Colorado Governor's Office of Information Technology Interview Questions
& Process

It took over a month to get a response from the recruiters and managers. After that, there were two interviews about a week apart. The first one, the manager did most of the talking, explaining OIT and a bit about the job. They asked me two behavioral questions. The second interview was a panel with two managers, an architect, and someone else. Mostly behavioral questions were asked, plus a few background ones, but nothing very technical. I got rejected about a week and a half later, and I know that was the last step, but I'm not sure why.

First, I had to complete an online test. I don't recall the exact questions, but it wasn't too hard; it mostly seemed to check work experience and weed out candidates. After passing that, I had to submit a 10-question essay focusing on my past experience. Then, I was invited to a group presentation interview. We were given a vague question by the coordinator and had to give a 5-minute presentation with no further details or chance for questions. About 10 of us presented, and then we had to evaluate each other. Finally, I had 3 one-on-one in-person interviews with management.

For any job, especially government ones, it's vital to network. Find someone who knows someone to introduce you to the hiring manager. Government roles have strict processes, and Colorado is no exception. They emailed to schedule a phone interview, giving only 1-2 time slots 1-2 days out. The interviewer had 6 questions, then asked for clarification. I then got another email to schedule a face-to-face interview with a panel. I knew one panelist but they didn't know much about the position. This interview was casual, and I drove it by asking questions. The final interview with the hiring manager was also casual and ran long, which is usually a good sign. I followed up each interview with an email highlighting my strengths. This was critical because the panel questioned my technical experience, and I addressed it in my email, which moved me forward. The hiring manager called to say they chose someone with more technical experience. I didn't get the job but expanded my network.

It was a pretty standard online business meeting with the usual round robin questions. I'd interviewed with them before and declined another interview, so I was feeling pretty confident. The hiring team started by telling me not to worry about the 4 open positions, which I found odd since I usually see that as a good sign from my government experience. One interviewer also felt the need to mention she was leaving soon under good terms, which I thought was a weird way to introduce the company. My main issue isn't with the interview itself, but with their terrible communication afterward – I basically got ghosted. Looking back, I see things I could have answered better and understand why they passed on me. I actually used this experience to prep for another state agency interview a week later where I got an offer, but there's no excuse for not getting back to people. The job is still posted, so I guess they'll get to everyone eventually. It feels like they just leave candidates hanging. Since I've had success getting interviews with them before, I don't think I'll apply again because of their poor communication. It left me with the impression they don't care about respectful communication and might have a high staff turnover. That said, I wish them well with their mission as a resident and will keep supporting them, just not by joining them.