employment. Before spending time on applying, it’s wise to check the job announcement and verify the service type.

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