Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO Forum

[Anonymous User]

Current examining attorney here. I just wanted to clear up some confusion. For the last several years (and I am not saying that this hasn’t changed for this time around, but I doubt it), and what my experience was with respect to the the hiring procedure, has been the following:

(1) Hiree will receive a phone call “ soft offer” from a senior or managing attorney, not HR. (Note: the managing / senior attorney won’t necessarily be in hiree’s future law office.) Hireee will be asked if s/he is still interested in the position and whether it’s okay to contact references. If you receive this call, you are as good as hired (barring some very unusual circumstances such as you lied on resume, you’re not a US citizen, or have some major skeletons in your closet).

(2) Refrences called.

(3) Receive infromal tentative offer call from HR. They will explain some specifics regarding the job such as pay, etc., and will ask if still interested in the job.

(4) Recieve email with “tentative offer” and request to fill out and submit preliminary background investigation forms and get fingerprinted.

(5) Recieve email with “formal offer” and request to fill out and submit additional, more substantial, background investigation forms.

Good luck, everybody!

Thank you for this, it is very helpful. We are less than 5 weeks away from start date. How long does this process take as to when the Hiree can actually rely on an offer so they can properly effect the current notice/move gauntlet? This is terrifyingly razor-thin margin as it is.

[Anonymous User]

That would make yesterday's report likely legit then. Makes me think that I have not succeeded this time around.

[Anonymous User]

That would make yesterday's report likely legit then. Makes me think that I have not succeeded this time around.

Does anyone know whether in the past applicants were called all on one day or over a few days? I want to be realistic with my chances.

[Anonymous User]

In the past, soft offer calls went out over the corse of days or even weeks, not all on the same day.

[Anonymous User]

That would make yesterday's report likely legit then. Makes me think that I have not succeeded this time around.

Does anyone know whether in the past applicants were called all on one day or over a few days? I want to be realistic with my chances.

I went back to the last hiring round, where they interviewed folks for an October class and a January Class. For the October class (starting 10/29/18), two people heard on 9/24 (and one false alarm), and one person heard on 10/1. For the January class (starting 1/7/2019), 2 people heard on 10/2, one heard on 10/3, one heard on 10/11, and one even heard on 10/22 (after they decided to increase the class size).

I think the takeaway here is that most candidates are not on this thread, and so it's going to be impossible to divine how the supervisory attorneys/HR do things based on past results here.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you all for all the info!

For those who've been through the interview process before and didn't get selected, how long did it take the USPTO to notify you?

Also, do you all know how many times a year they hire? Seems to be at least a couple...

Good luck everyone!

[Anonymous User]

Thank you all for all the info!

For those who've been through the interview process before and didn't get selected, how long did it take the USPTO to notify you?

Also, do you all know how many times a year they hire? Seems to be at least a couple...

Good luck everyone!

So are most people assuming that if we have not been contacted that we did not get the job?

[Anonymous User]

Usually H.R. handles everything once the manager has made a decision. Having a manager extend even a soft offer is not at all typical of federal government hiring procudures. Extending any type of offer before calling references is also odd as there would be little point in even calling references if even a soft offer had been made. Also soft offers are not typical of federal government.

Having been through this previously and hearing from other people, the process is generally HR calls candidates asking for permission to speak to references. This serves as the soft offer, if no issues arise with references then a few days later they call with a firm offer and your start date.

But I agree that a managing attorney reaching out is out of the norm and the person who claimed to receive a call is likely lying, possibly the same person who liked last Tuesday.

Can't be the first troll of the new week if ya wait till Tuesday. Who wants to be this week's sacrificial lamb that calls McGrath for the official statement that decisions have not been made yet and report back to us?

I jumped on that grenade. HR contact's VM says he is out of office for the first half of this week and McGrath's line is going straight to voicemail. I guess that means they are in NO COMMENT mode?

[Anonymous User]

Usually H.R. handles everything once the manager has made a decision. Having a manager extend even a soft offer is not at all typical of federal government hiring procudures. Extending any type of offer before calling references is also odd as there would be little point in even calling references if even a soft offer had been made. Also soft offers are not typical of federal government.

Having been through this previously and hearing from other people, the process is generally HR calls candidates asking for permission to speak to references. This serves as the soft offer, if no issues arise with references then a few days later they call with a firm offer and your start date.

But I agree that a managing attorney reaching out is out of the norm and the person who claimed to receive a call is likely lying, possibly the same person who liked last Tuesday.

Can't be the first troll of the new week if ya wait till Tuesday. Who wants to be this week's sacrificial lamb that calls McGrath for the official statement that decisions have not been made yet and report back to us?

I jumped on that grenade. HR contact's VM says he is out of office for the first half of this week and McGrath's line is going straight to voicemail. I guess that means they are in NO COMMENT mode?

Thanks for calling, o brave one I wouldn't read too much into HR contact being out the first half of this week, since the first steps are done by the managing/supervising attorneys, not HR. HR doesn't seem to get involved until after references are contacted...unless I have it wrong and HR is the one who contacts references?

[aaronsmith11]

Thank you all for all the info!

For those who've been through the interview process before and didn't get selected, how long did it take the USPTO to notify you?

Also, do you all know how many times a year they hire? Seems to be at least a couple...

Good luck everyone!

They won't tell you that you were not chosen until at least march 11 the start date so they can keep their options open. Or seems like a month after that you get the usajobs notice.

They usually hire once a year in the fall, but they've done it more often the last year due to increased hiring.

[camdunne]

Usually H.R. handles everything once the manager has made a decision. Having a manager extend even a soft offer is not at all typical of federal government hiring procudures. Extending any type of offer before calling references is also odd as there would be little point in even calling references if even a soft offer had been made. Also soft offers are not typical of federal government.

Having been through this previously and hearing from other people, the process is generally HR calls candidates asking for permission to speak to references. This serves as the soft offer, if no issues arise with references then a few days later they call with a firm offer and your start date.

But I agree that a managing attorney reaching out is out of the norm and the person who claimed to receive a call is likely lying, possibly the same person who liked last Tuesday.

Can't be the first troll of the new week if ya wait till Tuesday. Who wants to be this week's sacrificial lamb that calls McGrath for the official statement that decisions have not been made yet and report back to us?

I jumped on that grenade. HR contact's VM says he is out of office for the first half of this week and McGrath's line is going straight to voicemail. I guess that means they are in NO COMMENT mode?

Just called, McGrath answered and would only say they have begun calling for reference checks.

[Anonymous User]

I just received a call asking to check references. They said I should hear back from HR within a couple weeks with a firm offer if everything checks out. They also said the start date has been pushed back to March 18.

Good luck and I hope everyone receives some great news soon!

[ericosaur]

I just received a call asking to check references. They said I should hear back from HR within a couple weeks with a firm offer if everything checks out. They also said the start date has been pushed back to March 18.

Good luck and I hope everyone receives some great news soon!

Thanks for the update and Congrats to you, and to all those who have received calls so far!

[Anonymous User]

I think today it's the day. If no call today then probably not a first choice. But some people will realize they can't make it work so there will be some random calls for another two weeks.

[Anonymous User]

Anybody heard anything today? Very much losing faith now.

[Anonymous User]

My faith would be totally gone if I had seen anyone else here that got a call but yeah, I figure it's over.

[Anonymous User]

Nothing here. Someone posted earlier that an interviewing attorney said that they plan to notify everyone, including those who weren't selected, at the start of February. I'm wondering if that will actually happen...

[Anonymous User]

Nothing as well. As painful as it is to extend the suspense, I'm going to hold out hope that Friday is the last day they'll be calling people for reference checks, if only because I don't want to think about the alternative right now.

[Anonymous User]

Nothing here either. I wonder what time they call people at? Should I be extra aware of my phone during lunch? After 5? The anticipation is killing me.

[S.P.F. 30]

Nothing as well. As painful as it is to extend the suspense, I'm going to hold out hope that Friday is the last day they'll be calling people for reference checks, if only because I don't want to think about the alternative right now.

They won't. There is a strong chance that at least some of those selected will not actually be able to take the job due to the close start date or some problem with the background check.

They need to be able to call the next few picks that were right on the cut line and offer then the spots instead. Unfortunately, this need to backfill late means they have to keep you available and can't tell you any time soon that you didn't get the job.

[S.P.F. 30]

Nothing as well. As painful as it is to extend the suspense, I'm going to hold out hope that Friday is the last day they'll be calling people for reference checks, if only because I don't want to think about the alternative right now.

They won't. There is a strong chance that at least some of those selected will not actually be able to take the job due to the close start date or some problem with the background check.

They need to be able to call the next few picks that were right on the cut line and offer then the spots instead. Unfortunately, this need to backfill late means they have to keep you available and can't tell you any time soon that you didn't get the job.

My apologies. This was meant as a response to the post regarding notification to the interviewees not currently selected. I also hope that the first round calls are still going out today and Friday.

[Anonymous User]

I started in January, and a friend of mine applied for the March. He got a call yesterday for references, and was under the impression that calls are still going out.

FWIW, although a lot of people in the January class were receiving calls in October, several of us didn't receive calls until well into November.

[Anonymous User]

I started in January, and a friend of mine applied for the March. He got a call yesterday for references, and was under the impression that calls are still going out.

FWIW, although a lot of people in the January class were receiving calls in October, several of us didn't receive calls until well into November.

Yeah, only one class this time around and it starts in 4.5-5.5 weeks, depending on the source. However, I'm not sure which is worse, a prolonged torment notice window or a short last-minute notice window.

[Anonymous User]

For those of you who have to move to DC if selected for this job, is there a point at which you would decline an offer? In other words, if you were to get a call X days from the start date offering you the job, how small would X have to be for you to justify turning the job down?

I am facing the prospect of moving for this job, and while I don’t think mine would be a terribly complicated move, I’ve been wondering how long this process could go on before I didn’t feel like I could reasonably pull it off anymore. I’d have to give notice on my current apartment, arrange movers, find a new place, and do all of the admin stuff (reregister my car, forward my mail, arrange utilities, etc). That’s a lot to do in 4 weeks let alone 2 or 1.

[Anonymous User]

For those of you who have to move to DC if selected for this job, is there a point at which you would decline an offer? In other words, if you were to get a call X days from the start date offering you the job, how small would X have to be for you to justify turning the job down?

I am facing the prospect of moving for this job, and while I don’t think mine would be a terribly complicated move, I’ve been wondering how long this process could go on before I didn’t feel like I could reasonably pull it off anymore. I’d have to give notice on my current apartment, arrange movers, find a new place, and do all of the admin stuff (reregister my car, forward my mail, arrange utilities, etc). That’s a lot to do in 4 weeks let alone 2 or 1.

Depends on a bunch of things like: 1) how far out you are; 2) your support network (family, friends, etc.) both at home and in the DVM region; and 3) extra 'baggage' (spouse, kid, pet..) you would also need to relocate.

Even for a semi-local (you can drive up on weekends to tour apartments and such) relocation, only 3-4 weeks might be right on the edge of being to big an ask. Anything further out than that is a crapshoot as DVM region is generally not a place you want to house hunt for sight unseen. You'd really want to see traffic patterns and physical locations.