Federal job interview

Since I got the metaphorical "pink slip" in mid-September, I've been filling out a lot of applications, and I've learned a few things:

1. The private sector doesn't pay as much as defense contractors do, in part because they don't value the security clearance.
2. Defense contractors have a specific set of requirements when they try to fill a contract, and they don't need logisticians here in Hawaii right now.
3. When private sector companies say they need logisticians, what they mean is "supply clerks," who can handle shipping and receiving, and maybe some stock work.
4. When private sector logistics companies say they need logisticians, they want people with industry experience.
5. Having a PMP is nice, but it's not worth much if you don't have industry experience.
6. The most marketable use of my knowledge, skills, and abilities is as a GS12 Logistics Management Specialist for the federal government. I've gotten to job offers in the past, so applying for those positions this seems to work well.

I applied for just such a job a while back, and on September 19th I got an email that I'd been referred to the hiring manager. On September 30th, I got another email asking if I was still interested, and responded "yes" on the same day.

On October 6th, I got another email scheduling the interview for October 9th at 2:00 in the afternoon. To prepare, I went back to my application's job experience questions and listed examples of the times I'd done those things. In the understanding that the interview would be over the phone, I compiled these into a "cheat sheet" of situations I thought would be useful to bring up.

Federal job interviews are the most formal and highly structured interviews I've ever done. There's a panel of three or four people, they each have three questions, and they ask the same questions to each candidate. I also get the impression they can't even clarify their questions.

For instance, in my interview, the first and third person actually had the same question, "Why do you want this job?" When I asked person #3 if they wanted me to expound on any part of the answer I gave to person #1, he said, "Sure," but didn't say which part.

In retrospect, the interview went about as well as I've ever interviewed for anything, which is to say I have no idea how it will turn out. I've interviewed well in the past and still been passed over for someone else.

So now we wait and continue dropping applications into the void, hoping for another fish to bite.