I applied for a job with the FDA (GS 11) that closed on May 20. I got the acknowledgement e-mail right away...nothing since then.

I asked a friend who works there if he knew anyone in the specific division (he's in a different one); he sent my resume to this woman, who reviewed it and said that I seemed very qualified but that it can take 6 months to get hired.

Is there anything else I could/should do in the meantime to boost my chances for an interview?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It varies from 2 weeks to never. I would say that if you haven't been contacted after 6 weeks, don't expect to be (they could surprise you, but unlikely after that period).

Good luck!

No, that is way too short, at least for my agency. I applied in early May and got a call for an interview in late September. Started with the agency in November.

But how long ago was this? My experience was like yours when I got into government several years ago, but I've applied for jobs in the last year or two and the response has been much faster.

I do agree that the USAJobs status updates are unreliable. Sometimes they never send an update to let you know what happened with your application or whether the vacancy was filled; sometimes they send wrong information.

2.5 years ago for me. But we have hired other people since then and the process/time frame has been similar. We are a small agency though, and management-heavy; we may take an unusually long time since so many people review applications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It varies from 2 weeks to never. I would say that if you haven't been contacted after 6 weeks, don't expect to be (they could surprise you, but unlikely after that period).

Good luck!

No, that is way too short, at least for my agency. I applied in early May and got a call for an interview in late September. Started with the agency in November.

But how long ago was this? My experience was like yours when I got into government several years ago, but I've applied for jobs in the last year or two and the response has been much faster.

I do agree that the USAJobs status updates are unreliable. Sometimes they never send an update to let you know what happened with your application or whether the vacancy was filled; sometimes they send wrong information.