Career Growth

You might be wondering what career growth in the Forest Service looks like. Here are a few ways you can grow your career working with the Forest Service.

Individual Development Plans

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a tool to help you as an employee in achieving your personal and professional development goals. IDPs help you and your supervisor set expectations for learning objectives and skills that align with your career progression. IDPs should be seen as a partnership between you and your supervisor. You have the opportunity to express your learning needs or wants, while your supervisor can provide the resources and feedback to help you accomplish those goals.

Details

A detail is a temporary assignment to a different position for a specified period, the employee is expected to return to their regular position at the end of their detail assignment. Details allow you to gain experience in a different position that directly aligns with your personal career goals, such as an IT Support Specialist on detail as a Web Developer. There is no change in pay during your time on a detail.

Temporary Promotions

A temporary promotion is when an employee is assigned to a higher graded position for a specified period of time, the employee is expected to return to their regular position at the end of their temporary promotion. When you apply for a temporary promotion, you must meet position qualifications in order to be eligible for temporary promotion. An example of a temporary promotion would be a Forestry Technician who has served in their position for at least a year and is now on a temporary promotion as a Supervisory Forestry Technician.

Career Ladder Promotions

A Career Ladder Promotion occurs when an employee is placed into a position with promotion potential to the next higher grade(s). Career Ladder positions are meant to help you grow your experience and skills in a specific career path. When in a career ladder position your must meet time in grade in each grade level of the ladder and be considered fully successful at each grade level to be eligible for promotion. An example of career ladder promotion would be a Biological Science Technician hired as a GS-05/06 with full promotion potential to a GS-07. The Biological Science Technician would start as a GS-05 until they have met the time-in-grade requirements and are considered fully successful at GS-05, then move on to the next grade level until they have met the full promotion potential.

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