Begin Using āRule of Manyā with MonsterGovās Federal TAS
The long-awaited change to allow more flexible hiring selections and decisions is now here. Authorized by the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, OPMās new Rule of Many is replacing the āRule of Threeā. Federal agencies can begin using this new rule on November 7, 2025, and have until March 9, 2026, to be in full compliance. This new process will enable more control over how many applicants are referred, more visibility on which applicants scored higher than others, and more flexibility for removing applicants.
According to OPMās Scott Kupor, "the [Rule of Many] allows a hiring manager to effectively stack rank the full slate of candidates ā without regard to the Rule of Three and the categorization buckets that previously governed federal hiring. Coupled with the use of functional skills assessmentsā¦ the ROM gives hiring managers the much-needed flexibility to distinguish candidates based on their demonstrated functional merit-based qualifications for the role in question."
Federal agencies using MonsterGovās federal talent acquisition system, MHME, already have access to all the tools they need to begin using the new Rule of Many.
Sufficient Number of Applicants:
- MHME supports cut-off scores for determining qualified applicants
- HR can define a specific number of top applicants to be referred when creating a certificate
- HR can create a tag for the ātop percent rankedā to mark those candidates or create a custom āBest Qualifiedā status to group them
Visibility on Applicant Scores
- MHME displays applicant scores in the Applicant Listing, if Category Ranking is not used and the option to display it is selected
Three Consideration Rule
- Hiring Managers can add comments to explain the non-selection, such as three considerations
- HR can create a custom status code to easily identify candidates so they are not referred again for the same position
OPM stated there will be changes to the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, which may require additional technical changes to the TAS. Other potential enhancements may be required if there are changes to SF39.