Do you believe you have what it takes to be a member of the Senior Executive Service? If you’re thinking about responding to an SES vacancy announcement, or if you’ve recently put in your application, you may have many questions concerning the application process, particularly when it comes to the Qualifications Review Board (QRB).
As you become more familiar with what, exactly, the QRB is and how they affect the status of your application, you’ll be better able to prepare yourself and successfully navigate the crucial last step of the application process.
Before you can move into an SES job, you’ll need to obtain official certification of your leadership skills and integrity from a Qualifications Review Board. A QRB is an independent board administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). It consists of three current SES members — each from a different agency — who volunteer to assess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) of each candidate.
A member of the OPM acts as each board’s QRB Administrator. Together, they complete a fair and objective review of each applicant to determine whether or not they possess the required ECQs to be considered an SES member. After the review, the QRB Administrator promotes a discussion between board members to reach a consensus concerning the applicant’s status.
The board judges each applicant based on five ECQs that encompass different leadership aspects — leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen and building coalitions. Your compliance with these ECQs — determined by the QRB — is the primary selection criteria for entry into the SES.
After review, the agency determines the case type of each application to be submitted to the OPM. There are three types of QRB cases:
Your QRB review is the last step in the SES selection process. The QRB will review your answers to the five ECQs and approve or disapprove your application or send it back for resubmission if they find that you haven’t addressed the ECQs adequately. While approval doesn’t guarantee placement in the SES, it’s necessary for securing an SES position.
If your ECQs are approved, they’ll be certified by the OPM, and you’ll never have to submit them again. However, there are numerous reasons why your ECQs may be disapproved by the QRB, including the following:
To get approval from the increasingly stringent requirements of the QRB, you’ll need to present recent, detailed and concrete examples of your leadership abilities using the CCAR format, genuinely showcasing your SES potential.
If you’d like more information on how to set yourself apart during the SES application process or need help crafting or rewriting your ECQs, contact SES Writers today. We offer the career coaching, interview prep and professional writing services you need to stand out as an ideal applicant and secure your dream position in the SES.
