US Census Bureau Interview Questions & Reviews in Suitland, MD

Interview Details – Applied, was accepted instantly, got a single phone call and answered a couple of simple questions on HTML. Overall it couldn't have been more than 30 minutes long and let to an immediate offer which I then proceeded to accept, since this was the only place I applied to that summer.

Negotiation Details – No negotiation phase, standard GS-2.

Interview Details – Applied online to pool in June. Called to schedule in person interview in August the following week. 5 person panel interview. All behavior questions. Apx. 1hr . Email response 2nd week of September.

Interview Details – As with any government position, it took an amazingly long amount of time between applying for the position and getting called in for an interview. They put me up in a hotel and paid for everything.

On the day of the interview, my contact brought me upstairs and dropped me off with a higher-up for a quick interview. Then I interviewed with my contact and a supervisee. I did this process three more times in three branches (a total of five or six interviews for the day). I had started at 8:00AM and was out by 2:00PM.

All of the interviewers asked very similar questions: coursework, ability to work in groups, statistical computing experience, major projects, and the like.

Somewhere between four and five months later (remember: government) I heard back with a job offer. They paid for the entirety of my move and travel expenses. Other than the amount of time it took to make it through the entire process, it was fairly painless, and the people here are great. They are knowledgeable, helpful, and fun.

Interview Details – This interview was for a GS-1529 (Mathematical Statistician) position at Grade 9, Step 1. I submitted a formatted federal resume on USAJobs.gov in response to a listing, and was contacted by e-mail a few weeks later.

My interview day consisted of three one on one interviews with branch chiefs (managers of approximately 5 to 15 people) among three different divisions of the Bureau, though I later learned that anywhere between three and six interviews is considered normal. Any of your interviewing managers may offer you a position with their branch, but you are most likely to receive an offer from the manager who initiated your interview process (normally the one who first contacts you to setup the interview). All of my interviews were casual, with no questions to evaluate my qualifications and only very friendly questions about my interests and plans. My advice for the interview would be to relax and demonstrate that you are easy to get along and work with.

Regarding the office & culture, my impression is that they parallel closely the interview process. There are a great many people, but the atmosphere is casual (jeans and polos were common at one end of the spectrum, though suit & tie was also a well represented set).

I received an offer from my initiating manager after about two weeks (quite fast for the federal government, really).

Negotiation Details – The offer included a 20% signing bonus with a one year contract. I attempted to negotiate a higher starting step (i.e. pay level) with the HR rep who delivered the offer, but didn't make any headway against the "This is the official pay rate for someone with your qualifications" response. I've since learned that up to a 25% signing bonus can be offered, so I'd encourage you to try that if your base salary negotiation goes the way mine did.

Interview Details – Pretty simple, started with a simple phone interview where the manager described the work Census does and what my specific role would be. Didn't take long, maybe 45 mins. He was friendly and we seemed to hit it off.

Negotiation Details – Govt pretty much sets your pay based on education and work experience, you don't have much room for negotiation.

Interview Details – It was very smooth as they found my resume in the database. I had applied to another position in the same company. The recruitment could have been as little as three weeks, but I was working elsewhere. I received the offer within 40 days. I had one week to respond.

Negotiation Details – I was not able to negotiate as it is a government position. My employers suggested that I try it with human resource by showing my current salary. So you may want to try it as well.