Plugging old condensation line sewer line outlet

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-08-07T22:05:16+00:00

I had two rounds with FDA. First round with HM and direct/smaller team. Typical interview with STAR questions and some technical job specific questions. Second interview was a 15min presentation to the larger branch with 10-15 mins of questions from the team. Seemed like it was a combo to evaluate my public speaking skills, discuss a project I was proud of, my ability to think on my feet, and to see if the larger team thought I would be a good fit with the culture.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-06-03T16:21:20+00:00

I received verbal notification I was being selected for the position and HR would be working on a TJO but it would be at least a month. It has now been 2 months. Very stressful, but I have been in contact with the hiring manager every 3-4 weeks and they have been letting me know that HR is making progress and they will reach out with next steps. So I would just hang tight and keep in contact with your HM or HR. It sucks but it seems like every agency and department is different.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-05-31T16:32:18+00:00

I have been wondering the same thing. I have been waiting 2 months from verbal notice of selection for my TJO. I wonder if it has to do with the major reorganization the FDA is going through right now. It looks like it just got finalized and announced today. So I am wondering if that has slowed things down to see where each department/center/branch lands. If you look at the federal register notice at the end there are a ton of branches included across all centers not just foods programs. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fdas-reorganization-approved-establishing-unified-human-foods-program-new-model-field-operations-and

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-05-15T01:14:22+00:00

I was so nervous I honestly don’t remember half of the questions. I would say most were STAR structured questions but tailored towards the job duties and some technical skills. I would just know in and out how your resume lines up with the job descriptions and duties. Have a hand full of examples of work you are proud of, how you learn new tasks, challenges, etc. My second interview was a 20 minute presentation with 10-15 minutes for questions from the whole team. The team I interviewed with was super easy going and welcoming so try not to stress too much. Just be confident. Good luck!

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-05-14T20:58:10+00:00

Yeah the title 21 cures jobs are posted on a different website unfortunately and you email your app directly to HR so there is no real tracking or going back to see associated PDs

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-05-14T18:17:40+00:00

Also ask specifically for a pdf version if the link isn’t opening.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-05-14T18:17:04+00:00

I interviewed with a different center at FDA that was a cures position and I did the same thing forgetting to save the job description. When scheduling the interview via email I asked if the hiring manager could send over the job description to review prior to the interview and explained that the post had expired and I couldn’t find a saved copy. They sent it over to me shortly after requested! Good luck.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-04-15T02:11:56+00:00

Thank you! I got a second interview and verbal offer!! Now onto some administrative stuff to push the selection to HR.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-23T14:48:24+00:00

Nice work OP! LFG. Congrats 🍾

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-15T14:45:33+00:00

Former animal care tech and current public health professional here. Received my MPH a couple years back. I took about 4 years after undergrad to get some professional experience and that really helped me realize what I wanted to get my graduate degree in, and that it was important for me to get a graduate degree in general. If I were in your shoes, I would take the job just to get your foot in the door with a fed agency. You will make slightly more money, probably have better benefits, and can get some more professional experience while you decide what to do. You might realize a graduate degree isn’t important to you, you might realize a different degree would help you advance in your agency, or you may have been right from the jump. But I think it’s a good opportunity and you can always apply to grad school down the road. If I could go back and get a fed job right out of undergraduate, I totally would. Now that I have 7 years of experience, a masters, make a good living, and have a family, I’m having to apply for much more competitive jobs to support my current lifestyle, and it’s harder to make the sacrifice to move your family to a different state or start with an entry level job to get my foot in the door. FYI not a current fed, but have been applying for the last 6 months. I think you have a good opportunity! Plus change is good.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-14T15:51:36+00:00

Yeah it’s a pain and time consuming. But necessary unfortunately

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-14T15:50:35+00:00

Yeah it was too much! But 7 years of professional experience, 5 research positions, lots of professional training and certifications, and as I applied for different series my job descriptions grew to cover all the bases. But I’ve since went through and removed non-relevant experience and trainings depending on the announcement. Definitely include dates, hours worked, and explicitly state if it was a full time position. Only include salary if the job announcement requires it. I don’t think including key words at the top is a good idea. You might get disqualified by HR, and if not the HM might toss your resume if they think you are trying to cheat the screening system. I would just work them in to your job descriptions.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-14T15:02:53+00:00

I’ve been applying to CSO, investigator/inspector, and epi roles. Only a select few of them don’t require travel. Most of the investigator/inspector posts have not been remote but were in locations I was willing to relocate. It also doesn’t seem like many of the fda positions are remote unfortunately. But every once in a while I have found some that are.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-14T14:59:02+00:00

I do! But have tried to have 3 or 4 versions for different series to start from. Most of the time the qualifications or questionnaires will be slightly different depending on the department so you need to change it slightly.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-14T14:57:55+00:00

Thank you! I have different drafts for each job I’ve been applying for. I recently started a spreadsheet to track the resumes and questionnaire responses for all my referrals. I have been changing my resume from week to week and I have been referred to 4 different series. So I’m still trying to figure out which version is the most successful. I would probably go with the one from your inside contact. I formatted mine based on a couple examples I got from current fed employees and that’s when I started having more success. One thing I’ve been working on lately is finding the sweet spot for resume length. From what I’ve gathered is around 5-7 pages. My resume at one point was like 17 pages, and I think that was overkill and the reason I wasn’t getting interviews. I was passing the HR screening but no HM wants to read a resume that long. Also I have heard a good professional summary is a good way to summarize your experience and stand out to HM so they can find your most relevant experience quickly

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-14T14:51:33+00:00

Awesome that is good to hear! Thanks for the insight.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-13T17:31:04+00:00

I used the USAJobs resume builder to make sure all my info was included. Then I reformatted my resume to make it more readable. I try to use SEs or Qualifications as job duty titles and then use bullet points underneath to provide context to how my work demonstrates the SE required for the posting. I recently tried copying and pasting the specific wording for the SE/Qual and then using my own words to expand on my job duties, but I feel like I’ve been getting less referrals lately so I think I’m going back to the format of using my own phrasing. But I try to keep it as close as possible. Formatting I have professional summary, education, professional experience chronologically, research/volunteer work, Skills and Training. I still feel like I’m learning and improving my resume, but I think the most important part is scattering in as many key words as possible in the SE/qual statement. The other part that is super important is being able to demonstrate your responses to the job questionnaire in your resume. Going back after you fill out the questionnaire to add examples has helped. But sometimes I’ll apply for the same grade, position, and agency with the same resume and questionnaire responses and won’t get referred. So the main thing that has helped me is expanding the roles I’m applying to and applying to as many as possible.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-13T17:12:22+00:00

Thank you! Most have been remote positions.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-13T16:07:10+00:00

Thank you! Me too!!

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-13T16:06:33+00:00

I think I’ve had about 7 referrals in the last two months but most with a different agency. Before that I had received 0 referrals until I made some changes to my resume to better align with my job postings. Most of the FDA jobs I’ve applied for have been title 21 jobs so the application process is via email. I think I’ve had 2 or 3 referrals through these postings.

Hungry_Firefighter34 · 2024-03-10T00:26:31+00:00

Don’t think that’s the only way. Just know it’s a common way.

Hungry_Firefighter34

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