Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO Forum

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:02 am

I got an email yesterday regarding permission for reference checks. This was for March class. I know many of you are waiting to hear back, so check your phones and emails. I thought the pto was going to call and didn’t see my email until this morning. I guess the pto is still considering candidates for other classes so hang on tight. I hope this helps!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:32 am

Thanks for the update! Still nothing on my end, but at least I know the status. Wondering is the worst - knowing and moving on to my Plan B (when I come up with one) is better.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:32 am

Anonymous User wrote:I got an email yesterday regarding permission for reference checks. This was for March class. I know many of you are waiting to hear back, so check your phones and emails. I thought the pto was going to call and didn’t see my email until this morning. I guess the pto is still considering candidates for other classes so hang on tight. I hope this helps!
I'm the poster from a couple days ago that was contacted last Thursday about references. For what it's worth, I still haven't heard anything since then in terms of a formal offer, so the hiring just seems to be moving glacially slow. Considering I was one of the first ones on here to mention the reference call, I assumed it was for the January class, so everyone here should have plenty of hope based on that and this recent post for only the March class.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:04 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I got an email yesterday regarding permission for reference checks. This was for March class. I know many of you are waiting to hear back, so check your phones and emails. I thought the pto was going to call and didn’t see my email until this morning. I guess the pto is still considering candidates for other classes so hang on tight. I hope this helps!
Congrats! I also got a reference check e-mail for the March class yesterday. Does anyone know if it's true that once they start calling references, you're basically guaranteed to get an offer so long as everything on your resume checks out?

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:20 pm

Hey everyone -- I discovered this thread a few days ago (kicking myself for not finding it 2 months ago), combed through every single post, and figured I'd weigh in. I received a call from a manager last Thursday - 12/14 - asking to contact my references. This was for the May start date, so based on other posts it looks like they're contacting people from all three classes at random.

Also, manager called me today (to clear up something with references) and said that HR is out of office and should be back in "a few days".. I'm assuming that means after Christmas but hopefully before NYE. So that might be the reason things are lagging.

Has anyone else heard anything?

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:40 pm

Yes, you basically have the job, barring anything horrid from your references. Congrats!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:41 pm

I received a call to contact references last Thursday. They were contacted that same day and I got a call and follow-up email with my 'tentative offer' letter from HR on this past Tuesday for the January start date. They said they just needed to contact my HR to give me the official offer. Not sure how long that will take, but with the holiday and impending possible shut down who knows.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:46 pm

So what I'm seeing is there is truly no rhyme or reason to when things are going to happen for which classes. Also, does anyone else find it counterintuitive for HR to be out during a big wave of hires, before the holiday, and before a possible government shutdown? This is likely my impatience speaking, but still.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:53 pm

I am not sure who has experience with the federal government here, but as a fed myself, to be fair to them this is an extremely fast hiring process for the amount of people they are on-boarding/interviewing/reviewing. Also, a lot of federal employees have 'use or lose' leave they have to take by January first, so I would cut a little slack and wish everyone the best! I am sure January is the priority and others will hear after the holidays.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:46 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Looks like there is some movement. One of my references was called (I haven’t confirmed with the other 2).
Did they contact you first before calling your references?
Yes. Same as with older posts in this thread, I was told it was not an offer since that would come from HR but that they were seeking permission to check my references.
When did they call you to ask if they could contact your references? And what class did they say you're in?
Sorry for the delay. They called last Thursday and it was for the May class. Haven’t heard anything else so far.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:03 pm

I'm the optimistic person from a couple days ago. I still haven't heard a thing about reference checks, but it gives me hope that some people received reference check emails yesterday! It sounds like it's a staggered process and perhaps different managers are contacting people for their groups at different times. Still holding on to hope that I'll hear something by next Friday. If I don't hear anything by then, I'll call HR to follow up. I'd rather receive a rejection than nothing at all, but an offer would be amazing!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:24 pm

I love your optimism and I am rooting for you!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:18 pm

................
Last edited by Anonymous User on Sun Dec 24, 2017 6:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:35 pm

Anyone else get a call or email about reference checks yesterday (Thursday) or today? Or has that ship already sailed?

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 22, 2017 6:00 pm

I was e-mailed about an hour ago asking if it was okay to contact my references--this is for March--I was SUPER anxious because I hadn't heard anything, it looks like they are going to continue asking people about contacting references into the next week--don't give up hope!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:27 pm

For those of you who received an email about reference checks for the March class, have your references been called yet? I'm so nervous about them not being able to get in touch because of the holidays.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:40 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I was e-mailed about an hour ago asking if it was okay to contact my references--this is for March--I was SUPER anxious because I hadn't heard anything, it looks like they are going to continue asking people about contacting references into the next week--don't give up hope!
Thank you so much! This gives me a lot of hope :) I'll keep checking my e-mail and hoping into next week. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Dec 26, 2017 3:17 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I was e-mailed about an hour ago asking if it was okay to contact my references--this is for March--I was SUPER anxious because I hadn't heard anything, it looks like they are going to continue asking people about contacting references into the next week--don't give up hope!
Did they say that they were going to continue contacting people or that was your impression? I feel like at this point they are just working their way down a list if/when anyone declines a position. Though of course hoping one of the managers was just slow with the list of people they want for their department or something...

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 9:50 am

Over/under on hearing from HR this week?

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:03 am

My guess is that they will only be sending out invites as people decline positions at this point, so that ship has probably sailed. It's frustrating that you don't even get to throw your hat into the ring for another year. Things seem to be picking up on USA Jobs again though, so here's to everyone who didn't get picked finding something awesome elsewhere.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:07 am

Anonymous User wrote:My guess is that they will only be sending out invites as people decline positions at this point, so that ship has probably sailed. It's frustrating that you don't even get to throw your hat into the ring for another year. Things seem to be picking up on USA Jobs again though, so here's to everyone who didn't get picked finding something awesome elsewhere.
So where do you think this stands for people that have already heard about reference checks but no offer yet versus those who haven't heard anything?

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:14 am

No worries there. Calling references is basically a formality. I'm sure HR is low or no staffed over the holiday and references are harder to reach right now. So congrats, you 99% have the job!

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 3:41 pm

I got an e-mail about a week ago asking for permission to call my references, but I haven't heard anything since. As far as I know, my references have not been called yet. Getting nervous. :?

How soon did they get back to you after letting you know that your references would be checked?

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 4:04 pm

Just found this thread for the first time and want to outline what I've been through in case it helps anyone. I interviewed right after Thanksgiving, and was told offers would go out Monday 12/11. I got a call on 12/14 asking for permission for them to contact my references. I was told that my references would be contacted the following week, and I would receive a call from HR within a week or two with an offer. I was contacted on 12/19 by a reference to let me know they had received contact from the USPTO. On 12/20, someone from the USPTO called me to say that they had contacted all my references but heard nothing back yet, and asked if I had additional references. I said I could, but the caller said not to worry as only a day had passed, and understood that because of the time of year it might take a few days, and said he would get back to me the next day.

I haven't heard anything since then. My guess is that the person who called me was trying to get things squared away before they went on vacation. If any of you are in the DC area, you know how quiet it is. I assume we'll hear by the end of the week or early next week, but fingers crossed for something sooner... Given how they've been simultaneously moving very quickly yet so slowly, who knows?
Last edited by Anonymous User on Wed Dec 27, 2017 4:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Attorney Advisor (Trademark Examining Attorney) for USPTO

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Dec 27, 2017 4:05 pm

I am one of the few people on this board who have not heard back from the USPTO at all, and at this point, I don't expect to. Because it is a holiday, my guess is that you will not hear anything until after the New Year. The request for references means you have the position barring something crazy happening - enjoy your soon to be reliable employment, eventual guaranteed decent income, mostly stress-free work, and great workplace. You should be out there celebrating, congrats :)

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