Too much exposure to USAJOBS has really turned me cynical. Despite news reports on the need to recruit thousands of new employees, the main federal jobs site is a usability nightmare, unfathomable to even people who work on web sites, like me. While the site has few defenders, some have argued that it has to be that way, because it’s the government. Federal requirements dictate its complexity and difficulty.
There’s got to be another way! And there is. It’s the job site for the Congressional Budget Office. The site is a model of simplicity and common sense, where you can apply for a job in minutes, rather than hours. Let me spell out the differences between the CBO site and USAJOBS:
It’s all one site.You’re not bounced to a separate organizational site to complete a whole other application, like you would if you applied for a job with Agriculture from USAJOBS.
An easy password. You don’t need a complicated ten character password with upper and lower case letters plus numbers.
Upload or copy and paste your documents. Choose which is easier for you – either upload a Word doc or copy and paste your resume. You don’t have to enter information job by job. Supporting docs can also be uploaded.
No KSAs.
Job descriptions less than a page long, in plain language.
No confusing instructions to fax or snail mail in additional information. It’s 100% online.
It’s well-designed. The site makes excellent use of white space and provides strong visual cues for users, such as making the “Submit Application” button blue and placing it at the bottom of the right-hand menu.
Why can’t the rest of government do this? The site is not complicated, in fact it looks like it was designed in the late 1990s. But it’s simple and easy for visitors. It’s oriented around their top tasks, as good government sites are supposed to.
Looking at this site, USAJOBS makes even less sense to me.
is there any related fields in San clement, CA? I am looking for internship or entery level position.
I adore websites like this. What I like about your website is the lack of information on the front page. I hate it when I go to a page and it is so overloaded with information that I can’t figure out where I really want to go. Just give me a door, and I will go in and find the right room I need. When I tell small businesses about creating new websites, this is exactly what I tell them. Give the people enough on your door that will keep their interest, but don’t stick so many stickers on your business door that it looks like it belongs in the wrong side of town. Then, very professionally lead the customer to the different rooms you have in your store. You don’t see a real mall with tons on stuff on their front door. They have bullets, and a few sales signs, and that is it. Then when you go into the mall, you have a map which will tell you how to get where you are going. Most people who have used a computer will now know that a front page is just a door, and will look for a map, or very good drop downs. Too bad USA Jobs can’t do this.
It’s not my site, I’m just an admirer. I applied for a job with CBO. After being so frustrated by applying for jobs with USAJOBS (and probably wasting my time), I was honestly amazed that CBO had made the process so easy. I know my headline reads like an Onion article but it is surprising when a government personnel process is easy to use. Like Amanda wrote, I think simplicity is the key to good design.