Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated May 24, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 16 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 16 ratings
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| 1–10 of 16 Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Interviews | Sort by |
RN Pacu at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted May 24, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed May 2012 (took 3 weeks)
The application paperwork was extensive, including 2 performance reviews from previous employers of from schools (if a new graduate). Once it was verified that I met the qualifications of the job, I was contacted for an interview. I had one interview, which was a panel of 5 nurses. They were interested and friendly with a good sense of humor. I had a great experience.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Nothing was negotiable.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Provider at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Apr 22, 2012
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2011 (took 4 months)
1. online application, job announcement was just what I was looking for. I had been working as a temp for them for over a year.
2. minimal contact from Human Resources. No clue as to where I was in the process. Thank goodness I had a job and was flexible about start date and didn't need to relocate.
3. interview scheduled in the middle of my work day, no notice to prepare. Primary interviewer phoned in so no visual cues, body language, and he has foreign accent so I had to ask him to repeat or look at the other two interviewers for clarification. Midway through, he announced I would be doing only one part of the job, and "if you don't like that, then we won't hire you." It became pretty adversarial after that. His management style is paternalistic and dictatorial. Even the other two interviewers looked surprised. I told him what I could do, and he demanded I agree to a higher caseload and reiterated "take it or leave it." This was not a job offer, but just the interview part of the ranking of applicants. (I never did agree to the caseload. I kept telling him what I COULD do.)
4. applicants were ranked on various previous employment and work history. I knew I was already behind on those aspects, as temp work counts for nothing.
5. happily, the people above me on the ranking mishandled their offers, delaying acceptance and ticking off Human Resources. I got an offer (see below).
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
1. no negotiation allowed, even though the full range is posted online.
2. salary based on review of portfolio. I was hired at $10k less than people with half my experience, because their work was entirely with the company.
3. my advice: set your sites low and be pleased with anything more than the minimum. Save this job for later in your career: I am old enough to retire after less than 10 years, while the long-term employees are looking at 20-30 years of micromanagement.
4. more advice: I sent e-mails every month highlighting what I've done and won several awards. My goal is to make that interviewer look so good that he gets promoted, and it has worked. I am grabbing every benefit I can and preparing for promotion.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Background Check, a Group/Panel Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Psychiatric Nursing Assistant at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Apr 13, 2012 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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1.0
Very Easy Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2011 in Pittsburgh, PA (took 12 months)
Your path to the VA begins naturally on USA jobs. If you complete the application and are found to be one of the more qualified applicants, they will contact you by phone. My phone call included a mini-interview--no real questions, just basically confirming info from my resume, what shifts I wanted to work, etc. During the same call I was scheduled for an interview which turned out to include two interviewers, the heads of the departments where I was applying to work.
The interview was quite pleasant, and it was evident that they were trying to help me out. It was your standard performance based interview--the only two questions I remember were "Describe the most stressful/difficult interaction with a difficult client/coworker/whatever and how you resolved it", and "Describe an occasion when you went above and beyond." Then there was a preposterous section where they asked me to rate my knowledge/ability in different areas (they don't ask for examples, mind you, you could say anything). One of these was in the area of typical pharmaceutical effects/reactions, and I was actually honest saying I had average knowledge, to which the interviewer pressed me and said "Well, it sounds to me like you actually have expert knowledge. We'll just put down the highest score."
I received a job offer about a week and a half later by phone which I eagerly accepted. I went in for a physical, turned in the dictionary sized background check packet, and got fingerprinted. And that's where the horrible awful part starts...
The entire interview process took about 13 months. They warned me not to quit my job but just wait til they contacted me. Which I did. And did. Six months down the line, with absolutely no contact, I received a brisk letter informing me the position was terminated.
Now I figured that was the end of it. Another six months down the line, fully a year after I was "selected" for the position, I received a single voicemail asking if I was still interested. Unfortunately, I got the voicemail four days later, and when I called back, they announced they had already selected someone else. I was positively livid, though the gentleman was very apologetic--I waited over a full year, and you hired someone else in four days without sending a letter, emailing, or calling twice?! To which he said they figured I had given up (they didn't figure that about the other person they eventually hired?). But that's the federal bureaucracy for you.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
No negotiation. Don't make an idiot of yourself. The pay is already the highest you can find, and so long as you don't intentionally get someone killed you're guaranteed a job for life and hefty annual salary increases.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Background Check, a Drug Test, a Group/Panel Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Nurse at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Aug 21, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2009 (took 2 days)
The hiring process was quite extensive beginning with the application and required documentation process. Those individuals who met the qualifications were then evaluated using a matrix. A cut-off point was made and those applicants above the cut-off were first given a telephone panel interview. The second round was a face-to-face panel interview with a different group of associates. The last round was a face-to-face with leadership.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Background Check, a Drug Test, a Group/Panel Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Psychiatrist at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Jul 9, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Jun 2009 in Richmond, VA (took a day)
I had to apply using their standard application. It took a lot of paperwork and they required references. It took about one month before I was called for an interview. Since I lived far way, I had the option of doing it in person or over the phone. It was a panel interview with 2 or 3 people. It was a problem based interview and very structured. They did not ask much about my personal qualities but more on "what would you do in this situation...etc."
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Not able to.
Other Details
I applied In-Person and the interview consisted of a Background Check, a Group/Panel Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Program Analyst at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Jul 6, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jun 2011 in Bay Pines, FL (took 3 weeks)
Pretty straightforward interview. Actually haven't gotten result yet. Was a little surprised that the overall mission of the VA and Veterans didn't come up at all. The two interviewers were polite, on time and gave me enough time to answer. As I guess they are supposed to do, they didn't react at all to any of my answers-just silence when I had finished my answers. First time I have had that though. Had to tell them I was finished answering.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Administrative at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Jun 30, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Feb 2009 (took 3 weeks)
applied online and received a call for an interview about 3 weeks later---about one week after the interview i received a call from the selecting official and had to wait another few days for a call from HR with an official job offer. Accepted and came to work about two months later after processing and background check.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
I was given the wrong information during salary negotiations---i was basically taking a pay cut as a transfer from another fed office--but after two months of being at the new facility--received a bump up in pay/steps to compete with my former salary
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Background Check and a Group/Panel Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Nursing Attendant at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted May 11, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2011 (took 2 weeks)
I was interviewed by three people on the phone. Each person asked me a different situational question. I was caught off guard by the questions, which is why I rated it as difficult. If you are prepared, it should not be so bad.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Telehealth Clinical Technician at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Apr 19, 2011 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Declined Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2010 in Great Falls, MT (took 1 week)
Behavioral-based interview questions pertaining to the line of work. For example, if there was an upset patient in the waiting room, how would you handle the situation? The usual behavioral-based questions were asked about previous job experiences, why I had left previous jobs, etc. I think it worked toward my benefit to ask them a lot of questions about the position. They seemed very impressed with the questions that I asked during the interview. It was a real bummer that they somehow didn't realize that I would not be available to being working for several months although it was clearly stated in my supporting materials.
Interview Questions
Reason for Declining
They offered me the job without really paying attention to my resume. As a college senior, I did not graduate until May and they did not want to hold the position for me that long. They also left me no time to make a decision (want it within 24 hours).
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Information Technology Specialist at Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Posted Apr 20, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2010 (took a day)
One question surprised me: How would I react or respond to a person who said negative things about the Department of Veterans Affairs? That floored me because I was not prepared for that and I was a little insulted by the question. What, only big-government types may apply?
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
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