Thanks to a staffer at Incirlik Air Base’s 39th Force Support Squadron, the local national hiring process is easier than ever.

Muazzez Karabucak got her job as a 39th FSS staffer two years ago and immediately saw room for improvement in how the recruiting and application process operated.

“I came into this job and noticed right away that the website and application process were sluggish and outdated,” said Ms. Karabucak.,” Leveraging my expertise gained from previous roles in the private sector for 15 years, I formulated ideas on how I could enhance the system.”

Job announcements, application processing, and applicant screening and ratings were all being done manually by hand, which caused bottlenecks in several steps of the process.

Handwritten applications, file format errors, and missing signatures would often grind an applicant’s paperwork to a halt. These issues, in addition to an excessive amount of phone calls from applicants trying to confirm the status of their applications, meant that the staffing team was often bogged down trying to process all the applications that came their way. Some applications also got rejected based on errors alone.

To remedy the faults of the system at the time, Karabucak pitched the Online Recruitment Application as part of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa’s annual Innovation Madness campaign, to simplify the application process and automate much of the processing, allowing the staffing team to track and rate all applications more efficiently.

The program received funding and she got to work cementing the new plan, often working on it after midnight as she juggled her work duties with her responsibilities as a mother of two children.

“My journey on turning my ideas into reality was very challenging, yet the outcome that blossomed from that difficulty was truly fulfilling,” said Ms. Karabucak

The overhaul reduced the team’s time spent processing the applications by 89 percent. Other bases in USAFE-AFAFRICA have also taken an interest in adapting the process improvements to their wing’s local national hiring process as well.

“Innovation is all about improving our ability to carry out our mission, and we’re always proud to share that knowledge with other wings or organizations that can benefit from what we’ve learned,” said Ms. Nazan Ogru, 39th Air Base Wing process manager. “Hopefully these accomplishments will inspire even more innovation in 2024!”

But the innovation madness isn’t over for Karabucak; as she’s already identified a few more areas with room for improvement in the recruitment process.

“I’m glad I can make a difference, and I hope to continue making a difference,” she said.