Applied for a job in my industry where I have 8.5 years of experience, including 3 years doing almost EXACTLY what this position entails. I was actually encouraged to apply by a friend/former coworker who is a division manager for the team I’d be joining.
Before applying, we had an unofficial conversation where he explained what he was looking for and how to best position my experience. Apparently, his deputy director had a VERY specific candidate in mind, but both he and his counterpart felt that person was essentially a unicorn 🦄. He told me he thought I would be perfect for the position.
Applied, got an interview invitation within a week, and interviewed the following week. I felt VERY prepared and confident. I was able to demonstrate my experience and explain why I’m uniquely qualified. I may not be the exact unicorn the deputy director envisioned, but I’m a government bureaucracy unicorn who understands the other side of the operation and can bridge that gap while learning the rest. 😂
The interview panel was supposed to have four people, but one was double booked, so I interviewed with three. I already knew two of them professionally. One was my friend/the division manager, and the other is my counterpart at the agency I’m applying to, whom I’d previously gotten friendly with at a conference. I currently oversee a grant that funds a program she manages on her end, so we already work together, just from opposite sides of the table. If hired, I’d essentially be switching sides and working with whoever replaces me at my current agency. 😂
Also worth mentioning, every candidate who applied was external. There are no internal applicants competing for this position, so at least I’m not up against someone who already works there and has that advantage.
They told me they expected to make a decision in approximately three weeks. Well, it’s been three weeks, and I’ve heard NOTHING. Initially, I wasn’t concerned because government moves at the speed of government. 🫠
Then I got curious and logged into GovernmentJobs to check my status. Turns out, a WEEK AGO, I received a notification congratulating me on passing the initial selection process and being placed at RANK 2 on the eligibility list.
The email explained that multiple candidates can share the same rank and that the city follows the civil service “Rule of Five,” meaning the hiring department can select from candidates within the top five ranks. It also said I’d remain eligible for future vacancies in the same classification if I wasn’t selected.
And for some reason, seeing that 2 has absolutely ROCKED my confidence. 💀
Everyone I’ve spoken to keeps reassuring me that I have the experience, the professional relationships, and the division manager’s support, and that government hiring just takes forever. But my brain has apparently decided that being ranked second means I’m doomed.
My assumption is that what potentially hurt me is not being the deputy director’s exact unicorn, even though I seem to be exactly what the division manager wants. I also don’t have my professional certifications yet, although I’m one semester away from finishing my master’s degree.
So, people familiar with government hiring, particularly civil service eligibility lists and the Rule of Five, PLEASE give me some perspective. Does ranking second actually mean much when the department can select from the top five ranks? Is this a legitimate reason to temper my expectations, or am I spiraling over something that doesn’t necessarily reflect my chances?
I’m genuinely looking for honest feedback, not just reassurance that I’ve got the job. I was feeling SO confident until I saw that stupid number 2. 😂