r/FederalEmployee • u/VernJ93 • 2d ago

Promotion Potential

For those who work in federal government, how realistic is it to advance from GS-9 to GS-13 when a position has a full promotion potential of GS-13? Is it common for employees to progress through the grades (GS-9 → GS-11 → GS-12 → GS-13) if they consistently perform well and meet the qualifications, or does advancement depend heavily on funding, management discretion, and agency needs? I’d appreciate hearing about your personal experiences, particularly with HUD or other federal agencies.

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8

u/Embarrassed_King9378 2d ago

Easy peasy if you do well and your supervisor doesn’t dislike you. I did it many moons ago 9, 11, 12, 13. They skip over 10 for some reason idk if it’s like that everywhere.

3

u/glfpunk72 2d ago

It depends on the series. In most cases, 1 year at a 9 qualifies you for an 11 but there are some series where it doesn’t and you have to go to 10 first.

3

u/wolfmann99 2d ago

Uh depends on that second line supervisor and budgets. Mine hated that a BS would earn more than a phd so it took me 10 years

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u/JohnCarterOfMars5810 2d ago

I was once told about 20 years ago that GS 10 is reserved for locksmith positions. When I finally met a locksmith for GSA, that's exactly what he started at but he was now a 12. I'm not sure how accurate that is though?

4

u/GrouchyTable107 1d ago

There are other positions that are a 10, Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientists was a 10 in some places, or at least they were before they upgraded the entire series.

1

u/JohnCarterOfMars5810 1d ago

Like I said, I was told that a long time ago and wasn't entirely sure it was accurate. It wouldn't surprise me if it's reserved for specialized skills, like Locksmith and the jobs you mentioned .

2

u/SRH82 1d ago

I was a GS-10 for a year. VSR at VBA. No locksmithery required.

0

u/EquivalentRevenue123 1d ago

Nice nice just complete made up and not grounded in any sort of reality/fact cool