I applied through an employee referral. The process took 7 months. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA) in Jun 2012
Interview
There was a phone interview with two supervisors whom you will never speak to again. They tell you about the job and ask if it would be something for you. After about a month, you have to fill in about 25 pages of the routine hiring paperwork (tax forms and legal). During the probationary period, they assess if they like you or not.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
It was just a routine interview. Would this be something that you would like?
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.