Student Trainee (Benefits Advisor)

For the bilingual vacancies, applicants will be required to self-certify proficiency in Spanish by responding to a Spanish language question which will be used to determine initial language proficiency and also meet the specialized experience or education listed below. Applicants who are otherwise qualified and referred must satisfactorily complete an interview to demonstrate their Spanish language proficiency in order to be considered for appointment to Bilingual Benefits Advisor (Post-Secondary Student).

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service or meet the education requirement or have an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5).

Qualifying specialized experience for GS-07 includes:

• Experience working in a customer service environment that demonstrates both written and oral communication skills.
• Experience that demonstrates the ability to provide educational information or outreach activities.
• Experience that provided knowledge of laws, policies, regulations, and precedents.
• Experience in research principles and techniques and the ability to gather and compile data.

OR
1 full year of graduate level education in a related field of study that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.); information regarding S.A.A. can be found in OPM's General Schedule Qualification Policies: General Schedule Qualification Policies (opm.gov) S.A.A. is based on a qualifying Bachelor's Degree and one of the following: 1) Class standing - you must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university or major subdivision based on completed courses; or 2) Grade Point Average (GPA) - you must have a cumulative GPA of 2.95 or higher (out of a possible 4.0) based on 4 years of education or based on courses completed during the final 2 years or a 3.45 GPA or higher based on average of required courses in the major field or required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.
OR
A combination of education and experience.