Former OPM Associate Director, Ron Sanders, joins Francis to unpack a bold new hiring memo from the Office of Personnel Management and the Domestic Policy Council that could transform how agencies bring in new talent. You will learn about the unprecedented introduction of four mandatory essay questions for federal job applicants—a move aimed at curbing mass, low-effort applications and filtering for genuine interest and capability. Sanders explains what’s working, what’s worrisome, and what’s still undecided—including the risks of not collecting workforce diversity stats and the possible fallout from removing long-standing recruitment initiatives.

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