Interviewing for Federal jobs is probably the #2 most common concern of federal job applicants.
Most Federal agencies, for the most part, use PBIs – Performance Based Interviews. PBI questions focus on the past behavior that you’ve demonstrated in real-life situations.
The logic is this: Your past behavior is the best indicator of your future behavior. So, they tend to ask real-life questions that require you to tell a “story” to answer them, rather than a ‘yes/no’ answer.
Here are 3 examples of PBI questions:
1. Describe a time when you set a demanding goal for yourself and reached it. Did you encounter any obstacles and if so, what were they? How did you overcome those obstacles? Why did you persevere in the face of these obstacles?
2. What is the hardest you have ever had to work to achieve something? What made it the hardest? What motivated you to work that hard to achieve this end?
3. Tell me about a time you had more to do than you had time to get done. How did you decide what to do first? What process did you use to prioritize the rest of the things you had to do?
What to expect:
Most of the time you will be interviewed by a panel of 2-5 members and the interview will last anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. The numbers are not based on studies but they do demonstrate the averages that I have personally seen over 9 years in the Federal government.
If you get called for an interview you should be pleased with yourself! That means you have gotten over several hurdles that stood in your way. Now, it’s time to up your game.
How to prepare:
Before you can slay the interview, however, you must first prepare. Here are some key pointers for preparing for the Federal interview:
1. Review and research the position.
Take a look at the announcement, KSAs, and the questionnaire that you applied to. Why? Because many people apply for a bunch of different jobs and forget which one they are getting interviewed for. Don’t do this! Refresh your knowledge on the key points of the job.
2. Get to know the organization.
Do some basic online sleuthing and learn a little bit about the organization where the job is located. You can also reach out to the Specialist or even the Supervisor and ask them some questions. What are the day to day responsibilities for the position? Is morale high? Is there high turnover? What is the promotion potential? What sort of training will be provided?
3. Re-examine your resume and KSAs.
If you are following the guidance I have given you, then you should be customizing your resume and KSAs for each job you apply for. It never hurts to take another look at your documents and recall what you’ve submitted.
Federal Interview Tricky Question 1
A common question that is being asked at the beginning of interviews is this:
Can you tell us how you prepared for today’s interview?
What would your answer be?
A bad answer:
That question is a favorite of mine because the answer tells you A LOT about the applicant. Here are some examples of BAD WAYS to answer this question:
Bad Answer #1: I took a shower, put on clean clothes and drove here.
Bad Answer #2: I have a PhD. That has prepared me for this interview.
Bad Answer #3: I spent my whole life preparing for this interview.
Those are actual answers that were given by real-life applicants, by the way. You are probably now curious to see what a good answer sounds like.
An excellent answer:
A top-notch applicant who has a good shot at the job will answer that question like this:
“First, I reviewed the resume and KSAs I submitted so I could refresh myself on what was submitted. Then, reviewed your organizations websites and searched the internet to learn as much as I could about your organization. Then, I called the HR specialist to ask some more questions and learned that there is low turnover, high morale, and the training opportunities offered to employees is outstanding. I then drove here to this location last night so I could find map out the route and not be late for today’s interview. Then, based on the information in the announcement, I pulled some relevant PBI questions from an online database and had a practice interview with my spouse asking me questions.”
Do you see the difference between the person giving this answer and someone who merely took a shower to prepare? Can you guess which one is going to get the job?
“But, Ken – what if they DON’T ask me that question?” Tell them how you prepared anyway! Slip it in somewhere during the interview. Or, save it for the end when they ask there is anything else you would like them to know.
Other Federal Interview Tricky Questions
Do NOT try to negotiate salary during the interview. Negotiations can take place once you have gotten a job offer from the HR Specialist.
Most of the questions you receive will not be answered in a ‘yes or no’ fashion. For the most part, the interview panel is going to score you based on the criteria they are seeking. Specifically, they want thorough, well-rounded, and detailed answers.
Simply put, they want a short story. By short I mean your answer should take about 1-3 minutes to complete.
How to answer most questions – the STAR Method
If you don’t know how to tell a story, you can use the “STAR method” to construct your answer.
STAR stands for:
- S: Situation encountered, or
- T: Task to be completed,
- A: Actions taken and why,
- R: Results.
If you can remember the acronym “STAR” during your answers, then you will be well on your way to giving a great answer!Comment here with your thoughts, opinions, and new a-ha’s. Make sure to visit the FILES section of our Facebook group for tons of valuable resources. You rock!