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Interview process for a software developer within the government

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Mar 30, 2010
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Interview process for a software developer within the government

I'm a software developer that loathes coding tests as part of the interview process because 1) I don't code on paper in the real world and 2) I can't work with people looking over my shoulder.

I'm applying for a software developer job within the government and am wondering what their interview process is like. Most importantly, do they require candidates to do coding tests as part of their interview process?
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Mar 2, 2020
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Interview process in govt is very different than corporate world. In govt they have preset written questions. When you answer panel is busy in writing your answers rather than having a eye contact and have meaningful discussion. As a coder you can expect to write a query or solve a quick small problem.
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The interview in government is generally some sort of test, not your typical "tell me about yourself" stuff...that stuff should have been already disclosed with your submission on why you qualified for the position.
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Thanks.

I haven't submitted my application yet; I've only found an open position that I like and I'm currently just working on updating my resume.

Sounds like the test (if I get that far) will be relevant to what the job actually entails, which is more than I can say for the shitty Google-wanna-be private companies that make candidates write syntactically correct sorting algorithms on a whiteboard.

How long do they usually take to extend an offer from the time the application is submitted? Glassdoor says anywhere between 2 months to a year, which is a pretty big range.
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Aug 16, 2008
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dc200 wrote: Thanks.

I haven't submitted my application yet; I've only found an open position that I like and I'm currently just working on updating my resume.

Sounds like the test (if I get that far) will be relevant to what the job actually entails, which is more than I can say for the shitty Google-wanna-be private companies that make candidates write syntactically correct sorting algorithms on a whiteboard.

How long do they usually take to extend an offer from the time the application is submitted? Glassdoor says anywhere between 2 months to a year, which is a pretty big range.
Honestly I haven't seen many companies administer white boarding or pseudocode tests much any more. The last time I had a coding test was via hackerrank (similar to top coder).

Not every company administers these tests even for coding jobs. If you're not getting offers, it's probably more than just your lack of pressure coding skills.
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unowned wrote: Honestly I haven't seen many companies administer white boarding or pseudocode tests much any more. The last time I had a coding test was via hackerrank (similar to top coder).

Not every company administers these tests even for coding jobs. If you're not getting offers, it's probably more than just your lack of pressure coding skills.
I haven't applied anywhere yet. This is going to be my first time re-entering the job market after more than 8 years because I think it's time for a change.

What I said earlier about coding tests was based on what my friends had told me a few years ago when they were still looking.

Still, I'm glad to hear that these tests aren't as commonplace as I thought.
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Jul 4, 2004
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I'm not sure what you mean by "government" but if you mean Federal Government, there are dozens of departments and thousands of teams and it really depends on the team and I suspect every interview will be different. Some will just have a few vague oral questions, some will have written tests some will have a test on a computer where you have to complete snippets of code to complete the desired task. Among those with written tests, some are a few questions by yourself, some are several hours long "exam style" in auditorium with many other candidates (not necessarily all writting the same test or applying for same positions). Some departments have day-long intensive technical interviews.
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Pay for software devs in govt sucks though. I think it maxes out at like 87k or something unless you move into management, which you can't do if you don't know french.
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BeapChastard wrote: Pay for software devs in govt sucks though. I think it maxes out at like 87k or something unless you move into management, which you can't do if you don't know french.
For the most part this is correct. There are some "tech CS-03" and even "tech CS-04" positions but from my experience they are quite rare and if you want to stay in software development as a software developer, most departments limit that to CS-02.
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Feb 15, 2016
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WetCoastGuy wrote: The interview in government is generally some sort of test, not your typical "tell me about yourself" stuff...that stuff should have been already disclosed with your submission on why you qualified for the position.
I have noticed this as well
There is usually a test involved in the interview process

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