I recently had a job interview with a fed. gov’t agency. The interview took place last Wednesday. Due to the fiscal year obligations, the person is required to start on Monday, Sept. 26th. For anyone that knows anything about hiring with the feds, this is an insanely short span to get the person on board.
My father worked at this office for ~5 years, and spent 38 years with the agency on the whole. He was well-liked, and his old supervisor was one of the 3 women interviewing me. If I get the job, I’m not going to say it was the deciding factor, but it certainly can’t hurt my case.
Fast-forward to Friday, two days after the interview. Both of my professional references were contacted (current and previous supervisors), and both gave glowing reports. My supervisor mentioned to me that they were insistent upon stating and re-stating that short notice was inevitable and that it would be a week (or less) of notice. We had discussed a situation like this before, and of course, she told them she was okay with that.
On Friday of last week, she requested my official transcripts. I had a copy at the interview, but they wanted the real deal. After much e-mail correspondence, I did rush delivery from Penn State’s website and they arrived at her office at around 9:45 yesterday morning. I was expecting them to arrive later in the week, but I’m glad they came so soon.
Based on what I’ve shown here, what do you all think? Some people have told me that contacting references is a sure lock, and others have told me that it’s done for 2-3 candidates to do further weeding. At the interview, I was told that the selected candidate should know by “Monday or Tuesday” of this week, but nothing with that is definite. Background check, security clearance, etc.
Trying to secure employment with the Feds can be a huge hassle and a huge timesucker. I don’t speak from experience, but a friend of mine managed to secure an internship at the DIA only after months and months of security procedures and background checks. I got a call from a private investigator who asked if I thought she was trustworthy. Spooky!
Anywho, if this position you’re applying for is vitally important to everyday operations at the agency, then it sounds to me like you’re in good shape. They know you’re trustworthy because of your father, and the fact that they asked for your transcripts would suggest that they dig your shit. If I were in your shoes, I would be feeling fairly confident about my prospects.
It’s not vitally important to the agency, but it needs to be filled on that date or they could lose hiring authority. New budgetary constraints, etc. This is what they told me at the interview, so who knows.
I was thinking that asking for my official transcripts is a good sign, too. I didn’t think they usually do that unless they need to verify your education and make sure that you are eligible to earn the pay grade described at the interview.
Contacting references these days doesn’t mean much. I have been looking for a job for the last two and a half months and I have had my references contacted for jobs I never got called in for. Doesn’t make much sense to me, but some employers are know doing the reference check before the intial interview.
I read in the NYT a lot of employers are not hiring people who are out of work, they only are taking people currently employed. Which according to the Times may or may not be legal in some states. But it is happening.
Whatever the decsion is, the key to remember is NEVER quit looking. Always assume you didn’t get the job and keep applying elsewhere.
We never contacted a reference unless we were serious about the candidate. Sometimes it would be a weeding out thing, but if you need to start in 6 days, I don’t see them doing a second interview. I think it sounds very positive. (Just my opinion though.)
I’m thinking that as well. Unfortunately, nothing was heard today. I would think Thursday at the LATEST. They wouldn’t send me to work on Friday blind on this. That would be cruel, almost!
For two years, I rented a room in the house of a little old lady (Mama) who lived near the university. One of those summers, there was another renter who was lining up all his little ducks for government work.
A few months after he left, Mama’s neighbor and best friend called me, could I come home early? Nothing worrisome, but there had been an incident and she didn’t think Mama should be alone, and she needed to leave. Turns out the incident had been two closet-sized impolite bulldogs in grey suits, coming to ask about that roommate’s habits and scaring the bejesus out of the little old Jamaica-born lady. The neighbor had shooed them away after making them apologize, but she was see-red furious.
Just an update. After some correspondence with the office manager, she said that the person had to be “on board” (I would assume selected officially) by the 30th of this month. This puts me at ease a bit more.
What brings the tension right back is that she used the language “recommended candidates” when saying that she can’t reveal any information. I suspect that I’ll be recommended along with 1-2 other people and then they’ll pick a veteran, most likely.
We suspect that the selecting official at the actual office makes her pick, and then sends “back-ups” along with the selected candidate in case they cannot accept the offer for whatever reason. It would make more sense than anonymous people at a regional office making their own selection after an interview happened somewhere else.
Current Federal employee here who has done hiring. If they ask for your transcripts, you’re probably in. That’s one of the HR-get-your-ducks-in-a-row steps before the offer. I think your only downfall would come if your degree shows you haven’t met the requirements. As an example some places will hire you as an engineer if you have, say, a computer science degree IF you had the full range of calculus and some physical science. If that doesn’t show up on your resume’, they can’t hire you.
Do you know what pay system you’ll be working under? If you’re GS, you have little room to negotiate salary. However if you are in one of the broad band pay systems like the Acquisition demonstration (AKA AcqDemo) systems you have some room for negotiations since the pay scale covers a broad pay range. Don’t be afraid to haggle a bit if you are in one of these systems. They will let you know when they are done (and its quite possible in these times that the first offer may be the final offer, but it doesn’t hurt to try). When they use the sords, “final offer” you are done.
I have no interest in negotiating. It’s a ladder GS-5/6/7 position. My year of advanced clerical work and B.A. qualified me for a 7. It’s almost double what I’m making now, so you can imagine that I’ll be quite content with whatever they throw my way!
Thanks for the insight on the whole process. I know it varies from agency to agency. How do they normally handle the selection process? She had said (when I asked for information) that she could not reveal anything to any of the recommended candidates. This leads me to believe that she picks 2+ people from the interviews and sends them to CHR which actually picks themselves. You’d think that the SO at the office could at least decide for herself and only need approval (here’s me hoping it works that way!)
