I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office in Apr 2014
Interview
I applied for several positions and was contacted for an interview a couple weeks after the first position I applied for closed on usajobs. My interviewer said that this interview would be for all positions I have applied for. The interview was 25-30 minutes and all of the questions I was asked were already listed here (describe a time you had to present technical info, describe a time you received constructive criticism and how you reacted, describe a time when you had to persuade someone you worked for). The questions were very detailed - for example, for describing presentation of technical info, interviewer asked what my role was, how i conducted research, problems I ran into, how I resolved them, what the outcome was, etc. The interviewer also asked a few questions from my resume about classes and work experience. At the end of the interview, I was able to ask a few questions and the interviewer briefly talked about the patent training academy. The interview was conducted on webex but my computer audio wouldn't work so I had to use my cell phone, which was kind of awkward. The interviewer was very kind and easy to talk to. I was not given a time frame as to when to expect to hear from HR, but the interviewer said "soon"...
Update: my status switched to "selected" on USA Jobs about 2 weeks after the interview and the next day I got a call offering me the job.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
No unexpected questions, but the amount of detail asked for was unexpected
I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Washington, DC)
Interview
Online Hirevue interview. Interview was simple and brief. Questions were related to the general breadth of patents as a whole along with various personality questions. You are given multiple attempts to record your answers.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Give us a time where _____ happened and how you responded"
I applied through a staffing agency. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Oxnard, CA) in Jun 2026
Interview
I've only done the digital one, where I recorded myself, and it was fairly easy. You got chances to redo your recording, which was nice, and you had a minute before you read the question to prepare your answer. I found it to be intuitive.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was one time you had multiple things to do? How did you prioritize those things, and how did you complete them? (that's the gist of the question)
I applied online. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA) in Jun 2026
Interview
1st round: Hirevue interview, pretty simple, they asked 5 questions and you have the opportunity to retake each question 1 time. Total length was about 25 minutes.
2nd round: In-person interview scheduled a week after.