I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA) in May 2014
Interview
The initial process of determining whether I would be referred for an interview took approximately 3 weeks. When I received a call to set up an interview the hiring manager used an outdated calendar for scheduling purposes, which led to some initial confusion. There were two managers who conducted the interview and both were friendly and pleasant. I have an extensive background in art education and it seemed as though the managers were uncertain as to why I would want to leave my present career to become a patent design examiner. The first part of the interview requires you to complete a written examination. I do not suggest interviewing via teleconference as the written exam was provided in a PDF format with a time limit of 15 mins. There was not enough time to print and review the 6 page document and it was extremely difficult to complete scrolling back and forth on a computer screen. It was also necessary to draw and circle specific items on the document, which was nearly impossible to complete in a PDF file with the provided time constraints.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions were quite standard, but be prepared with background knowledge of basic patents. The US Patent Office has a helpful video that is accessible online
I applied online. The process took 5 months. I interviewed at US Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA) in Jan 2024
Interview
I applied on the USAJobs website about 4 months before I got an acceptance.
The application forms on the website were pretty long, and I recommend being as comprehensive about any research or extracurriculars you can without being too technical. If you were the kind of person (like me) who tried out a bunch of different clubs and research opportunities at university and never quite fit into one but understood what they were about, that seems to be attractive in their criteria. Having a good GPA also seems to be more desired here than for many other private sector jobs.
3 months later I got a request for an online interview that I could complete in 1 week. They’re generic STAR questions except for the first ones which were explaining what a patent examiner does and also why you’d be a good fit. I think these are the only questions they care deeply about, so have a good comprehensive answer that fits in 5 minutes. Do your research.
Admittedly, I kinda stumbled through the other questions because I didn’t practice them enough, but I still answered them. And somehow I still got an offer a month later.
The main takeaways from my own observations are as follows: they’re looking for candidates that did a bunch of different stuff, can talk about it, and are academically talented. And they want candidates that do their own research.
Also, the process is really slow from interview to starting; it was about half a year for me. Find a job that pays your rent in the meantime.