On USAjobs I’m sure you have seen an announcement that seems to be open forever. These types of announcements have a name, open continuous.

Open continuous is when an announcement is left open for longer than the standard 15 business days. They can be open for up to one year. Open continuous announcements follow a different process than normal announcements and can be used for a variety of reasons. The video below provides a good explanation of what an open continuous announcement is and how best to apply to one.

Some of the most common reasons for using an open continuous announcement are as follows: filling multiple vacancies possibly in multiple facilities, filling positions that are hard to fill or have a high turnover, or just to gather resumes for future vacancies.

Even though the hiring process is a little different for open continuous announcements, the entire process is the same. The part of the process that is unique to open continuous announcements is how applicants are reviewed and referred. 

Because the announcement is open for so long, applications are reviewed, and applicants are referred to the hiring manager while the announcement remains open. They don’t wait until the announcement closes like is done with normal announcements. If you aren’t sure what it means to be referred, check out this video for a deeper explanation.

Applicants for these types of announcements are generally reviewed on a set schedule. The schedule is listed in the job announcement. It is very important to apply as close to the open date of the announcement as possible. I’ll explain why farther down. 

Now to discuss why a hiring manager would want to use an open continuous announcement. Just to be upfront, I personally dislike open continuous announcements. They are frustrating for both the applicant and HR. The hiring manager follows up almost daily looking for new applicants, and applicants follow up almost daily to check the status of their application. 

One reason the hiring manager uses an open continuous announcement is to fill multiple vacancies. This could be at one facility or at multiple. When staffing up a new department or a new program over an entire agency open continuous announcements are often used. This helps to get applicants for a facility that is in a less than desirable location.

When applicants are searching for open positions, they often look at major metropolitan areas first. Applicants won’t know about the rural locations unless they live in those areas. With the open continuous announcement when an applicant is looking for jobs in D.C., they can select all locations on that announcement and be in the hat for small town USA. If the applicant is willing to relocate then it could be beneficial for everyone when using this option.

If you need help searching for jobs, reviewing announcements, and tailoring your resume, check out this
video below.

The next reason a hiring manager uses open continuous announcements is when they have a position that is hard to fill or high turnover. When using this type of announcement, the hiring manager is looking to fill vacancies as quickly as possible. For this reason, it is important to apply as close to the open date of the announcement as possible. It is common to fill all vacancies within the first 2 or 3 applicant review cycles. The announcement may still be open after all vacancies are filled just to keep collecting resumes for future vacancies.

When a position is high turnover, keeping a bank of resumes could be beneficial. The problem is by the time the subsequent vacancies occur; the applicants are no longer interested in the position. 

When a position is hard to fill the problem isn’t making sure applicants that apply are interested. The problem is getting them to apply in the first place. These hard to fill positions are usually extremely specialized so the candidates are highly desired all over. It is important to keep an announcement open for the long period of time to save from having to constantly repost. These positions can actually go the whole 15 business days and not receive a single application.

The final reason for using an open continuous announcement is just to gather resumes. It is not clear that there are any open vacancies. These announcements have a tell. These are the ones that are open to all grades from GS-5 to GS-15 with locations all over the world. While I don’t know anyone that has ever been hired from one of these announcements, I would never discourage anyone from applying if they are interested. Just don’t get your hopes up too high. 

Now that the different examples of open continuous announcements have been shared, I want to cover one common frustration for all applicants. This frustration is the need to constantly reapply to stay in the running. Certificates are only good for 90 days with the option for one 30-day extension. So, 120 days max. If you have applied and are not selected, you will be sent a notice to reapply after 90 to 120 days. If you do not reapply, then you will not receive further consideration.

If you see a job you are interested in, go for it. If the announcement is open for months at a time or even a whole year, just be aware of the risks. 

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