Board of Veterans Appeals (Attorney Advisor)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

BVA experience is generally not transferable to other federal agencies, unless you want to work at SSA or HHS (these agencies also handle high volume disability/medical appeals). BVA attorneys who transfer to non-SSA/HHS federal attorney jobs almost always have prior legal experience as trial attorneys or law clerks. Before I joined BVA, I litigated in state courts and handled a number of trials. I left my state job to join BVA because I desired a higher salary; however, the stress that I experienced at BVA was far worse than the years than I spent litigating cases. Fortunately, I was able to find an agency that values my experience and gives me the quality of life that I always wanted (I don't want to reveal my current agency). I should emphasize that BVA attorneys who only have decision writing experience have a much much harder time transferring to non-SSA/HHS federal agencies - I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I personally don't know or heard of anyone who has made the transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

A lot of BVA venture into immigration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

The quota can go up and down, which is another problematic thing about the job. You could join the Board and the quota can go up right after you start, like it did when I joined. It is supposedly a product of negotiation with the Union, however, from what I can tell it is more of a one sided negotiation as the Union claims they cannot negotiate productivity. So management can change it every fiscal year whenever they want. The quota is supposedly reduced when you take vacation and sick time off, but its hard to tell if that's actually true with the arcane, error prone, and nontransparent system they use to track productivity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

BVA experience is generally not transferable to other federal agencies, unless you want to work at SSA or HHS (these agencies also handle high volume disability/medical appeals). BVA attorneys who transfer to non-SSA/HHS federal attorney jobs almost always have prior legal experience as trial attorneys or law clerks. Before I joined BVA, I litigated in state courts and handled a number of trials. I left my state job to join BVA because I desired a higher salary; however, the stress that I experienced at BVA was far worse than the years than I spent litigating cases. Fortunately, I was able to find an agency that values my experience and gives me the quality of life that I always wanted (I don't want to reveal my current agency). I should emphasize that BVA attorneys who only have decision writing experience have a much much harder time transferring to non-SSA/HHS federal agencies - I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I personally don't know or heard of anyone who has made the transfer.

How many years were you at BVA before transferred to a different agency? Also, do people get multiple warnings before they are terminated and get a couple of chances to improve before they officially get the boot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

BVA experience is generally not transferable to other federal agencies, unless you want to work at SSA or HHS (these agencies also handle high volume disability/medical appeals). BVA attorneys who transfer to non-SSA/HHS federal attorney jobs almost always have prior legal experience as trial attorneys or law clerks. Before I joined BVA, I litigated in state courts and handled a number of trials. I left my state job to join BVA because I desired a higher salary; however, the stress that I experienced at BVA was far worse than the years than I spent litigating cases. Fortunately, I was able to find an agency that values my experience and gives me the quality of life that I always wanted (I don't want to reveal my current agency). I should emphasize that BVA attorneys who only have decision writing experience have a much much harder time transferring to non-SSA/HHS federal agencies - I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I personally don't know or heard of anyone who has made the transfer.

How many years were you at BVA before transferred to a different agency? Also, do people get multiple warnings before they are terminated and get a couple of chances to improve before they officially get the boot?

I worked at the Board for three years before I transferred to a different federal agency. Generally, when management does not like an attorney for whatever reason, management will try to get the attorney to resign by making life difficult for the attorney. Because the time period between when a probationary attorney begins production and when the removal occurs is very short, management does not give many warnings. I've seen a number of probationary colleagues get fired ambush style - management unexpectedly asks to meet with attorney (usually in the mornings) and tells the attorney that he or she will be fired and offers the attorney the opportunity to resign.

I should note that actual terminations are rare at the Board because: 1) many attorneys resign long before a termination decision is made due to intense pressure from their judge; and 2) attorneys typically prefer to resign in lieu of termination. The few who decline to resign are terminated. Keep in mind that removals occur even after the probationary period ends. I've seen a number of career GS-14 attorneys get fired. No one is safe. That's part of the reason why I left, as there is no job security at the Board - management terminates anyone who fails to meet production regardless of tenure.

I cannot stress enough that your success at the Board largely depends on your judge, as he or she can make or break your career. If your judge hates you for whatever reason, you will not get assigned to a different judge. I've seen probationary attorneys get fired for requesting reassignment to a new judge. Working at the Board is a risky proposition. Knowing what I know now, I would only recommend the job to someone who is unemployed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

BVA experience is generally not transferable to other federal agencies, unless you want to work at SSA or HHS (these agencies also handle high volume disability/medical appeals). BVA attorneys who transfer to non-SSA/HHS federal attorney jobs almost always have prior legal experience as trial attorneys or law clerks. Before I joined BVA, I litigated in state courts and handled a number of trials. I left my state job to join BVA because I desired a higher salary; however, the stress that I experienced at BVA was far worse than the years than I spent litigating cases. Fortunately, I was able to find an agency that values my experience and gives me the quality of life that I always wanted (I don't want to reveal my current agency). I should emphasize that BVA attorneys who only have decision writing experience have a much much harder time transferring to non-SSA/HHS federal agencies - I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I personally don't know or heard of anyone who has made the transfer.

How many years were you at BVA before transferred to a different agency? Also, do people get multiple warnings before they are terminated and get a couple of chances to improve before they officially get the boot?

I worked at the Board for three years before I transferred to a different federal agency. Generally, when management does not like an attorney for whatever reason, management will try to get the attorney to resign by making life difficult for the attorney. Because the time period between when a probationary attorney begins production and when the removal occurs is very short, management does not give many warnings. I've seen a number of probationary colleagues get fired ambush style - management unexpectedly asks to meet with attorney (usually in the mornings) and tells the attorney that he or she will be fired and offers the attorney the opportunity to resign.

I should note that actual terminations are rare at the Board because: 1) many attorneys resign long before a termination decision is made due to intense pressure from their judge; and 2) attorneys typically prefer to resign in lieu of termination. The few who decline to resign are terminated. Keep in mind that removals occur even after the probationary period ends. I've seen a number of career GS-14 attorneys get fired. No one is safe. That's part of the reason why I left, as there is no job security at the Board - management terminates anyone who fails to meet production regardless of tenure.

I cannot stress enough that your success at the Board largely depends on your judge, as he or she can make or break your career. If your judge hates you for whatever reason, you will not get assigned to a different judge. I've seen probationary attorneys get fired for requesting reassignment to a new judge. Working at the Board is a risky proposition. Knowing what I know now, I would only recommend the job to someone who is unemployed.

Congrats on getting out. Imagine how terrible of a boss you are if you run a government agency with full federal benefits that's constantly advertising for new employees and someone says they only recommend it to unemployed people. And then having other people who still work there chime in and agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've skimmed the first few dozen most recent BVA decisions. As posted above, the majority are remands. What is the quota in concrete terms? How many draft decisions would a newly out of training GS-11 be expected to produce per week? After a year on the job?

During your first six months at the Board, you won't be on production. However, when that time ends, you will have the same quota as everyone else regardless of grade level or years at the Board. I left the Board in FY2019, and back then the quota was 3.25 signed decisions a week (169 signed decisions a year) - by signed, I mean that only decisions that your judge approves will count. Decisions that you submit, but your judge does not sign, do not count. In terms of raw numbers, you will need to submit approximately four to five draft decisions every week in order to get 3.25 signed decisions a week - if you submit less than four or five decisions a week, you are taking a huge risk of not getting 3.25 signed decisions/week, as the judges at the Board routinely return drafts for revision. The average case file has between 200 to 1000 documents, with each document containing anywhere from 1 to 1,000+ pages. Each and every decision that you submit will be graded by your judge on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest score). Any score less than 3 is unacceptable and repeatedly receiving low scores is grounds for termination.

You will need to hit the ground running when you start production as the Board routinely fires attorneys at the 10 month mark. This means that you have less than four months after you begin production to demonstrate your competence or you will be fired/forced to resign (the decision to fire someone is initially made around the seven or eight month mark, while the actual firing occurs at the 10 month mark) .

The Board is a tough place to work at and far from cushy. That's why I left my BVA job to go work at another agency that also offers full time telework.

What agency did you go to? It seems like ppl here believe you can’t go anywhere from BVA

BVA experience is generally not transferable to other federal agencies, unless you want to work at SSA or HHS (these agencies also handle high volume disability/medical appeals). BVA attorneys who transfer to non-SSA/HHS federal attorney jobs almost always have prior legal experience as trial attorneys or law clerks. Before I joined BVA, I litigated in state courts and handled a number of trials. I left my state job to join BVA because I desired a higher salary; however, the stress that I experienced at BVA was far worse than the years than I spent litigating cases. Fortunately, I was able to find an agency that values my experience and gives me the quality of life that I always wanted (I don't want to reveal my current agency). I should emphasize that BVA attorneys who only have decision writing experience have a much much harder time transferring to non-SSA/HHS federal agencies - I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I personally don't know or heard of anyone who has made the transfer.

How many years were you at BVA before transferred to a different agency? Also, do people get multiple warnings before they are terminated and get a couple of chances to improve before they officially get the boot?

I worked at the Board for three years before I transferred to a different federal agency. Generally, when management does not like an attorney for whatever reason, management will try to get the attorney to resign by making life difficult for the attorney. Because the time period between when a probationary attorney begins production and when the removal occurs is very short, management does not give many warnings. I've seen a number of probationary colleagues get fired ambush style - management unexpectedly asks to meet with attorney (usually in the mornings) and tells the attorney that he or she will be fired and offers the attorney the opportunity to resign.

I should note that actual terminations are rare at the Board because: 1) many attorneys resign long before a termination decision is made due to intense pressure from their judge; and 2) attorneys typically prefer to resign in lieu of termination. The few who decline to resign are terminated. Keep in mind that removals occur even after the probationary period ends. I've seen a number of career GS-14 attorneys get fired. No one is safe. That's part of the reason why I left, as there is no job security at the Board - management terminates anyone who fails to meet production regardless of tenure.

I cannot stress enough that your success at the Board largely depends on your judge, as he or she can make or break your career. If your judge hates you for whatever reason, you will not get assigned to a different judge. I've seen probationary attorneys get fired for requesting reassignment to a new judge. Working at the Board is a risky proposition. Knowing what I know now, I would only recommend the job to someone who is unemployed.

Congrats on getting out. Imagine how terrible of a boss you are if you run a government agency with full federal benefits that's constantly advertising for new employees and someone says they only recommend it to unemployed people. And then having other people who still work there chime in and agree.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

I’m not the poster, but I can answer your questions. The writing test is a basic literacy exam to test your ability to read and write complete sentences. It’s a very simple and easy test that most high schoolers can pass. No knowledge of the law is required. Unfortunately, the Board had to implement this test because during the mass hiring sprees in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Board hired dozens of attorneys (out of 700 new hires) who were extremely poor writers. The writing test weeds out the poor writers and saves management the trouble of having to fire them.

As for the interview, a panel of three people (judges and managers) interviews each candidate. The interview is highly structured and the interviewers will ask you behavioral type questions. Essentially, they want to know whether you are the type of person who will do exactly what your judge tells you to do without hesitation or question. If you demonstrate any sort of independence, your chances of getting the job diminish greatly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

I’m not the poster, but I can answer your questions. The writing test is a basic literacy exam to test your ability to read and write complete sentences. It’s a very simple and easy test that most high schoolers can pass. No knowledge of the law is required. Unfortunately, the Board had to implement this test because during the mass hiring sprees in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Board hired dozens of attorneys (out of 700 new hires) who were extremely poor writers. The writing test weeds out the poor writers and saves management the trouble of having to fire them.

As for the interview, a panel of three people (judges and managers) interviews each candidate. The interview is highly structured and the interviewers will ask you behavioral type questions. Essentially, they want to know whether you are the type of person who will do exactly what your judge tells you to do without hesitation or question. If you demonstrate any sort of independence, your chances of getting the job diminish greatly.

I'm not even sure the interview serves any purpose. It is a ten minute rapid fire question session where they do not ask you anything substantive and they really do not care to hear your answers. it is the most bizarre interview i've ever been on. They do not care about your knowledge of the law or whether you actually understand the job. Nor are they trying to figure out whether you're a good fit for the job. It is almost like someone googled "questions to ask at an interview" and found an HR website with a list of ten general questions to ask during an interview. Then they sit there and ask the questions and you answer them in short answers with no real elaboration. There is no real conversation, back and forth, or attempt to get to know you as there is in most interviews for professional jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

I’m not the poster, but I can answer your questions. The writing test is a basic literacy exam to test your ability to read and write complete sentences. It’s a very simple and easy test that most high schoolers can pass. No knowledge of the law is required. Unfortunately, the Board had to implement this test because during the mass hiring sprees in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Board hired dozens of attorneys (out of 700 new hires) who were extremely poor writers. The writing test weeds out the poor writers and saves management the trouble of having to fire them.

As for the interview, a panel of three people (judges and managers) interviews each candidate. The interview is highly structured and the interviewers will ask you behavioral type questions. Essentially, they want to know whether you are the type of person who will do exactly what your judge tells you to do without hesitation or question. If you demonstrate any sort of independence, your chances of getting the job diminish greatly.

I'm not even sure the interview serves any purpose. It is a ten minute rapid fire question session where they do not ask you anything substantive and they really do not care to hear your answers. it is the most bizarre interview i've ever been on. They do not care about your knowledge of the law or whether you actually understand the job. Nor are they trying to figure out whether you're a good fit for the job. It is almost like someone googled "questions to ask at an interview" and found an HR website with a list of ten general questions to ask during an interview. Then they sit there and ask the questions and you answer them in short answers with no real elaboration. There is no real conversation, back and forth, or attempt to get to know you as there is in most interviews for professional jobs.

Thank you! Sounds like the hardest part is clearing the usajobs resume filtering system!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

I’m not the poster, but I can answer your questions. The writing test is a basic literacy exam to test your ability to read and write complete sentences. It’s a very simple and easy test that most high schoolers can pass. No knowledge of the law is required. Unfortunately, the Board had to implement this test because during the mass hiring sprees in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Board hired dozens of attorneys (out of 700 new hires) who were extremely poor writers. The writing test weeds out the poor writers and saves management the trouble of having to fire them.

As for the interview, a panel of three people (judges and managers) interviews each candidate. The interview is highly structured and the interviewers will ask you behavioral type questions. Essentially, they want to know whether you are the type of person who will do exactly what your judge tells you to do without hesitation or question. If you demonstrate any sort of independence, your chances of getting the job diminish greatly.

I'm not even sure the interview serves any purpose. It is a ten minute rapid fire question session where they do not ask you anything substantive and they really do not care to hear your answers. it is the most bizarre interview i've ever been on. They do not care about your knowledge of the law or whether you actually understand the job. Nor are they trying to figure out whether you're a good fit for the job. It is almost like someone googled "questions to ask at an interview" and found an HR website with a list of ten general questions to ask during an interview. Then they sit there and ask the questions and you answer them in short answers with no real elaboration. There is no real conversation, back and forth, or attempt to get to know you as there is in most interviews for professional jobs.

The sole purpose of the interview is to weed out people who have an independent side. For example, one of the interview questions is, "What would you do if you disagree with your judge?" If a candidate responds by stating, "I will try to advance my position," he or she will be automatically disqualified. The proper answer is, "I will do what my judge tells me to do."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about getting a job at the Board to take the time to review the union survey of nearly 400 Board attorneys. The survey may be useful for anyone applying for Board jobs, as it highlights the extremely poor work environment at the Board. Take the job at your own risk. See link below.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track/?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A4dc55b1b-80ed-4b2c-9e0a-155be961d998&pageNum=1#pageNum=112

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently interviewed for this position and took a subsequent writing test. If anyone is in a similar position, have you heard back either way about an offer?

In addition, to those that currently hold this position, could you describe a typical day? Finally, on other websites I've seen a lot of negativity so please share your experience, level of job satisfaction, and anything else you would find helpful for someone interested in this position. Thank you in advance!

PP: what does the writing test entail? And can you give specifics about the interview? Panel?

I’m not the poster, but I can answer your questions. The writing test is a basic literacy exam to test your ability to read and write complete sentences. It’s a very simple and easy test that most high schoolers can pass. No knowledge of the law is required. Unfortunately, the Board had to implement this test because during the mass hiring sprees in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Board hired dozens of attorneys (out of 700 new hires) who were extremely poor writers. The writing test weeds out the poor writers and saves management the trouble of having to fire them.

As for the interview, a panel of three people (judges and managers) interviews each candidate. The interview is highly structured and the interviewers will ask you behavioral type questions. Essentially, they want to know whether you are the type of person who will do exactly what your judge tells you to do without hesitation or question. If you demonstrate any sort of independence, your chances of getting the job diminish greatly.

I'm not even sure the interview serves any purpose. It is a ten minute rapid fire question session where they do not ask you anything substantive and they really do not care to hear your answers. it is the most bizarre interview i've ever been on. They do not care about your knowledge of the law or whether you actually understand the job. Nor are they trying to figure out whether you're a good fit for the job. It is almost like someone googled "questions to ask at an interview" and found an HR website with a list of ten general questions to ask during an interview. Then they sit there and ask the questions and you answer them in short answers with no real elaboration. There is no real conversation, back and forth, or attempt to get to know you as there is in most interviews for professional jobs.

Thank you! Sounds like the hardest part is clearing the usajobs resume filtering system!

Incorrect. The hardest part is surviving the job.