Applied on usajobs.gov. I am a recent college graduate with a high GPA but it took well over a year and hundreds of applications before I got my first federal job. I kind of wonder if getting into a good graduate school separated me from the fold as I was not called for this position until after I updated my federal resume. The phone interview mainly just involved reiterating what the job posting said. The recruiters main issue was making sure I was not about to run off and join the military and if my grad school classes hampered by availability (If you really want a job, continue your education, but take classes online, half-time or less. No employer wants to hear that you do not have full availability, even if a job only promises you 15 hours a week). You have to do a lot of paperwork and get an unclassified security clearance. All together a total of four months passed between applying for the job and my first day of work.

They called me and said i was selected for the position and that i would receive paperwork for it within the week. That was in July...it is now September. I keep calling to try to figure out what is going on and they don't know and quite frankly don't care. I've turned down jobs waiting for them to get it together. Thankfully i'm working a really great seasonal position. Waste of time and very unorganized/unprofessional.