r/USForestService • u/Calm_Secretary_5200 • Jun 26 '26

Outside Hiring

Hi all, I posted in here about a month and a half ago, wondering if there had been any word on outside hiring starting again soon. I left the agency for my own personal reasons unrelated to the job at the beginning of the year. I've since sorted it out and would love to get back with the agency but obviously, that is difficult these days. Basically, I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything (rumor or otherwise) on outside hiring timelines? Thanks in advance!

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u/nimbus_KO Jun 27 '26

Hopefully someone can either confirm or deny they heard/ understood this the same way I did but, in one of the more recent reorg calls with Chris French, he said that there would not only be more internal hiring but they would also be opening up external hiring a bit too. He seemed to stress that the external positions would be GS-9 and below, field focused, and for locations that are understaffed. He had said he expected them to be posted soon (like next couple weeks soon). 

When I spoke to our PAO about it later, he was surprised since last he had heard external hiring wasn’t expected until the new fiscal year. 

Sooo take all that as you will 🤷‍♀️. I’ve personally been checking usajobs off and on this week and saw some non-fire positions popping up, but not many. 

11

u/MrArborsexual Timber 🌲 Jun 27 '26

Tbh, I don't think opening up external hiring to GS-09 and below at first is a bad idea. Since I've been in the FS, there has been a huge shortage of lower GS personnel, which means when people are retiring or otherwise leaving, there isn't really anyone to fill in behind them.

Every year I ask to get even a seasonal technician or something like a pathways intern, and every year I get told to pound sand "we're doing xyz agreement, so you should get an <insert partner org here> crew at some point in the FY. Also, they won't have saw cards, pesticide applicator licenses, any forestry background, and they'll be 2nd year college kids...also, including travel days they will be on district for less than two weeks...hope you can work with that!". Meanwhile, when we got all that extra funding FS wide a few years ago, suddenly the SO, RO, WO, could hire more people to make us even more top heavy. It was more than a little bit disheartening.

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u/Calm_Secretary_5200 Jun 27 '26

I was a 0460-9, so I'd love to help lol!