Anonymous wrote:Has anyone gotten an interview lately? Anyone’s application status change on USA jobs? I also applied and have heard nothing.

For the job that closed earlier this month, my status changed a week or two ago to "Reviewed." Haven't heard anything otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone gotten an interview lately? Anyone’s application status change on USA jobs? I also applied and have heard nothing.

None of these positions have been filled. For the positions they opened in early August, some candidates were interviewed in mid-September, however, no final decisions have been made as of yet. The certificates for the August positions expire in early to mid-November. However, they can be extended. The agency is having problems filling these positions because of the current political climate. A lot of people are hesitant to join CFPB and the agency is not getting the quality of candidates they want. Most applicants have been out of law school for a year or two max and many have limited experience, no government experience, and don’t have a proven interest in the agency’s mission. Culture fit is huge at CFPB and they don’t want people without a genuine financial regulatory interest at the agency. It’s expected that the positions will eventually be filled, as after the freeze ended, the agency internally stated it wanted to hire over 150 employees attorney/non-attorney by the end of the year. The agency has many sections that are seriously understaffed. Lastly, as I noted, the candidate quality has been poor, however 300-400 people applied to each of these positions.

Has anyone gotten an interview lately? Anyone’s application status change on USA jobs? I also applied and have heard nothing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you all think about accepting/interviewing for the CFPB Attorney positions that have been posted over the last few months? With the current political climate, I’m uncertain as to what Republicans might do to the agency and its employees. I’m not sure if it’s wise to leave the private sector to go to the CFPB, when it seems like it’s possibly on the chopping block. Or perhaps I’m overthinking it. Thoughts?

This is why I haven't applied either. Not worth the risk to me (currently GS15 fed at another agency).

I agree. I applied and have yet to hear anything, however, I think the OP’s concerns are valid. And I’m very hesitant to accept any offer should I get to that point. I think the biggest risk is not necessarily that attorney staff will be let go, I think the issue is that the agency will likely lose significant regulatory authority and it’s attorney staff might end up will little to nothing to do that’s of importance.

I think that until a budget is passed, and we see what happens with the current director, it would be foolish for someone to leave a stable and tolerable position, to go to a place like the CFPB.

Anonymous wrote:What do you all think about accepting/interviewing for the CFPB Attorney positions that have been posted over the last few months? With the current political climate, I’m uncertain as to what Republicans might do to the agency and its employees. I’m not sure if it’s wise to leave the private sector to go to the CFPB, when it seems like it’s possibly on the chopping block. Or perhaps I’m overthinking it. Thoughts?

This is why I haven't applied either. Not worth the risk to me (currently GS15 fed at another agency).

What do you all think about accepting/interviewing for the CFPB Attorney positions that have been posted over the last few months? With the current political climate, I’m uncertain as to what Republicans might do to the agency and its employees. I’m not sure if it’s wise to leave the private sector to go to the CFPB, when it seems like it’s possibly on the chopping block. Or perhaps I’m overthinking it. Thoughts?

It looks like all they want is a resume. Maybe you can reach out to an alum on LinkedIn who works there

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So the document requirements on USAjobs v. the CFPB site are confusing. USAjobs only requires a resume and veteran's pref doc (if applicable). Once you click through to the CFPB site, it lists addt'l docs - cover letter, SF50, law school transcripts, etc. Anyone know if you need to submit all of the docs applicable to you?

I have encountered that on a lot of applicatons. As I understand it, the click-through site lists every possible document that you could submit as an option. They are not actually required. Refer to the section on the announcement for what is actually required.

In applying to the recent CFPB job posting (Enforcement), this is confusing to me as well. Could someone confirm that all they need is a resume?

They get a ton of resumes. That is why it is so hard to get hired there without stellar credentials.

Anonymous wrote:When people leave, do they generally land on their feet at good firms?

Yes. Go look at The Clearing House staff page; most of the main people there were lawyers at The Fed.

Not necessary to go an Ivy League law school. But I'd say you need to go to a Top 35 and have good grades, be smart. Some of the lawyers I work with daily went to Univ of Michigan, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Boston College. A few went to Big 10 law schools.

Anonymous wrote:When people leave, do they generally land on their feet at good firms?

I know of one who landed well at a big bank.

When people leave, do they generally land on their feet at good firms?

I know someone who currently works there and another who used to work there and neither went to to an ivy. They both came from top DC firms though and had other great credentials. I know for sure that one didn't have any banking regulatory experience.

I'm finding with all of these positions you really need to know someone who will send your resume directly to the hiring manager with a note about how great you are. Veteran's preference is also be helpful.

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:The CFPB even worth applying to if you don’t have an Ivy League or equivalent law degree?

Is* the CFPB even worth applying to if you don’t have an Ivy League or equivalent law degree?

Nope -- unless you have a resume that's stellar for other reasons such as you're a well-known expert in your field.

Agreed. Many of the hiring people apparently think that Ivy League/Top 20 guarantees quality - there's definite snobbery.

I don’t get the snobbery at CFPB. I quite honestly didn’t know it was all that prestigious. I’m currently a Federal Government attorney at a non-regulatory agency 3 years out of law school. What do you all think is the best way to get into SEC, CFPB, FDIC etc., I have a deep interest in financial regulation?

1. Know someone who already works there and can vouch for you.

2. You need real regulatory banking experience on your resume. It's not enough to just have a general interest in the subject matter. Work for a bank, an industry trade group, or a large law firm covering financial clients. Most lawyers I know at my regulatory agency went that route or were hired out of law school after a summer internship.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CFPB even worth applying to if you don’t have an Ivy League or equivalent law degree?

Is* the CFPB even worth applying to if you don’t have an Ivy League or equivalent law degree?

Nope -- unless you have a resume that's stellar for other reasons such as you're a well-known expert in your field.

Agreed. Many of the hiring people apparently think that Ivy League/Top 20 guarantees quality - there's definite snobbery.

I don’t get the snobbery at CFPB. I quite honestly didn’t know it was all that prestigious. I’m currently a Federal Government attorney at a non-regulatory agency 3 years out of law school. What do you all think is the best way to get into SEC, CFPB, FDIC etc., I have a deep interest in financial regulation?