LAccepted a federal FJO, but just received military orders — what should I do?
I recently accepted a Final Job Offer (FJO) for a federal position, and my start date is scheduled for the beginning of next month.
The problem is that I just received official military orders this week for a 3-week pre-mobilization period, and those orders overlap with my civilian job start date. I’ll return after the 3 weeks and would be available to start the federal position at that point.
The bigger issue is that I’m also scheduled to leave for a 14-month military mobilization in February.
My goal is to handle this correctly and, most importantly, protect the federal position so I can return to it after my mobilization.
For those familiar with federal employment and USERRA:
Should I contact HR/recruitment first or the hiring manager about the conflicting start date?
Should I send them my official military orders and ask to move my start date until after the 3-week pre-mobilization?
Since I would only be working for a short period before leaving for the 14-month mobilization, is there a way to formally arrange this with the agency?
How does USERRA apply in this situation, especially since I haven’t started the position yet?
What should I do now to make sure the position is protected and available to me when I return from the mobilization?
Has anyone dealt with accepting a federal FJO and then receiving military orders before their start date?
I want to give the agency proper notice and handle everything professionally. I just don’t want to accidentally jeopardize the job by approaching this the wrong way.
What would you do first — contact HR/recruitment or the hiring manager?