State of New Jersey Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process involved a Zoom call followed by an in-person meeting with a total of five people. Onboarding is done online. The entire process takes place within three weeks. The longest part of the process is the actual hire date. All in all, it was a fair process.

The interview process was well-organized and straightforward once you were invited to interview. Just be ready and be yourself. Being professional really helps. You should be prepared to discuss your past work, your schooling, any training you've had, and your extracurriculars. Sharing personal stories can highlight your soft skills, which are pretty important.

It was a long interview process, taking over 4 months from when I applied to when I got the call for an interview. The interview itself was in-person in Trenton and involved a panel of 3 interviewers. The role seemed to be more demanding than what was advertised in the job posting. This particular group was on the smaller side and had a really heavy workload. It's a common misconception that state workers don't do much; we actually handle a lot with very limited resources and staff. Also, there appeared to be a significant amount of bureaucracy involved. The office environment was cramped and felt outdated. The staff seemed overwhelmed and generally unhappy.

I applied in March for an analyst trainee position. I was excited because it didn't have any experience requirements. Also I lived not that far and it was a state job (good benefits). However I never heard anything back until 3 months later. I was shocked because I was already working. However I didn't want to give up this chance. I also thought I had a good possibility of getting the job because they called me back. The good: I was called. The Bad: A complete waste of my time. I went to the interview. I was interviewed by 3 people. I was asked to take an excel test (brush up on your pivot tables). That was it. I was walked out and was told that they "would let me know." What a lie. A previous reviewer wrote that the state takes long to make a decision. She stated it took 8 months. So I decided based on this to call 1 months later. I called and they still didn't make up their mind. I called 2 months later and still the position wasn't filled. I called 3 moths later and still no word. Finally the fourth month the secretary told me she didn't know and that my resume was forwarded to HR. Please don't be naive like me. Don't waste your time applying to these "analyst trainee" position. My best best is that by law they have to post an opening but someone "in house" or a connection will get that job.