2013 FCC Honors Program Forum

[Anonymous User]

Is there any sort of hierarchy in terms of the different bureaus/divisions?

[Anonymous User]

Is there any sort of hierarchy in terms of the different bureaus/divisions?

I am currently an entry-level attorney at the FCC. There is no hierarchy among the bureaus, but some get to work on cooler issues. I guess if there was any hierarchy at all it would be in terms of the more high profile issues such as spectrum auctions and USF reform.

[Anonymous User]

my interview the other week was pretty standard i thought. (i asked the question re: terrifying/standard.) some tough questions but pretty standard all around. it seemed to me like their hiring levels are going to be extremely low. i did well but i'm not optimistic about my chances. at the time i was there they had planned to interview around 25 candidates and hire perhaps 3. reference was made to the sequester. the website references job offers in november/december. anyone think we have any chance of hearing back before thanksgiving? between hurricane & election, i'm thinking no.

[Anonymous User]

looks like the answer is no. did anyone get an offer? am i doomed?

[edit: terrifying/standard anon]

[Anonymous User]

Haven't heard anything.

[Anonymous User]

Well that makes me happy I guess. At some point don't all these programs need to make offers? Or is nobody going to hire until the sequester threat is over?

[edit: terrifying/standard anon]

[Anonymous User]

Well that makes me happy I guess. At some point don't all these programs need to make offers? Or is nobody going to hire until the sequester threat is over?

Afraid to say it, but you hit the nail on the head. FCC originally indicated it would be within weeks of late October interview, or maybe December at the latest (the Chairman of the FCC has to sign off on the chosen candidates before offers can be extended). FTC has in past years made offers by mid-November, but as of last week, offers are on hold while they await new information about availability (of new FTE positions or something), probably due to sequestration.

[Anonymous User]

goodbye, november....

[edit: terrifying/standard anon]

[Anonymous User]

They were calling references this week and planning to make decision next week. Of course then it has to get approved by the Chairman, but I bet offers go out within next two weeks.

[Anonymous User]

Got my official rejection in the mail yesterday.

[Anonymous User]

I live in the DC area and did not receive a rejection yet. I imagine they may do a couple rounds of rejections as they determine how many to hire, not keeping my hopes up. PP, if you come back, can you tell us when your letter was dated?

[edit: terrifying/standard anon]

[Anonymous User]

I wasn't the previous poster but my rejection was dated Nov. 30th, received 2ish days ago.

[Anonymous User]

To those who have received rejection letters- did you have second-round interviews?

[Anonymous User]

To those who have received rejection letters- did you have second-round interviews?

Nope.

[Anonymous User]

can we clarify what these second round interviews are? are the people receiving rejection letters those who didn't have an actual interview (on the 8th floor with 3 panels) in October? that was the only interview I had. tamping down hopes I let blossom, rejections for people who didn't get interviewed are pretty meaningless. (yes, it's me, terrifying/standard anon.)

[Anonymous User]

can we clarify what these second round interviews are? are the people receiving rejection letters those who didn't have an actual interview (on the 8th floor with 3 panels) in October? that was the only interview I had. tamping down hopes I let blossom, rejections for people who didn't get interviewed are pretty meaningless. (yes, it's me, terrifying/standard anon.)

That's what I meant when I said second round interview- an interview at the FCC with 3 panels. I had an initial screener on campus, so the panel interview had been my second interview. Sorry for the confusion.

[Anonymous User]

ok, so is there anyone besides me (and i guess anon 12/5 10:02pm) who did the full interview and did not yet receive a rejection? and is 10:32 the same person with all the info about references? if not, is info person a candidate or just a helpful interloper?

yes, time to obsess. wish they would get this over with and put me out of my misery. i have finals and holidays.

(terrifying/standard)

p.s. thanks to all who have helped make this process a little less opaque, especially to those reporting rejections. i appreciate it.

[Anonymous User]

To those who have received rejection letters- did you have second-round interviews?

This was my post from last night, and I also just posted about clarifying what I meant by "second round interviews." I'm not the one who posted about contacting references or anything else.
Seems like there are 3-4 of us who have had interviews at the FCC and are posting, but I could be wrong.
I don't post on TLS often, but this anonymous posting thing can be confusing.

Good luck everyone.

[Anonymous User]

Today's mail, email, and voicemail held nothing in the way of rejection/acceptance.

Dear FCC: I shouldn't have to tell you, but there's this little thing called the Internet... It brings anonymous law students together!

It's frankly totally unclear why was this dragged out past the WCIT opener. Genachowski is in Dubai (I don't know how long). Either they have made decisions and they have been approved and they are now sitting on them (lame) or the list won't even be cleared until he returns. Giving job offers to a couple of peons can't be that high up on the list of to-dos squeezed between ITRs negotiations and the holidays.

Was Terrified/standard, now incredibly anxious anon.

[Anonymous User]

ok, so is there anyone besides me (and i guess anon 12/5 10:02pm) who did the full interview and did not yet receive a rejection? and is 10:32 the same person with all the info about references? if not, is info person a candidate or just a helpful interloper?

yes, time to obsess. wish they would get this over with and put me out of my misery. i have finals and holidays.

(terrifying/standard)

p.s. thanks to all who have helped make this process a little less opaque, especially to those reporting rejections. i appreciate it.

The poster with the info about references was a candidate but not the same one who posted at 10:32.

[Anonymous User]

so, above poster, are you no longer a candidate? and 10:32 was supposed to be 10:02, looked in the wrong spot (oh, the horrors, etc.).

am i right in assuming that there are three of us here who are still waiting to hear (or 2 of us, one is at the FCC on the 8th floor with an inordinate amount of information and perhaps a job offer already)?

previous poster with all the information, what the heck is going on? tell meeeeeeeee.

-incredibly anxious.

[Anonymous User]

so, above poster, are you no longer a candidate? and 10:32 was supposed to be 10:02, looked in the wrong spot (oh, the horrors, etc.).

am i right in assuming that there are three of us here who are still waiting to hear (or 2 of us, one is at the FCC on the 8th floor with an inordinate amount of information and perhaps a job offer already)?

previous poster with all the information, what the heck is going on? tell meeeeeeeee.

-incredibly anxious.

This is "previous poster with all the information" again. I'm pretty sure that they have not made any offers yet.

[84weeks]

I got the thin envelope today - I hadn't gotten an interview or anything. It says that the FCC "recieved more than 950 applications for a very limited number of position."

I was impressed that a government office sent a rejection letter - some firms don't even do that these days.

Best of luck to those still in the running.

[Anonymous User]

thanks 84. as far as i know, i (anxious) am still in the running. i find how they are doing this very curious, but suspect they are either making another cut or the delay is due to the chairman's travel. either way, we're certainly not hearing today.

[Anonymous User]

I am an attorney-advisor at the FCC. Just so everyone knows, it isn't the chairman that makes the final decisions on the honors attorneys. It is OGC. From what I am hearing it is going to be a very small class this year, probably like 3 spots. I believe there are something like 7 honors attorneys this term. Most are from T6 schools, one from colorado, and one from kansas. Hopefully this helps.