Dear Bureaupat,
I am a GS-14 and I have a federal government mentor who is a
career member of the Senior Executive Service. He has recommend that I
apply for a Career Development Program (CDP). Can you enlighten me on this program and why I should or should not
apply?
Dear Governmentee,
Count yourself lucky to have a formal mentor:
you are one of the few. Now, get ready for an onslaught of government acronyms in the answer!
Currently there are
only two modes of entry into the Senior
Executive Service (SES):
- Apply directly to a Federal agency for a
specific SES position
- Apply for a Federal Agency's SES Candidate
Development Program (SESCDP). Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certified
graduates of an SESCDP advertised to "all qualified Civil Service
appointees" or "all qualified persons" are eligible for
(but not guaranteed) career appointment to an SES position without further
competition.
Clearly your mentor sees you as a future leader within
government and his suggestion is right on target to fast pace you into the SES.
The Federal Candidate Development Program (Fed CDP) was designed to help
Federal agencies meet their succession planning goals and contribute to the
Government's effort to create a high-quality SES leadership corps.
It is specifically designed to provide a series of
developmental experiences for high potential individuals to prepare them to
compete for positions in the Senior Executive Service. These developmental experiences typically include formal training
and seminars, a four-month assignment outside of the participant's bureau or
agency, an executive mentor, action learning projects, coaching, field trips,a
Capitol Hill orientation training session, and many other engaging activities.
Participants who are selected are expected to be
self-starters and highly-motivated individuals who, through their experience
and training, demonstrate the potential to grow into an executive leadership
role. The CDP is a demanding program, and the curriculum must be completed
while balancing current day-to-day job assignments.
But it's not that easy. Some, but not all, Federal agencies
have SES Candidate Development Programs to identify and develop potential
executive talent. Hopefully your agency has a program that's approved by the Office of Personnel Management.
Once you've found a program you must then apply and make it
through the selection process which typically, includes, three parts: rating
applications, interviews, and an independent assessment process leading to
final selection.
Once selected, the CDP
concentrates on developing candidates' skills in the following OPM Executive
Core Qualifications (ECQs):
-
Leading Change
-
Leading People
-
Results Driven
-
Business Acumen
-
Building Coalitions
Recently, the Department of Commerce announced applications
for its Class of 2011 Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program
(SESCDP), an 18-month leadership development training program for high
potential employees.
People who complete the program and
obtain certification by an SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) of OPM
approved SESCDPs advertised to "all qualified civil service
appointees" or "all qualified persons" are eligible for a career
appointment to the SES without further competition. However, graduates are not
guaranteed a SES position.
Yours in Gov,
Bureaupat
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