Va Hiring Process 2019

it's a waiting game

Have you heard anything? I am in a similar situation..applied for a position in Feb, was referred a few days later. 3 weeks later had a call for an interview & ended up interviewing the next day via telephone with a panel of people on speaker phone who asked questions that really didn't seem to have much to do w/the position. I didn't think I did well for a variety of reasons however a week later I received an email asking for references. I too have not heard anything else. I have checked usajobs.gov for a status update but it's still the same from back in Feb. I also, a week after submitting references, tried to reach the person who asked for them as well as obtain an update from HR. No one has responded. It's been 2 going on 3 weeks now. I know one of the references has not been contacted so I am assuming the hiring manager changed her mind or I am not the primary contender for the position. Hopefully your situation will be more positive.

Hey I did hear back and I did not get the job. I hope your outcome is different.

I currently work for the VA. It's a long process. Send in your references and wait. That's how it works, but it's worth it.

It usually takes several months. It took 5 months for my transfer without the same hospital to go through all the VA paperwork. The best thing you can do is make sure that your references return their paperwork asap.It will still take months but that part often slows them down even more.

the hiring process is long for the VA. After I accepted an offer I didn't start until 4 months later. Govt jobs lots of red tape.

Hiring process is long and slow, as student intern it took me about 5 months to onboard (for a 10month/1 academic year placement!) For a friend hired into a permanent position it took 9 months from when she applied to new hire orientation!

For me the process remains not only slow but confusing..I have been asked by 3 different people for information I have submitted several times before only to be told by a 4th person that the selection was already made (meaning not me) but this was during the time I was being told by others I was still being considered and asked for information. Literally getting both of these calls a few hours apart! What I am assuming is their first choice is either unsure about accepting the offer or there is some other concern the first choice will fall through and they are unable to locate the information I have already submitted at least once. I don't understand why the process can't be at least somewhat straight forward. The lack of response is a problem but then when there is contact it's confusing or contradictory and makes the stress of waiting worse. I am continuing to apply other places, interview other places and if it works out and I am still interested, great, if not, that's OK too. I would suggest to anyone applying not to place too much into the fact they ask for information - references included - and keep applying other places. Like most on here who have posted about the process, it's long and involved and no guarantee. ALL of those who asked me for references confirm that they check or will check for anyone they are considering - not just the person who is the first choice - including a current supervisor - so keep that in mind as for some that only can be a problem.

Now you see why veterans get so upset and discouraged. It’s the same for them when they try to seek care through the VA. The lack of communication is frightening, paperwork continuous gets lost, one person doesn’t know what the person standing next to them is doing, etc. I’m sure some facilities are better than others, but this sounds eerily similar to the aggravation we went through getting my ex-husband the care he needed. :/

It depends. From start to finish it took me 2-3 months to get in. It really depends on the HR department. Every VA is different. Some are better than others.

On 4/13/2019 at 8:17 PM, Brooke2009 said:

Now you see why veterans get so upset and discouraged. It’s the same for them when they try to seek care through the VA. The lack of communication is frightening, paperwork continuous gets lost, one person doesn’t know what the person standing next to them is doing, etc. I’m sure some facilities are better than others, but this sounds eerily similar to the aggravation we went through getting my ex-husband the care he needed. ?

This also depends on the VA. The VA I work at is one of the better ones in the system and we are pretty good about getting people scheduled. I know when I go to schedule an appointment I usually can see them in an amount of time comparable to or sometimes better than private sector.

You did hit the nail square on the head though about communication. No one talks to each other! As a vet and a RN there it is so frustrating. Upper management does you no favors either.

I'll give my 2-cents prefaced with that I am myself a veteran who has gone through a few different VAs from a patient's perspective, and I have applied (as a nurse with 5+ years experience) to hundreds of VA positions (and recently just got hired).

From what it seems (based on my experience and forums I've read in the past), if you receive an informal job offer (or tentative offer as they seem to call it), that seems to be solid as long as they don't discover anything bad or that you lied about on your application... but there could still be pitfalls such as downsizing or hiring freezes. I'd be 100% certain to not provide any misleading information at any stage of this process... although my mother was hired at a VA even though she told me she accidentally was over a year inaccurate regarding experience on some of her previous jobs so it might not be a big deal.

Everyone responding who speaks on each VA being different is 100% correct. I've had great experiences as a student and patient at the Cleveland VA. I've had not-so-great experiences both as a patient and pre-employment candidate at multiple other VAs. The VA hiring me in a small town in Texas by far seems to be one of the best experiences I've had to-date (I'm not saying that just because they hired me, but because they legitimately are warm and welcoming in all communications).

VA application and hiring timeline:

1/6/2019 – applied for position (open announcement with prolonged close date)

1/10/2019 – notice of referral

1/15/2019 – phone interview appointment made for 1/17/2019

1/17/2019 – phone interview conducted (very positive)

2/1/2019 – informal job offer received via phone

2/5/2019 – tentative job offer received via email; completed new hire questionnaire and OF-306

2/11/2019 – received VETPRO instructions, completed VETPRO, sent official transcripts

Between 2/6/2019 and 2/25/2019 had multiple conversations with hiring VA and the VA performing the “Courtesy” fingerprinting and physicial

2/25/2019 – fingerprinting and physical completed by "courtesy" VA

2/27/2019 – return for TB skin test completed

3/8/2019 – HR received and informed me of salary information from the “Board”

3/20/2019 – e-QIP process started by HR, submitted e-QIP

4/3/2019 – HR confirmed the “courtesy” physical neglected to include a drug test, scheduled a drug test on-site with hiring VA; also confirmed e-QIP “was on desk” and good to go (I don’t think the background check was completed, but was enough through the process to move forward)

4/05/2019 – “DT” drug test completed on-site

4/15/2019 – received phone official job offer and email official job offer.

From my understanding, this is a relatively standard timeframe. I've read horror stories of taking years to get through, and I've seen with my own mother the process taking less than a month... but the average process seems to be about 3-5 months. I wouldn't get too excited or discouraged from any particular step in the process. There are a lot of "hands in the pot" and they don't always speak with each other. As I mentioned, this is the 4th position in the VA that I was interviewed for, and probably close to the 200th that I've applied to. I hope this information helps some others who are looking for answers.

My word of advice, pay close attention to the hiring managers' inflection and mood during the interview, as well as the nurse recruiters' demeanor (to determine if it will be a friendly or hostile work environment)... and if you want to get into the VA, don't just apply at your local VA.