Obama moves into hiring mode

People have been snapping up the 210-page directory known as the "Plum Book"

By Richard Lister
BBC News, Washington

Situations Vacant! Recently elected president of leading world power, seeks thousands of minions with view to forming new government.

Applicants - and their families - must have utterly spotless personal and professional lives and be prepared for one of the most rigorous application processes ever devised. Those unprepared for change, need not apply.

Yup, Barack Obama is in hiring mode.

It is without doubt the most exhaustive vetting procedure ever devised by an incoming administration - or anyone else for that matter US Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book)

Speculation abounds about who he will nominate for the top jobs, but there are around 4,000 lower-level government posts which he can also fill by appointment (though the Senate must approve more than a thousand of them).

Some 4,000 other positions will also be coming available in the next few years.

'Plum Book'

Fancy a plum job in the Obama administration? Well, consult the "Plum Book".

You can read it on the internet, or buy the 210-page directory, formally titled United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions.

Speculation abounds about who Mr Obama will nominate for the top jobs

It lists almost 8,000 top government jobs; from official Architect of the Capitol, to Board Member on the Vietnam Education Foundation.

All the familiar departments - agriculture, energy, education and so on - are represented, but there are thousands of usually invisible posts which are also gears in the mighty engine of American government.

You might fancy running say, the Office of Hopi and Navajo Indian Relocation, or the American Battle Monuments Commission - agencies which, come to think of it, may have some crossover…

There are overseas posts too, like the Station Manager for the Broadcasting Board of Governors on the Philippine island of Tinang. That pays $150,229 (£101,000) per year.

Some executive salaries cross the $200,000 (£135,000) mark, while others are listed as "WC" or "Without Compensation".

Mr Bush has sympathised with his staff, who will shortly be without a job

OK, so you've scanned this smorgasbord of jobs and on page 163, the post of Federal Commissioner on the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (WC), jumped out at you. What next?

Well, the Presidential Transition Resources website is a good place to start.

There, you can find advice about what various posts require, in a guide which stays true to the fruit theme - the "Prune Book".

You can also download a handy listing of the various acronyms used by the US government; from the ADA to the WTO (look them up).

You won't be expected to know all six pages of those, but frankly, learning them would probably be easier than the actual selection process for high-ranking positions.

Vetting procedure

It is without doubt the most exhaustive vetting procedure ever devised by an incoming administration - or anyone else for that matter.

There are 63 questions, some of which also cover the children and spouses of potential applicants.

President-elect Obama is clearly anxious not to repeat some of the more disastrous selections of his predecessors Who's who on Obama's new team

High-level jobseekers are asked to give details of every speech, article or blog they have ever written and include links to any websites on which they might feature, including such sites as Facebook.

They must submit a list of any job for which they have been paid and anyone with whom they have ever lived.

They are also asked if they have "ever sent an electronic communication, including, but not limited to an email, text message or instant message that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-elect if it were made public".

Having persuaded the Obama administration that a questionable text sent to a colleague after an office party five years ago is unlikely to bring it down, there are other hurdles to clear - like a thorough vetting from the FBI and the Office of Government Ethics.

President-elect Obama is clearly anxious not to repeat some of the more disastrous selections of his predecessors.

Nominees like Linda Chavez, who President George W Bush wanted as his labour secretary - until it was discovered that she had sheltered an illegal immigrant.

Or Zoe Baird, who had to withdraw as President Bill Clinton's choice for attorney-general for largely the same reasons.

Mr Obama certainly appears to be starting as he means to go on, but if he really excludes all applicants who have sent potentially embarrassing emails at some stage of their lives, it may take a while to fill all those posts.