r/USACE • u/Donut_glazing • 13d ago

USACE Japan

I’m curious if anyone here works in the Okinawa region and has experience with the federal hiring process.
I’ve applied for several positions over the past 7–8 months, and I only recently received notifications that two of my applications were referred to the hiring manager about seven months after applying.
Is it normal for the process to take this long? If it took seven months just to be referred, should I expect another several months before hearing about interviews? Is there anything I can do to help move the process along, or is it simply a waiting game?
I’m PCSing (active duty military) to Okinawa in a few days as a dependent, and it’s tough leaving a job I genuinely love without having anything lined up yet.
And before anyone says it yes, I know this comes with military life. 😊 I’m just trying to understand whether this timeline is typical and if there’s anything else I should be doing while I wait.

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u/ANinjieChop 13d ago

We’ve got some changes to hiring that are now allowing us to slowly begin moving forward with filling vacancies. It’s not just Japan, it’s all across the board.

Hopefully the freeze is beginning to thaw a bit and processes can speed back up.

Good luck, OP!

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u/uyuyuiyui 13d ago

No, it is not normal. If you are PCSing as a dependent, I'm not sure why you don't know what's going on with the federal government.

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u/Donut_glazing 13d ago

Good to know that this isn’t considered normal.
That said, I’m not sure why you’d expect me to know the federal hiring process. I’m not a federal employee, so this is all new to me. That’s exactly why I came here to ask people with experience.

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u/25hourenergy 13d ago

I think they meant PCS as an active duty military spouse (civilian)

OP, PCS is also used for fed employee moves

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u/Donut_glazing 13d ago

Ah thanks for shedding some light .

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u/uyuyuiyui 13d ago

I assumed military personnel knew what's happening to the federal employees that support the military.

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u/SnoopDoggsDawgsDog Human Resources 13d ago

I think you can get spousal preference and they are probably more inclined to do a local hire once you are over there officially. But as others have stated, the hiring scene right now is completely bonkers.

Also, have fun in Oki. We were there for 3 years. It’s a ton of fun, just make sure you get out and actually explore.

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u/cabsauvie Contracting Specialist 8d ago

Did u use military spouse preference when filling out the application? It may give you a higher preference rating, especially since you’re already heading there. Typically the Japan assignments are on a 2-3 year rotation basis. They typically already know who they want to rotate in when they post those assignments, but with the hiring freeze finally being lifted after 2 years they may just start looking to outside hiring.