I applied online. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Federal Reserve Board (Washington, DC)
Interview
After submitting my application in January, I got an invitation to interview on-site at the FRB in mid-April. There was no intermediate interview (such as a phone screen) at all.
Before the interview took place, I was told I was going to interview with two sections I wasn't particularly interested in working for. However, when I walked into the interview I was informed that my interview schedule had changed completely! I was instead going to interview with 4 entirely different sections (all of which I was substantially more interested in).
The interview with each section lasted exactly 30 minutes. The first 20 minutes was spent with the Economists, and the remaining 10 minutes was spent with the Research Assistants. There was also a 1-hour lunch "interview" with some Research Assistants.
All the interviews with the economists were fairly low key. Most of the 20 minutes was taken up by them describing the work done in section, with a few questions here and there about my resume. I don't remember being asked any technical questions.
The interviews with the RAs was even more low key and conversational. I remember talking to them about how they like living in DC.
At the end of the day, I ranked the 4 sections according to how interested I was in working with them. Overall, it was an easy interview. Just be ready to discuss what's on your resume, have questions, and be friendly.
Two interviews each had 2-3 different economists from different teams. Interview lasted 1-2 hours each, Questions ranged from behavioral to technical (mostly econometrics and data related). I had a couple of research projects I worked on in undergrad and they asked quite a bit about them and my future interests.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Handed me a print out of some Stata results and asked me to interpret some coefficients.
Very relaxed - be yourself and convey your enthusiasm for the role. You don't need to be certain on a PhD and you should not force yourself to say you are if you are not. Be open to analytical roles and all projects and that answer will reveal itself.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake and how you resolved it.
I interviewed at Federal Reserve Board (Washington, DC)
Interview
Extensive, this interview will ask about basic economic concepts and research experience. Prepare for analytical questions but mostly to demonstrate sound economic thinking. The best candidates are the ones with the ability to demonstrate some connection with the Fed's ample research spectrum