For fed atty positions (not in DOJ), do they review resumes on a rolling basis or when the posting closes, or does it depend on the hiring manager/agency? I'm wondering how it works if the posting is open for a really long time - like 6 months, should I expect that they really won't look at anything until this summer?

In the last two years, I have been offered jobs in U.S. Attorney's Offices, at Main Justice, and the SEC. I have always just applied through USAJobs or by responding to DOJ postings. I have literally never even gotten an interview by using a connection. I know there's this perception that you have to know someone on the inside to get these jobs, but that has not been true in my case. I don't think that's how most of my coworkers got their jobs either, but they probably wouldn't tell me if they did.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone ever apply for 1-2 positions and get one (in this economy)? I am not someone who is interested in applying to every attorney job out there just because I COULD do the work because I am positive that there are people who ACTUALLY do that work (and know people on the inside) who will stand out. But I'm seeing 1-2 positions that actually fit my experience so I'm motivated to apply and see if I know anyone there -- but it seems like such a longshot when you hear people saying, I applied to 100+ jobs before I got one. Is the gov't seeing the same problem as private companies in this regard -- i.e. I have heard hiring managers complain that they may get 2000 resumes for one spot but maybe a handful actually have the right experience while the rest are just aspirational.

Yes. If you apply only for jobs that are a great match then you have an excellent chance at at least an interview, at least in my experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got my federal attorney job by applying through USAJobs. This was 4 years ago. I had prior federal experience which exactly matched what they were looking for. Two of us were hired at the same time. I later learned there were hundreds of resumes.

DH and I did the same, 5 and 2 years ago. Neither of us had any prior federal experience or knew anyone at the agencies. So it is possible. But neither were "sexy" agencies like DOJ or SEC.

+1. So much depends on what you are applying for. While there are tons of applicants for everything, it seems like DOJ is constantly inundated; I keep hearing stories from friends applying for AUSA spots - some not in coveted cities - where they will be told there were 5000 applicants for 2 spots or that there were multiple applicants who were Sup Ct clerks.

Anonymous wrote:I got my federal attorney job by applying through USAJobs. This was 4 years ago. I had prior federal experience which exactly matched what they were looking for. Two of us were hired at the same time. I later learned there were hundreds of resumes.

DH and I did the same, 5 and 2 years ago. Neither of us had any prior federal experience or knew anyone at the agencies. So it is possible. But neither were "sexy" agencies like DOJ or SEC.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone ever apply for 1-2 positions and get one (in this economy)? I am not someone who is interested in applying to every attorney job out there just because I COULD do the work because I am positive that there are people who ACTUALLY do that work (and know people on the inside) who will stand out. But I'm seeing 1-2 positions that actually fit my experience so I'm motivated to apply and see if I know anyone there -- but it seems like such a longshot when you hear people saying, I applied to 100+ jobs before I got one. Is the gov't seeing the same problem as private companies in this regard -- i.e. I have heard hiring managers complain that they may get 2000 resumes for one spot but maybe a handful actually have the right experience while the rest are just aspirational.

My (attorney) husband did last year. It was a supervisor job, one that rarely comes up, but he had three things going for him:

1. Absolutely perfect experience for the position; he met or far exceeded every single requirement.
2. Very little competition--apparently this job had a small pool of applicants, which he found out because...
3. ...he had connections--he knew one very senior person in the agency and a couple of other pretty senior folks. They talked him up and gave him the scoop on the pool.

He had applied for a job at the same agency about five years earlier but didn't do his application/resume by the book, so he was automatically disqualified. Definitely do it *exactly* as instructed in the posting. Don't leave anything out. Make it very, very easy for the resume screeners to align your experience with the specific job requirements. And if you know someone at the agency, definitely make the connection.

I did apply to just to one at DOJ/FBI in 2005 and I got the position. That was then.... now competition is ridiculous. I sat on interviews 2 years ago where my agency got 2000 applications for 27 positions. I was on the panel interviewing. There were big firm attorneys that would have ignored my resume bc I didn't go to to a top 10 school. Make sure you understand that government can be very different from working in a firm and you are prepared to explain how you will do that. One thing I did that I think made the difference was when they wanted to an initial phone interview I flew to DC to meet with the interviewers at my expense. This set me apart from others who opted for phone interview. The entire hiring process is different now though.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone ever apply for 1-2 positions and get one (in this economy)? I am not someone who is interested in applying to every attorney job out there just because I COULD do the work because I am positive that there are people who ACTUALLY do that work (and know people on the inside) who will stand out. But I'm seeing 1-2 positions that actually fit my experience so I'm motivated to apply and see if I know anyone there -- but it seems like such a longshot when you hear people saying, I applied to 100+ jobs before I got one. Is the gov't seeing the same problem as private companies in this regard -- i.e. I have heard hiring managers complain that they may get 2000 resumes for one spot but maybe a handful actually have the right experience while the rest are just aspirational.

Yes, we have the problem you describe. What I tend to see is that in every stack of 100 applicants, there is one really obvious standout candidate, and then perhaps two to five who we could hire if the standout candidate bombs the interview or, as is more common, finds another job before we get around to making an offer. In my experience that "second tier" of two to five candidates tends to be people who have some small claim to experience (if not nearly as much as the standout candidate) plus some connection to the organization (e.g., used to work somewhere else in the agency).

Certainly I can imagine situations, though, in which no one has relevant experience -- I think someone above mentioned a new agency? -- or in which none of the top candidates worked out. So there's always a chance.

Anyone ever apply for 1-2 positions and get one (in this economy)? I am not someone who is interested in applying to every attorney job out there just because I COULD do the work because I am positive that there are people who ACTUALLY do that work (and know people on the inside) who will stand out. But I'm seeing 1-2 positions that actually fit my experience so I'm motivated to apply and see if I know anyone there -- but it seems like such a longshot when you hear people saying, I applied to 100+ jobs before I got one. Is the gov't seeing the same problem as private companies in this regard -- i.e. I have heard hiring managers complain that they may get 2000 resumes for one spot but maybe a handful actually have the right experience while the rest are just aspirational.

I've been told to look at some of the agencies that aren't considered so sexy. Seems like every big firm lawyer wants to be in SEC Enforcement or DOJ, whether they have the experience or not; so the odds are worse there than in other places.

Anonymous wrote:Every job gets hundreds of applicants.

this-
We recently posted paralegal positions- and got over 300 applicants- of those something like half were attorneys. That tells you something about the market.

I got my job many years ago by applying- didn't know anyone. We aren't hiring attorneys right now- but when we do it's from the vacancy announcements.

Every job gets hundreds of applicants.

Got mine right out of law school. Did not go through USA Jobs cause it didn't exist back then. The job market is tough all over.

I got my federal attorney job by applying through USAJobs. This was 4 years ago. I had prior federal experience which exactly matched what they were looking for. Two of us were hired at the same time. I later learned there were hundreds of resumes.

DH got 2 offers in different agencies by applying thru USAJobs. This was a few years ago. His colleagues who have been fed lawyers for their career told him he's the only lawyer they know who's gotten one by submitting thru USAJobs and not knowing anyone on the inside.