USDA Rural Development Interview Questions
& Process

It was a two-step process. The first step was a screening panel interview that lasted almost an hour and was mostly unstructured. The second step was a half-day process that involved a presentation and meetings with management and a team of experts.

It was a phone panel interview with the supervisor and three other employees. Typical interview questions were asked, such as tell me about yourself and describe a time when I worked on multiple projects and had to prioritize deadlines. Overall, it was a pretty easy interview and the panel was friendly. I initially thought that I did not get the position after over a month had gone by and no news had come up. In my experience, federal agencies usually contact you within three weeks to let you know you were chosen or go on radio silence if you didn't get the position. Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to see that they had reached out an offer to me but by then, I had already accepted a position with another agency.

I had a phone interview with really bad sound quality. Then there was a group call where everyone was talking over each other. I didn't get the job, which is fine, but they never called me back. I had to email them to find out what happened.

I had a panel interview with my immediate supervisor, the area manager, and the area director. They each had their own set of questions they took turns asking. At the end, I got to ask them my questions. I had a few questions ready and asked them to the right people.