City of Sunnyvale Interview Questions
& Process

It's a typical government interview process. First, there's a panel interview with people from different government agencies, usually from the Bay Area. They call it an oral test, lasts about 30 minutes and has 8-10 questions that are the same for everyone. If you pass that, you go to an in-person interview with the hiring manager and the team. I got through the oral test, but didn't make it to the second round.

So I applied for this job online and after the closing date, I got an email to show up for an oral panel interview. It was weird because I'm from Florida and this was in California and I felt like it was a waste of time and money. I think you just have to show up when they tell you to. This wasn't even the real interview for the job, just a screening. I got to the interview and they took me to a cubicle and gave me a written test on calculating storage tank secondary containment volume and writing a complaint letter. Then, they gave me a list of the people doing the oral interview and asked if I knew any of them. I didn't, so I went to the next panel. They told me they hadn't seen my resume and I couldn't give them a copy. I had 30 minutes to answer seven questions, and they were recording it. The interviewers were really cold and explained the process again. The seven questions were right there in front of me, and they said they couldn't explain them. They took turns reading the questions and took notes. Four questions were about specific knowledge like hazardous materials, storage tanks, and city codes. I asked about the hiring process and found out it was a screen interview and if I did well, I'd move to the next level. Later that afternoon, I got a phone call about my availability. I said I was leaving the next day but could extend, and they said they'd be in touch. A week later, I got an email asking for personal info like my birth certificate and marriage license, plus a super invasive 25-page Personal History Statement. I sent it all in and never heard back. I emailed and called but finally called HR and found out there was an internal candidate. It felt like a total waste of my time and money. They gave me the option to shred or return my personal documents, so I asked for them back. It was all for nothing, and my privacy was violated by the background check questions. They said 50% of people fail the background check.

Before you interview with the hiring department, you gotta pass this oral board exam. It's got like 3 raters, and at least one is an outside expert. They time you based on how many questions they ask. They give you the questions when you get there, but you can't take them with you. If you score 70% or higher, you get put on a list that's good for a year. Hiring managers use this list to fill openings. The first 5 people on the list get interviewed by the hiring department. If they don't pick anyone from those 5, the next 5 move up, and this keeps going until someone gets hired. If the list runs out or gets canceled, they might post the job again.

I heard about a job and had someone submit my resume for me. About 2 weeks later, I got a call for an interview with two people. It was a behavioral interview where they asked about my best performance and my weakness. After that, I was invited back to give a presentation to three people, and they told me I was one of two candidates. Within a week, I got the offer, and it was fair. Then I had to do a background check, which I passed.