Job Search

Questions to Ask Your Interviewers

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Interviews are for both the employer and you, as an applicant. A great way to ensure “fit” is to ask questions during an interview.

Never walk into an interview without specific questions for the interviewers. Even if you work in the unit where you’re interviewing, it is important to demonstrate that you have thought about the position and are interested in the interviewers’ needs and wants, not just your own. Typically, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions toward the end of the interview; you want to be prepared!

You should not ask questions about how you will be trained, when you will get promoted, or whether you can work at home; instead, focus on demonstrating that you are interested in the employer’s needs.

You may want to prepare 5-6 questions; you may not get to ask them all (3 is probably plenty) and it is possible that your interviewers will have answered at least a couple during the process. Here are some questions you could ask; you should prioritize what is most important to you.

• What are the next steps in the process?
• What are your goals for the person who fills this job in their first 90 days? First year?
• What did the person who held this job before do well that you would like to see continued?
• Are there major organizational changes in the works that might change how this position functions? (Or if you know of those changes, you can ask how those changes might affect the position)
• What do expect to be the biggest learning curve for the person who fills this job?
• Since this position has been vacant, what topic or issue of this position has taken up the most time?
• What is a typical day like?
• Describe the organization culture.
• What do you most like about working here?
• Is there anything else I can provide that would be helpful to you in making your decision?

USAJOBS Updated, Saved Searches Archived

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Recent changes to USAJOBS intended to make it easier to search for jobs have made it necessary take certain steps if you want to continue receiving automated notifications on your saved searches, or continue running your saved searches.

First, following are key changes:

* You can now search for jobs by different hiring paths/eligibilities. You can now search by individuals with disabilities, military spouses, students and recent grads, veterans, and Peace Corps and VISTA Alumni, and more. There is a list of all our unique hiring paths and eligibilities on the USAJOBS landing page (USAJOBS.gov). The update adds new filters based on applicant eligibility.

* You can now use one or more filters to search by pay, department, work schedule, and more. As an additional benefit, searches results automatically update as you click on a new filter.

* Basic and advanced search options have been combined into one search view, which should yield better and more relevant results. While the advanced search option will no longer be visible, you will still have the same search capabilities using the new filter options.

* There is new search technology to deliver faster and more relevant job search results.

All searches that you established prior to April 8, 2017, have been archived. If you want to receive your existing search, you must create a new saved search, or unarchive an old saved search. To unarchive a saved search follow these steps:

1. Sign into your USAJOBS account.
2. Go to your profile and the Saved Search tab
3. Click Archived — any saved search made before April 8 will appear under the Archived link.
4. Click the name of the saved search you want to unarchive.
5. Click the Unarchive Search button – this will move your saved search back to the Active Saved Search tab. into your USAJOBS account.
6. Go to your profile and the Saved Search tab
7. Click Archived — any saved search made before April 8 will appear under the Archived link.
8. Click the name of the saved search you want to unarchive.
9. Click the Unarchive Search button – this will move your saved search back to the Active Saved Search tab.

USAJOBS has created a short video describing how to unarchive a saved search:

Until you unarchive your saved searches or create new ones, you will not receive any saved search email notifications, nor will you be able to run them from USAJOBS.gov.

8 Tips to Ace Your Phone Interview

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Phone interviews are more and more common; either as the first step, or the only step in the interview process. If you do not make a good impression on a phone interview, the chances are that you will never get an in-person interview. Here are 8 tips for handling your phone interview with finesse.

1. Prepare. You should prepare as much for a phone interview as an in-person one. This includes scheduling the interview (find out the time of call and clarify time zones; who is calling whom and on what number; how long the call should last; whether there are any specific requirements for the call; and who will be on it—get the name, title, and phone number). You should also analyze the job posting, identify key words, and match your achievements and experience to those key words, with specific achievements. You should also prepare for the questions you will ask the interviewers.

2. Practice. Practice answering questions out loud. Tape yourself if you can so you can see how you sound.

3. Use a landline, if available. Landlines are more reliable than cell phones; call quality is better too.

4. Remove distractions. Turn off your other phones, keep your fingers off your keyboard, put pets (and children) outside. Call from a private place—not from Starbucks or outdoors.

5. Dress for success. Even though others cannot see you, you’ll sound better if you’re dressed as you would be for an in-person interview.

6. Slow down and smile. When you are nervous it is easy to talk faster, which makes you more difficult to understand. So talk a bit slower than you normally would. And when you smile, your enthusiasm will come through.

7. Consider placing empty chair near you when you are interviewing. “Talk” to the empty chair as if there was a real person sitting there. You may also want to consider standing up while interviewing on the phone. Your voice will sound stronger when your erect, rather than slumping in a chair.

8. Don’t allow “hi” or a mumbled “hello” to be the first words out of your mouth. Expect the call, and be sure to give your name when you answer.

I know I could do the job…if only they’d give me a chance!

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I wish I had a dollar for every time a client made the above comment. While I have no doubt that the comment is true, we are currently in a buyer’s market—where hiring managers have lots of choices to make among candidates. While it is certainly possible for a hiring manager to pick someone based on their potential (especially for jobs above the entry level), in my view, it is unrealistic to expect hiring managers to do this. Let’s think about this for a moment…

Most job postings specify the criteria the hiring organization is looking for—whether through specialized experience and the occupational questionnaires in the federal government, or in a section in a private section posting that says something along the lines of, “The ideal candidate will have…” All applicants should carefully review the qualifications required. If the posting asks for 10 years of experience and you have 6, you are not likely well qualified. Or, if your experience is in a different area all together, while again, you may the basic qualifications (like a degree), you are not likely to have the specialized experience required.

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Validating Your Experience—Third Party Endorsements

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We have talked about the importance of documenting your experience on your resume and through your cover letter. In addition to documenting your experience through achievements and metrics, another way to demonstrate your expertise and effectiveness is through third party endorsements. There are several ways to approach this:

  • Consider featuring a quotation from a recent performance evaluation or award recommendation on your resume. On a USAJOBS resume, you could call it a Supervisory Endorsement and put it in the Additional Information Section of USAJOBS. Be sure to identify where the quote came from (e.g., Recent Performance Evaluation) and identify the source, either by name or title. Here’s an example:

“Branch Chief Smith is keenly versed on all laws, regulations and policies relevant to the program. He is working diligently to transform the operational paradigm from solely security to a frontline/investigative methodology…and to retool training…He is an expert on the science that distinguishes DHS’s program from all others, particularly in the area of guarding against cross contamination.” 2016 Performance Review.

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When applying for a federal job, think like a hiring manager

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Federal government hiring is based on hiring the best qualified, which makes it difficult to justify hiring people without all of the qualifications required and/or those whose experience is quite dated. For a successful job search, you need to be strategic about what you apply for. Do not waste your time applying for “everything;” instead, focus your efforts on those opportunities where you are a perfect (or nearly perfect) match for the stated criteria.

I wish I had a dollar for every time a client who complained: “If only they gave me a chance, I could prove I can do the job!” While I have no doubt that the comment is true, we are currently in a buyer’s market—where hiring managers have lots of choices to make among candidates. While it is certainly possible for a hiring manager to pick someone based on their potential (especially for jobs above the entry level), in my view, it is unrealistic to expect hiring managers to do this. Let’s think about this for a moment…

Most job postings specify the criteria the hiring organization is looking for—whether through specialized experience and the occupational questionnaires in the federal government, or in a section in a private section posting that says something along the lines of, “The ideal candidate will have…” All applicants should carefully review the qualifications required. If the posting asks for 10 years of experience and you have 6, you are not likely well qualified. Or, if your experience is in a different area all together, while again, you may the basic qualifications (like a degree), you are not likely to have the specialized experience required.

In most job sectors, organizations receive hundreds, if not thousands of applications. The first screen is of those who do not meet even most the basic qualifications (like the 10 years’ experience mentioned above). The next screen is for those who are a match for all of the criteria. While you may match half the criteria desired, from a hiring manager’s perspective, why should they pick YOU, when they can have someone who (at least on paper) is a 100% match? And from a fairness perspective, if they considered your application with only half the qualifications, they should also consider everyone else who has only half the qualifications…

A related question I receive is along the lines of, “I did exactly what they’re looking for 15 [or 20 or more] years ago, how come I’m not been called for an interview?” While in this circumstance you may have all of the qualifications, your experience is dated. And again, from a hiring manager’s perspective, would you want to talk to someone who is doing the job now, or someone who hasn’t done it in 15 or more years? Think like a hiring manager next time you apply for a federal job and increase your chances for an interview!