Federal agencies can now pick from more job candidates for the same position
What happened
Federal agencies can now consider more candidates for competitive and excepted service jobs. This means hiring managers have more flexibility to choose who they want, rather than being limited to a small group of top scorers.
Why it matters
For decades, federal hiring rules often forced agencies to pick from only the top three candidates on a ranked list. This made it hard to hire people with specific skills or experience if they weren't among the very highest scorers. Now, agencies can consider a wider pool, which could make it easier to fill specialized roles and bring in new talent.
The signal
Watch for whether federal agencies actually use this expanded flexibility to hire more diverse candidates or those with non-traditional backgrounds, or if they stick to old habits.