Student Placement Assistance Implementation

     
In Reply Refer To:                              June 5, 2000   
Mail Stop 601


NOTE TO SUPERVISORS, MANAGERS, AND TEAM LEADERS:  Please ensure that 
employees without access to e-mail receive a copy of this message.


MEMORANDUM


To:       All U.S. Geological Survey Employees

From:     Robert Hosenfeld        (signed)
          Personnel Officer 

Subject:  Student Placement Assistance Implementation

Starting today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will begin using its new 
system to ensure Student Placement Assistance (SPA).  Students have long 
been a vital part of our workforce to fill both temporary and permanent 
staffing needs.  Currently, the USGS employs over 750 students through our 
Student Temporary Employment Program and our Student Career Experience 
Program. 

In order to identify and retain our most promising students, we have 
developed this new component of Survey City that provides assistance to 
our current USGS student employees in locating permanent employment upon 
graduation.  In addition, the SPA was designed to assist students in 
locating alternate positions in the event they are no longer available for 
their location, are switching career fields, or should their current 
appointment be scheduled to expire within the next 120 days.  SPA is an 
interactive intranet site and database capable of monitoring and tracking 
USGS students throughout our organization.  This site will enable USGS to 
assess student employment practices and perform trend analysis.

Supervisors and Manager's Responsibilities:

Supervisors and managers will be notified when a student is approaching 
their "not-to-exceed" date or completion of degree requirements and 
available for conversion to assure timely and effective placements of our 
students.  Supervisors and managers should ensure their students are aware 
of the SPA and should complete the short, online evaluation for each 
student they employ.  Supervisors and managers should access the SPA to 
locate current students who are interested and available for different 
opportunities or locations prior to searching for new candidates. 
Students' Responsibilities

Students are responsible for maintaining a current resume in the system at 
all times.  Additionally, students are responsible for flagging themselves 
for availability when they are looking for employment opportunities in 
alternate duty locations and/or when they are within 120 days of their 
appointment expiration or graduation date.  Students will be included in 
the various e-mails so that they are informed of their status, management 
decisions, and potential opportunities. 

Accessing the System: 

1.  Login to the system at:  http://interactive.usgs.gov/eft/logon.asp

2.  Login with your user id and password.

NOTE:Your userid is your e-mail identifier (e.g., if your e-mail address 
is doe@usgs.gov, then your userid will be jdoe). The first time you log 
on, your password is your SSN, no dashes or spaces (e.g., 123456789). You 
will then be prompted to enter a new permanent password.  If you 
experience problems logging on, or forget your password, please call the 
Help Desk at (703) 648-7300, or e-mail: help_desk@usgs.gov 
(help_desk@usgs.gov). 

3.  Select "USGS Student Placement Assistance" and the link will take 
you directly into the SPA.

4.  At this point, the system will direct you to a screen with the options 
applicable for you. 

If you are a student, your options will include add/update your resume, 
e-mail addresses, and flag yourself for job opportunities (if applicable). 
During your first login, you should add your resume and complete the 
e-mail addresses section in order to take maximum advantage of the system.

If you are a supervisor, manager or administrative officer who would like 
access to the system, you will need to request access to the system by 
sending an e-mail to the SPA Coordinator in your region (see coordinator 
list below) with the following information:  Name, Telephone, Division, 
Office.  The SPA Coordinator will register you in the system and will send 
you an e-mail confirmation.  Once registered for the system, you will be 
able to search for available students, provide comments about students who 
are employed by you, and view the resumes of those students who work for 
you. 

Utilizing this system will allow us to tap into our trained talent pool of 
student employees who are committed to the mission of the USGS.  If you 
have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free 
to contact the SPA Coordinator in your Region as listed below:

Eastern Region                  Sarah Griffin      703-648-7395
Southeastern Region             Yvonne Jackson     770-409-7754
Central Region                  Dottie Evans       303-236-5900 x362
Western Region                  Stephanie Suekawa  650-329-4120

If you have other HR questions, don't hesitate to write to Ask 
HRO@usgs.gov.  We look forward to the benefits this automated system will 
bring to the USGS in support of our recruitment and retention efforts.