FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Between restricted access to the installation, a confusing application process through USA Jobs, and the public’s lack of awareness of the wide variety of Army civilian careers available, hiring has long been a challenge for Fort Belvoir’s Director of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR).
Through meticulous after-action analysis, Fort Belvoir has sharpened its hiring process far beyond waiting for applicant resumes to arrive in USA JOBS, according to Marie Grayson-George, Fort Belvoir’s Chief, Child and Youth Services.
“We don’t get a lot of qualified applicants through USA JOBS,” Greyson-George said, noting that most applicants were unaware that “childcare provider” is an Army civilian career. “Applicants have no idea that there's thousands of job descriptions – they just think jobs are for Soldiers or designing rockets,” adding that their first successful shift was growing awareness of the wealth of civilian opportunities, which they began more heavily promoting in 2018 with their first job fair.
Another barrier for potential candidates was the sole point of entry, USA JOBS, which can be difficult to navigate. The CYS team began with community outreach, teaching jobseekers how to complete the many fields and questions required in the application.
To overcome the restricted access to Fort Belvoir, the CYS recruiting team took the hiring fairs off-post on the road, and collaborated with county and state leaders, according to Leo Duran, a CYS Program Operations Specialist. Duran said they capitalized on access to local counties’ government offices for rent-free locations, as all parties were eager to encourage jobs growth. They also found a strong ally in Virginia Career Works, which was vital in coordination and assistance.
“Since many of our workers come from south of the post, our July jobs fair was at Prince William County’s A.J. Ferlazzo Building, which offered free space, with tables and chairs, but just as importantly, a bus stop in front of the building,” Duran said.
Candidates were invited to apply online before arriving, but past events taught the team to provide sufficient computers, stations and assistants to help each person set up an account, enter their resume, and what the meaning of each of the application questions meant. The most efficient setup featured a table for each stage of the application process:
• Check in
• Creating USA JOBS account, applying for job
• Credentials verified, uploaded
• Job interview, and possible tentative job offer (TJO)
• Verification of references
• Human Resources
• Security office / fingerprinting
• Occupational Health
Including runners and on-the-spot reference verifiers, the operation required a team of up to 30 individuals. It was a considerable investment of time for both applicants and CYS. After four to six hours of table-hopping, the process concludes with their ID photo being taken, a bag with CYS swag, and a room-halting announcement that another TJO had been handed out, with everyone cheering the applicant on.
“It’s like a red carpet moment, when we all cheer the latest candidate,” Duran said with a smile.
There was considerable follow-through after the applause. There was a detailed background check history and two physical exams at the Military Medical Center, but Grayson-George said the results were immediately apparent.
Collaborations with Fairfax County on February 19 and Prince William County on July 22 resulted in 92 of 137 attendees receiving a TJO – an impressive 67 percent success rate, thanks to continuous quality improvement.
“Less than 50 percent of the applicants that apply online, end up with TJOs, so this was such an improvement in our hiring that we were able to open Two more Child Development Centers,” said Greyson-George.
If you are interested in a rewarding career as a Childcare Specialist, the team is already preparing for another successful day in mid-October. Stay tuned to the Fort Belvoir MWR page for details:
https://belvoir.armymwr.com/
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2025 14:13 |
| Story ID: | 546999 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort Belvoir Finds Hiring Success Beyond the Gate, by Paul Lara, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
