see also: in February 2003:   Investigators from U.S. Customs and District Attorney's Office Arrest Impersonator of Federal Agent   U.S. Ambassador Presents $843,388 Forfeiture Check to Mexico as a Result of Joint Probe Into Former Mexican Deputy Attorney General   Customs Has New Number for 24-Hour Rule Conference Call   Expired Permit Leads to Drug Smuggling Charges (pdf - 24 KB.)   At the Otay Mesa Border Station Customs Seizes 10 Tons of Marijuana   Container Security Initiative Expands Beyond the Megaports, Strengthening Anti-Terror Coalition ...more on cbp.gov:   Press Officers

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WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner praised Customs recruitment efforts stating, "This agency's ability to attract, and retain quality employees speaks volumes about the U.S. Customs Service. Only one of every 20 applicants was hired by the Customs Service. So, even though we substantially increased the number of people we hired last year, Customs is able to maintain the rigorous standards we have set for new hires."

The Commissioner was speaking about the agency’s recruiting results, when from an applicant pool of 40,000 nationwide applicants, a record 2,300 new inspectors, canine enforcement officers, and special agents were added to the agency's workforce under the agency's Quality Recruitment program. This recruitment effort more than doubled the average number of new hires.

The historic recruitment effort had a significant effect on many frontline personnel and the agency. The new hires, several hundred of whom were made same-day tentative offers through a special expedited screening process, were able to relieve most Customs employees who had been sent to the Northern border for temporary duty after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Quality Recruitment proved to be a dynamic and effective tool to deliver top quality individuals in sufficient quantity to locations where they were critically needed.

At the heart of Quality Recruitment are key strategies designed to attract high-quality candidates – national versus regional recruitment, a professional advertising campaign reaching out to a diverse applicant pool, the optimum use of technology with emphasis on a web-based versus a paper application process, and the joint efforts of over 250 Customs officers who serve as collateral-duty national recruiters.

As frontline Customs officers, the recruiters have an intimate knowledge of Customs and its mission. As a result of job fairs and open houses, Customs attracted thousands of qualified candidates. The recruiters and the marketing campaign emphasize diversity, with visits to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Speaking Institutions.

The selection process incorporates a multi-hurdle testing/screening process designed to identify the best applicants available. It includes merit-based, highly objective testing/screening, combined with structured interview examinations, background investigations, drug testing, and medical examinations.

Because the on-line application processes were familiar to the candidates, the initial application for a Customs position was quick and simple. Since the vast majority of Quality Recruitment applicants applied through the Internet, the paperwork they submitted, as well as the paperwork human resources personnel processed, were reduced to the absolute minimum. Technology has not only made the application process more objective and merit based, it has also enabled the agency (and the applicants) to move away from the traditional writing exercises.

As a complement to Quality Recruitment, in January of 2002, Customs implemented an on-line recruitment system called CareerFinder that is being used to fill a wide variety of external recruitment and merit promotion needs. Merit promotion opportunities for bargaining unit positions will be excluded, however, until any labor/management obligations have been satisfied. CareerFinder eliminates the traditional "writing contest" to apply for Customs positions -- the long essays of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) paragraphs. Instead, CareerFinder automatically qualifies, rates, and ranks applicants against their answers to specific job-related questions.

A variety of indicators shows Customs recruiting and testing efforts are paying off. For example, results from a recent survey of chief inspectors indicated that Quality Recruitment hires are eager to learn, highly motivated, cooperative, and dedicated. In addition, the failure rates at the Customs Training Academy have also decreased with the introduction of the new testing/screening tools. "Their patriotism would make you proud—they are alert, bright, and inquisitive as well as sensitive and respectful of others—they are technology-savvy and ready for the monumental changes facing Customs current transition to the Department of Homeland Security," stated Robert M. Smith, Customs Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Human Resources Management.