US Department of Veterans Affairs Program Analyst Interview

Interviewed Oct 2010 (took a day)

Getting hired for into a Federal government job is still a long process. For me it took over 6 months from the position closing to the offer. The most frustrating part is that you have no idea what's going on or where you stand. About three months after I applied, I received a phone call inviting me to interview. The interview was a conference call with a panel of four people. They explained the process to me at the beginning of the call and it was the most bizarre interview experience I've ever had. They asked a series about six questions. Each time I answered the question with no feedback from the panel; they remained completely silent until I indicated that I was finished with my answer. The questions were insightful and well chosen, and I could tell that the managers who wrote them had a realistic understanding of the work and its challenges. I felt the questions gave me a chance to talk about my strengths. The highly structured nature of the interview was a little unsettling, but it's designed for uniformity and fairness. Then I didn't hear anything again for another three months, until I got an email with a job offer. The system is weird and frustrating, but the people themselves were great. Any time I actually had contact with a person, I was encouraged, and so far, this has been a good place to work. To anyone considering applying, I would say go for it. Tailor your resume for the position description and make sure your answers to the written questions on the online application give evidence that you have the required experience. Then after you submit the online application, forget about it. A few weeks after you've completely forgotten applying, you might hear from them. Take it as an exercise in following instructions and cultivating patience.