Temporary Hire Onboarding Guide | Phase 4: Temporary Orientation & Beyond

Temporary employees seem to have a knack for being able to hit the ground running, and quickly become important and productive members of the local Forest Service (FS) team.  We are grateful to you! 

We truly hope you enjoy your temporary appointment with us.  Whether a current permanent employee or a friend who spent one summer decades ago working for the FS, we find that most previous temporary employees look back on their first seasons with the FS with great fondness. They often share stories of how the adventures they experienced, the beautiful landscapes they worked on, and the lifelong friendships they established still influence them today.  We hope this is true for you, as well. 

If you successfully complete your temporary appointment this year, you may be eligible to return next year with non-competitive rehire status. Individuals in a 1039 appointment may potentially be non-competitively rehired for the same position or a position with the same series, grade and basic duties if the break in service is less than three years from the date of separation. You can learn more about this and many other aspects of temporary hiring including Veterans’ preference, by reading the HRM Hiring Guide. This guide is posted on the FS intranet and may not be accessible to you until you have access through a FS computer. Your supervisor can also print a copy for you. An important added benefit is that your time invested as a temporary employee may make you eligible to compete for permanent jobs under ‘merit promotion’, essentially as an internal candidate. Two key qualifications you must meet are that you worked for 24 months in 1039 appointments, and you are applying within two years of your last temporary appointment. Visit the Forest Service Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Webpage to learn more about this opportunity.

Just remember, as you settle into this new job, your supervisor, colleagues in your office and on your crew, and specialists who staff our Help Desks are here to help you be successful.