One of the most practical things we can do to bring talented people into government is to remove barriers to government service. Perhaps the greatest impediment facing prospective employees is the labyrinth that is the federal hiring process. The hiring of external candidates for mid-career federal jobs is on the rise, but the progress that has been made in bringing in new talent at the mid-career level is not enough. More needs to be done needs to ensure that federal hiring practices produce the best mix of people to deliver the effective government services that the American people deserve.