The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

To anyone starting work at their SF this summer-- have y'all gotten your official positions, salary, benefits, etc. yet?

Two weeks ago I received a "tentative offer" from HR - it was from a USAstaffing email address. I had to log in to a system and accept the tentative offer and also provide some information. Prior to that, I had several emails back and forth with other people at my SF. If you haven't received anything, maybe check in with your SF contact?

Thank you! I have tried to contact my SF multiple times and I've even reached out to my SMART coordinator and SMART liaison and no one will get back to me. Thanks for your help though!

I also have not received anything about my service commitment... My SF said that they sent my information onto their HR people, but I have not heard anything since and my SMART Liason said they have already sent them a "hiring memo." So I don't know if I need to just be patient or if something is taking longer than it should.

Are there any updates from people who are entering Phase two this summer? Is there anyone else experiencing a huge delay in being hired on? I received a tentative offer for hiring back in April and completed the required documents on the USAjobs hiring website but still have not received an official start date (a little over two months later). Has this process been long for anyone else?

Also does anyone know if the salary has a possibility of going up any steps within the GS level given on the tentative offer? (ie tentative says GS-11 step 1 but changes to like GS-11 step 6 once given official start date?)

TRYINGtostartphase2 wrote:Are there any updates from people who are entering Phase two this summer? Is there anyone else experiencing a huge delay in being hired on? I received a tentative offer for hiring back in April and completed the required documents on the USAjobs hiring website but still have not received an official start date (a little over two months later). Has this process been long for anyone else?

Also does anyone know if the salary has a possibility of going up any steps within the GS level given on the tentative offer? (ie tentative says GS-11 step 1 but changes to like GS-11 step 6 once given official start date?)

Talk with your SF. They might be waiting on a transcript that shows your degree was awarded. That can put a hold on the process, but you can get a letter from your old advisor saying it was awarded that lets them hire you without having the transcript upfront.

If they provided a tentative offer and you accepted, the official offer will have the same salary. You can negotiate the tentative offer before agreeing, but generally you'll only get a few steps and it can take weeks for that process to go through even if everyone at your SF is immediately onboard with it.

I'm still waiting for my tentative offer. I can't believe it's taking this long. I heard a rumor that the SF has to hire you within 60 days of graduation, but I cannot get that confirmed by my coordinator. I am disappointed in how all this is playing out.

texag wrote:I'm still waiting for my tentative offer. I can't believe it's taking this long. I heard a rumor that the SF has to hire you within 60 days of graduation, but I cannot get that confirmed by my coordinator. I am disappointed in how all this is playing out.

I finally received an Entrance on Duty Date (aka start date)...two and a half months AFTER getting my tentative offer but I hassled everyone from my SF point of contact, to HR at the facility that i'll be working at, to the Army liaison for SMART. I know I likely got extremely annoying but I felt it was necessary especially since I will be moving across the country. Everyone I know that works for the government says the hiring process can take forever because there is so much paper pushing and I felt the more I bothered them the more likely my "papers" would be pushed to the top.

TRYINGtostartphase2 wrote:

texag wrote:I'm still waiting for my tentative offer. I can't believe it's taking this long. I heard a rumor that the SF has to hire you within 60 days of graduation, but I cannot get that confirmed by my coordinator. I am disappointed in how all this is playing out.

I finally received an Entrance on Duty Date (aka start date)...two and a half months AFTER getting my tentative offer but I hassled everyone from my SF point of contact, to HR at the facility that i'll be working at, to the Army liaison for SMART. I know I likely got extremely annoying but I felt it was necessary especially since I will be moving across the country. Everyone I know that works for the government says the hiring process can take forever because there is so much paper pushing and I felt the more I bothered them the more likely my "papers" would be pushed to the top.

You literally have to be up these people's rear ends to get anything done.