California Department of Water Resources Interview Questions
& Process

I was in a room with three interviewers. They gave me a piece of paper with basic questions about my skills for the job, my experience, and what motivates me. I had 10 minutes to get ready to answer them.

Interviewed for an IT developer role that specialized in a particular software. The interview itself followed a standard state-government format where multiple panelists took turns asking questions. The primary interviewer (the manager) was quite rude and condescending, cutting me off multiple times during the interview. It was a really bad interviewing experience.

Applied through Calcareers and got an interview about a week later. Upon arrival, one interviewer was late, and there were technical difficulties, which ate up about 10 minutes. Two interviewers were good, but one lady was condescending, interrupting me and telling me to 'Just stick to the prompt question,' even though I was providing background context using the STAR method before giving examples. This was the worst of my 5 state interviews.

I went through the interview process in March 2022. About two weeks later, they indicated interest and requested references, which I supplied. They even contacted my supervisor abroad. Things seemed to be progressing well. However, there was silence for a few weeks. I reached out for an update, and they mentioned the hiring process was still being finalized and asked for patience. It wasn't until June that I received a letter stating that although the selection was challenging, another candidate was chosen. The most challenging aspect was the waiting period; I was very keen on this role and monitored my email for updates for months.