Are agencies required to establish a specific period for the validity of a Certificate of Eligibles?

A Certificate of Eligibles provides a list of candidates who have been determined to be qualified for a position through the competitive examination process. Agencies have the flexibility to establish their own internal policies regarding the validity period of these certificates. This means there is no federal mandate from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that specifies a uniform period for all agencies; instead, it allows agencies to tailor their validity periods according to their operational needs and hiring processes.

This autonomy ensures that agencies can respond to their specific hiring circumstances, taking into account factors such as the urgency of filling a position, market conditions for available talent, and internal recruitment strategies. The ability for agency-specific determination supports tailored hiring practices that can help meet the unique challenges of each agency.

The other choices imply that there are strict or federally mandated guidelines for all agencies, which does not reflect the current practice of allowing agencies to follow their internal policies.