For Immediate Release: December 17, 1998

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

Interior Department Web Team Honored with
Vice President Gore's NPR Hammer Award

Team recognized for its creation of innovative,
on-line career management web site

Vice President Gore's National Performance Review (NPR) Hammer Award was presented to the Interior Department's Career Manager Web Site Development Team for moving the agency from red tape to results, by creating an on-line web site to assist employees in career planning and development, the award was announced today by Interior's Chief of Staff Anne Shields.

In presenting the award the Chief of Staff noted that, "This is one of several examples of how our employees have eagerly embraced Vice President's Gore's challenge of improving the way the government conducts business and serve its customers. This award demonstrates that we are cutting bureaucratic red tape, streamlining programs, and empowering our federal workers to make needed and innovative changes to improve government operations."

The Hammer Award is given to federal employees who exemplify the principles of making government work better and cost less -- those who are breaking down unnecessary bureaucracy to build a better government. The award recognizes the team efforts to make government operate more efficiently, by meeting the needs of its customers and by saving time and money. The hammer is a prominent icon of Vice President Gore's answer to yesterday's government and its $400 hammer. Today's award consists of a $6.00 hammer, a ribbon, and a note from the Vice President, all in an aluminum frame.

Department of the Interior (DOI) employees receiving the Hammer Award today include members of the development team led by Dolores Chacon, Associate Director, Office of Personnel Policy, and Susan Leonard, Acting Chief of DOI University; team members, Susan Hoffman, National Business Center (NBC), Ross Alan, DOI University, Sandy Rainbolt, Paul Stevenson, and Dave Pettyjohn, NBC Technology Services Division.

The Career Manager web site was designed to assist employees in restructuring their careers so they can more effectively contribute to meeting the needs of the Department of the Interior customers. With more than 80 web pages of original material, the Career Manager web site links to over 35,000 web pages of information located elsewhere on the Internet. The development team identified fast, user-friendly methods to access job listings with the federal government, state government, and the private sector. In addition to job listings, Career Manager also contains segments on self-assessment and occupational exploration, networking, job fairs, preparation of resumes, cover letters, interview tips, along with relocation and retirement assistance.

Employees of the Department are located nationwide, some in remote locations and in small numbers. The challenge for the team was how to provide career management assistance to as many employees as possible with limited funds. Prior to the development of the Career Manager web site, employees received career management training in a classroom setting. Career Manager greatly reduces those training costs, staff time, and travel expenses, and expands career management resources to all employees using the Internet.

Career Manager is available to anyone from other federal agencies looking for a new position after downsizing, or those in the private sector, including college students, interested in federal employment opportunities.

- DOI -

Note to Editors: The URL for the Career Manager web site is http://www.doi.gov/octc

 U.S. Department of the Interior