Spouses eligible for hiring preference into civil service jobs Published Sept. 30, 2009 By Joe B. Wiles 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Many spouses of military members at Vance now have a better chance of getting hired into the civil service thanks to an executive order that went into affect Sept. 11. Executive Order 13473 authorizes noncompetitive appointments in the civil service for spouses of certain members of the armed forces. Eligible spouses are those who were named on the permanent change of station orders, were married on or prior to the date on those orders and made the move with the military member to the new duty location. Civil service jobs available at Vance range from administrative to air traffic control. "We are also currently looking to fill eight new unit program coordinator positions," said Rhonda Coleman, Civilian Personnel director with the 71st Force Support Squadron at Vance. "We will hire the individuals in March and they will go to work in April," she said. Spouses can apply for civil service jobs at Vance through the USAJOBS Web site, www.usajobs.gov. The process involves completing a resume online, reviewing job announcements and self-nominating for positions of interest. The executive order gives spouses an advantage by placing them in the second of three hiring pools. The first is for internal applicants - those already working in civil service. The second is for veterans, those who have worked in civil service in the past, other preference groups and now, spouses. The third group is the general public. "The spouse preference will speed up the hiring process for many of our hard to fill positions at Vance," said Ms. Coleman. She pointed out that spouses must be qualified for a job to be hired. And the hiring preference will be especially helpful to those spouses negatively impacted by the military change of station. For more information, contact the Civilian Personnel office, 213-7260 or 213-7813.