This program includes
- 16 days of live, project-based training from experts
- Additional 1-on-1 mentoring outside of class
- Retake for free within 1 year
- Verified digital certificate of completion
- Learn at an accredited institution
- Small class sizes
This certification program is a customized learning path designed in partnership with GSUSA to meet the immediate training needs of HR professionals working under the Federal Merit Hiring Plan, Presidential mandates, and OPM federal guidance. This certification equips HR specialists with the critical skills needed to support federal staffing, job analysis, qualification determinations, and pay setting processes. With practical, applied learning, participants will be prepared to implement knowledge directly into their HR practices. This program builds upon recent classification training to provide a comprehensive foundation in federal HR policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with current government standards and best practices.
Courses in this Certificate Program
This is the recommended order, but some courses may be taken in a different order.
Unit 1 5 Days
Federal Staffing and Placement Course
Federal Staffing and Placement Course
This course equips HR practitioners with the expertise to manage federal staffing and placement processes effectively. Participants will gain a deep understanding of recruitment strategies, hiring procedures, and federal regulations to support their agency's workforce needs.
- The role of HR practitioners in federal staffing and placement.
- Recruitment methods, hiring procedures, and appointment authorities.
- Evaluating candidates' qualifications, knowledge, skills, and competencies.
- Applying merit promotion and in-service placement procedures.
- Understanding time-in-grade and time-after-competitive-appointment restrictions.
- Downsizing approaches, including reduction in force (RIF) principles and outplacement assistance.
- Informing applicants and employees about the civil service employment system.
Unit 2 2 Days
Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
Gain the skills to create job-related selection practices that comply with federal regulations and result in higher-quality candidates. This course focuses on job analysis techniques, assessment tool development, and documentation to support hiring decisions.
- Conducting job analyses that meet OPM and UGESP regulatory requirements.
- Defining and differentiating knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies.
- Developing effective applicant assessment tools to improve candidate quality.
- Identifying and addressing issues in existing assessment tools.
- Creating documentation to justify rating criteria and support hiring decisions.
Unit 3 3 Days
Qualifications Analysis Course
Qualifications Analysis Course
This course provides HR professionals with the tools to assess applicant qualifications effectively for federal positions. Participants will learn to apply OPM's standards and analyze experience, education, and eligibility to make informed hiring decisions.
- The role of qualifications analysis in the federal staffing process.
- Evaluating general and specialized experience using OPM's Qualifications Standards.
- Crediting education and combining it with experience to determine minimum qualifications.
- Understanding selective placement factors and quality ranking factors.
- Applying legal and regulatory requirements for eligibility determinations.
- Assessing minimum qualifications and eligibility for federal job applicants.
Unit 4 3 Days
Pay Setting: General Schedule Course
Pay Setting: General Schedule Course
This course equips federal HR professionals with the skills to implement and apply complex pay administration rules for General Schedule employees. Participants will learn to handle various personnel actions, including promotions, reassignments, and pay changes, while ensuring compliance with federal policies.
- Overview of the General Schedule system and pay-setting policies.
- Setting pay for new appointments, reinstatements, and transfers.
- Managing reassignments, promotions, and changes to lower grades.
- Applying grade and pay retention rules.
- Handling pay changes, severance pay, and movement between pay systems.
- Administering allowances, hiring incentives, and back pay.
Unit 5 3 Days
Federal Human Resources Management Course
Federal Human Resources Management Course
This course introduces participants to the principles and processes of federal human resources management (HRM) within the unique merit system environment. Through expert instruction, participants will explore key HRM functions and their interrelationships to effectively manage federal employees.
- Principles of federal HRM and their impact on decision-making.
- Compensation processes, including classification, pay, and benefits.
- Federal hiring processes and equal pay for equal work.
- Strategies to improve employee engagement and workforce satisfaction.
- Performance management, including employee development and appraisals.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), employee relations, and labor relations programs.
Schedule & Enrollment: SSA OIG Federal Merit Hiring Certificate
- 16 Days
- Price before discounts: $7,045 Full tuition: $6,399
- Live Online
- Free retake
- Expert instructors
- 1:1 Mentoring included
Certificate Reviews
Our alumni consistently commend the expertise of our instructors and the real-world relevance of our programs. Their feedback highlights how Graduate School USA training has advanced their skills, supported their agencies’ missions, and fostered long-term professional growth.
SSA OIG Federal Merit Hiring Certificate is rated 4.7 stars by 247 students
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Donna J. Feb 13, 2026Federal Staffing and Placement Course
Ms. Tammy did a great job instructing/teaching the Federal Staffing and Placement course. Her expertise made complex topics easy to understand. Her knowledge and teaching style set a high standard! Overall, I've gained new knowledge. The content was relevant and comprehensive, and I enjoyed taking this course.
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Darrin R. Feb 13, 2026Federal Staffing and Placement Course
Tammy Johnson did a fantastic job of presenting the information for Federal Staffing and Placement. Ms. Johnson's level of knowledge was outstanding. I am very grateful that she took the time to explain any questions that I had during the course.
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Samantha G. Feb 12, 2026Pay Setting: General Schedule Course
I have always had wonderful experiences with Graduate School USA. The instructor was very professional and efficient, and she explained challenging concepts well.
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Jamie M. Jan 29, 2026Federal Human Resources Management Course
The instructor was very knowledgeable.
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Jose Husband Jan 29, 2026Federal Human Resources Management Course
This class is a great gateway into what the future can hold for any employee who eventually wants to go into management in the Federal HR program. A must, even if just to get exposure to something you have never heard of.
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Courtney B. Jan 29, 2026Federal Human Resources Management Course
Very knowledgeable instructor.
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Paula R. Jan 29, 2026Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
The instructor was very knowledgeable, kind, and patient. Explained things very well. I enjoyed this class.
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Sean D. Jan 23, 2026Qualifications Analysis Course
Great experience. The instructor was very thorough, patient, knowledgeable, provided guidance when needed, and facilitated interaction.
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Mark L. Jan 16, 2026Federal Staffing and Placement Course
The class content and coursebook are a great overview of Federal Staffing and Placement. It was a great experience. It all starts with the instructor, who was lively, enthusiastic, and fun.
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Carla H. Jan 16, 2026Federal Staffing and Placement Course
Trinia Petty is an amazing instructor! Her in-depth and extensive HR knowledge and expertise is invaluable and MOST valuable to GSUSA! We had an excellent training experience, and I feel confident that my team is better equipped to perform their HR duties.
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Janine O. Jan 16, 2026Federal Human Resources Management Course
Very knowledgeable instructor.
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Keith Ewancio Jan 16, 2026Federal Staffing and Placement Course
My work group just completed the "Federal Staffing and Placement" course at the Graduate School with Trina Petty as our instructor! All team members left the course with a solid understanding of the material! We credit instructor Trina Petty with assisting us in our comprehension of the material! She is the best!! -KE.
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Mark Linehan Dec 17, 2025Qualifications Analysis Course
Dawndee was fantastic. Qualifications Analysis covers a lot of information, but Dawndee made it fun and engaging.
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Carla Hayes Dec 17, 2025Qualifications Analysis Course
It was great to see my team learning the material and connecting the dots to their duties. Dawndee was a great instructor. You could feel her passion for the course. Nicely done and well organized!
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Jacqueline B. Dec 17, 2025Qualifications Analysis Course
This class is highly beneficial and should be taken by every federal employee. The class content was well-balanced, highlighting important topics relevant to real-world scenarios. The instructor was outstanding! She demonstrated a high level of expertise in the subject matter and provided real-world examples that enhanced understanding. Her engaging teaching style kept the class involved, making the learning experience very positive.
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Keith Ewancio Dec 17, 2025Qualifications Analysis Course
Ms. Dawndee Crawford is an excellent instructor! She facilitated the Qualifications Analysis class for my human resources team and in December 2025 and we left the course with a solid understanding of the material.
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Armando Quispe Dec 11, 2025Federal Human Resources Management Course
Very good class for anyone starting in the HR business.
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John Witt Dec 11, 2025Federal Human Resources Management Course
Great Instructor, Great Class! You will learn a lot about the overall Human Resource Management area of expertise in just a few days that will help you in your day to day understanding of HR.
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Keith Ewancio Dec 9, 2025Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
Our entire Human Resources team participated in the "Job Analysis for Federal Hiring" from December 8-9, 2025. We all enjoyed the pace of the class and finished it with excellent reference materials we can immediately utilize within our Agency! Thank you Graduate School USA for another excellent class!
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Carla Hayes Dec 9, 2025Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
Great experience and excellent instructor! It was a joy to be in this course. I love to see how this course has advanced over the years and incorporates AI and other useful tools to examine competencies
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Mark Linehan Dec 9, 2025Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
It was a great class. Dan Kowalski was a fantastic instructor. I found him very knowledgeable and an expert on developing Job Analysis's. He was engaging and made learning fun.
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Jacqueline B. Dec 9, 2025Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
Excellent class and instructor! Throughout the class, Mr. Kowalski actively engaged all participants and created a positive learning environment. His teaching style encouraged participation and made the material accessible and interesting.
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Zunaira Awan Dec 9, 2025Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Course
Don was very familiar material, and it was easily explained to us in the group setting. Also, he provided examples throughout the two-day training to have a better understanding of the course. Very knowledgeable and organized. Great class.
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LaJuanda M. Dec 8, 2025Qualifications Analysis Course
Good content! I loved that the instructor had a lot of relevant experience to the subject matter.
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Elizabeth S. Dec 5, 2025Qualifications Analysis Course
The class was very informative, I learned a lot. The instructor (Victoria Cox) was excellent, very professional and knowledgeable. She was great at maintaining engagement with all students.
Showing 25 of 139 reviews
Tuition
Full Tuition
Price before discounts: $7,045Full tuition: $6,399
Due before the class starts
This program includes
- 16 days of live, project-based training from experts
- Additional 1-on-1 mentoring outside of class
- Retake for free within 1 year
- Verified digital certificate of completion
- Learn at an accredited institution
- Small class sizes
Learning Experience Highlights
Training from government‑experienced instructors
Receive instruction from subject‑matter experts who bring proven government experience.
Specialized for government & DoD
Courses that are regularly updated based on feedback and industry developments, ensuring versions are mapped to federal competencies.
The instructor was wonderful and so knowledgeable. The course materials were extremely relevant to what my job is. I feel like I can be better because of this class.
— 2025 student
Real-world solutions
Directly addressing the day-to-day challenges of federal employees.
125+ departments & agencies served
Your trusted training partner, equipping public service professionals with the skills and knowledge to excel in their roles and drive meaningful impact.
Interactive Training
Attend this certificate program live online. Engage with expert instructors, ask questions, and get feedback on your exercises and projects.
Live Online Remote, from anywhere
Get the same interactivity and access to the instructor as in-person students. There are no extra fees and we’ll work with you to ensure your remote setup is perfect.
- Live, interactive class
- Experienced instructor teaching live online
- Remote setup assistance provided
1-on-1 Mentoring Sessions Included
We want you to succeed in your career goals. In addition to 16 days of hands-on, interactive training, you’ll also receive ten 1-on-1 mentoring sessions where you can:
- Review your portfolio work with an expert
- Drill down on challenging concepts
- Polish your resume and LinkedIn profile
- Receive professional advice for applying to jobs
- Ensure you’re on track with your learning goals
Free Retake
Missed a session or need a refresher? We have you covered!
Free Retake
We offer a single free retake of any module or the whole program within a year.