OPM Finalizes 'Rule of Many,' Ending 150-Year-Old 'Rule of Three' in Federal Hiring

Washington D.C. – The Trump administration's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has officially finalized a new hiring rule, dubbed the "rule of many," which effectively ends the long-standing "rule of three" for federal job selections. This significant change, published in the Federal Register on Monday and set to take effect in November, aims to provide federal hiring managers with greater flexibility in selecting qualified candidates.

Under the traditional "rule of three," federal managers were restricted to choosing from only the top three candidates referred for a position. The newly implemented "rule of many" allows agencies to consider a broader pool of qualified applicants by using cut-off scores, percentages, or other objective criteria to create a list of finalists. OPM Director Scott Kupor stated that the federal hiring process "has been shaped by outdated rules that limited hiring managers’ ability to bring in the best candidates."

The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reform the federal workforce and streamline hiring practices. As Judge Glock noted in a recent tweet, "The Trump administration just released its final hiring rule that it says ends the 150 year-old 'rule of three,' requiring fed managers to pick from only 3 candidates." Glock further commented that while it is a "good step," it is "slightly oversold, since a lot of this happened under Obama and Trump I."

Indeed, the shift towards more flexible hiring has seen bipartisan support, with the "rule of many" initially included in the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act and regulations proposed by the Biden administration in 2023. Agencies are expected to be in full compliance with the new parameters by March 9, 2026. OPM also continues to emphasize skills-based hiring and has introduced other changes, such as limiting resumes to two pages and requiring essay questions on applications, though answers to these questions are optional for candidates.

The "rule of many" aims to reduce reliance on direct-hire authority and incorporate more rigor into candidate assessment. This reform is expected to allow agencies to better distinguish candidates based on their demonstrated functional merit and ensure the federal government can attract and hire the most qualified individuals for public service roles.