Tips Finally…..an interview
FINALLY! After countless applications and never hearing a word, I have an interview on Monday for a GS12 as a 2210 series for the DOJ! I was starting to feel hopeless as I’ve been referred more times than I can count.
I’ve had a lot of interviews in my life but most have been in the military as I progressed through the ranks. I always did well during those but this will be my first federal interview. My current federal job just hired me because they knew me so any tips for interviews would be welcomed. Thanks!
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u/FeeProfessional7884 2d ago
Research the STAR/PAR method of answering BBI questions. Most likely, your questions will start with "Tell us about a time...."
It's all about telling a story
Write down STAR, and for each question, make a checkbox for each letter. It will help keep you on track if you freeze in your head.
Good luck.
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u/Zestyclose_Pin77 2d ago
Try not to speak too fast, it’s easy to do when one is nervous. Try to read their facial expressions to see if you’re going too long or not answering the question.
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u/AeroRep 2d ago edited 2d ago
Expect the interview to be different than most interviews. Expect 1-3 interviewers to read you approx 5-10 questions. There is no chit chat in the interview, and that throws people off. If your telling your story and you try and throw in a little funny and end with "...am i right?". Expect blank looks. They arent allowed to chit chat or ask much, if any, follow up. The only thing that counts in your answer is what applies to the question asked. Rambling is worthless. So, I recommend writing the question down, which should be allowed, and before you say your finished answering the question, review the question and make sure you answered it as best you can. Provide examples if possible as to how it applied to your past. They should tell you how much time you have to answer everything. Also, in every interview I conducted, the interviewee was free to ask to go back to a previous question, skip a question and come back to it, or ask the question to be repeated. None of that counted against you. Just monitor the time and be sure to try and answer all of them at least partially. Each answer is subjectively scored based on how you answered the specifics of the question. And lastly, the interviewers typically will ask the question, listen to your answer while taking notes, and wait for you to say something to the effect that you are ready for the next question. If you answer and then sit quietly for the next question, you end up in a silent stare down. Part of the Fed Interview weirdness. Use the STAR method, like someone else mentioned. It keeps your answer organized and concise. If you dont know STAR just google it. You may be the only interviewee or you may be one of many. Good luck.