Anonymous wrote:I was asked for references about three weeks after my interview but I did not have a preliminary offer at the time.

When did they give an offer? How many weeks/months after the interview?

I was asked for references about three weeks after my interview but I did not have a preliminary offer at the time.

Thank you. This is good to know.

17:37 here. I can't speak specifically to your experience, because every division or office is different. My office was looking for people with a particular skill set/ knowledge base, which I happened to have. However, other offices I believe are just looking for good, hardworking people. Good luck!

Thank you, this makes sense. How was your interview(s)? Did you feel that everything seemed fine and normal? Or you were not sure if you provided satisfactory answers? I am asking because during my interview I was very honest and on 3 questions I answered them as: I have not done them or I am not familiar with them. I would like to know if they want people that have a lot experience or people that have done similar tasks but honest and willing to work hard. Is it more about the experience or a person?

I am an attorney at the SEC, and I was only asked for references after a preliminary offer was extended. Also, hiring decisions tend to take a while at the SEC!

I have a question to all who had a job interview with SEC. Were you all asked for the reference? In January (2013), I applied for the examiner position in DC. A week after the job closing, my application was rejected - saying that I was qualified but not selected for the next step. So, I moved on with it and started looking for the job at other agencies. Then, 4 months later (April), I got a surprising call from a chief manager for an interview. I went for the interview, it was very a professional interview, and all interviewers were very well prepared. Most of the questions that they asked me were if my current job is relevant to the examiner job. Other questions were to see if I am fine with tasks for the examiner that I am currently not doing. I honestly admitted that I have not been flowing SEC new regulations after the financial market crush which affects the examiner job. I am not sure if it was a good interview – it is hard to tell. The big concern that I have now, is that they have not asked me for the references when I had the interview and after it. From my past job hunt experiences, this means that I did not get the job. Have any of you had not been asked for the reference? If not, what experience do you have that you can share? Thank you in advance.