Federal Process

Because of our commitment to candidate quality and professionalism, we have been retained by many federal agencies to screen applicants based on skills, experience, and work ethics, for a variety of job occupation and geographic areas.  In order to ensure all applicants meet our customer requirements, we have created a thorough screening process.

All applicants interested in federal career opportunities through Bender Consulting must successfully complete our internal screening process.  Not all applicants who apply with Bender Consulting will meet the criteria for consideration for federal opportunities.   Our screening process includes the following steps:

Completion of an application: This application is used to supplement the applicant’s resume.  It is to your benefit to be as thorough as possible when completing the application, as this information is frequently used in order to determine if an applicant is a potential fit for career opportunities.  Many of the questions asked in the application are directly linked to information requests frequently made by our customers. Completion of the application is a mandatory part of our screening process.

Initial interview with a Bender recruiter:  You may receive an invitation to speak with one of our recruiters for an initial interview. These initial interviews are conducted to discuss your unique experience and interest areas. Generally, each interview will be conducted via the phone and will last approximately 20-60 minutes.  Reasonable accommodations are provided to individuals who request them. Invitations to participate in an initial interview are determined by a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the applicant and availability of positions. 

Additional information and/or documentation requests:  Typical documentation requests may include transcripts, additional work history, or writing samples. All applicants interested in federal career opportunities are required to obtain and submit a Schedule A Letter during our process. Information on Schedule A.

Candidates who successfully complete the initial screening process above will be moved forward to second and possibly third round interviews, depending on the specific recruitment needs identified by our customers. 

The length of our screening process varies, based on a number of factors, including the number of applicants applying for positions, the types of opportunities being offered by our customers, and the responsiveness, and flexibility of each applicant.  Due to these factors, it may take several weeks to complete the federal agency screening process.

After all internal interviews are completed; your information will be reviewed against open federal positions. If there is an opportunity that is a match for your background you will be contacted to determine whether or not you are interested in having your resume submitted to our federal customer(s) for review.

Both Bender Consulting Services and the candidate wait for our customer to decide to interview candidates presented by our company for their positions. If an interview is requested, the agency will contact the candidate directly to facilitate the screening process.

Our customer makes the final decision regarding selection of candidates.  If the customer decides, after a successful interview, the candidate meets their requirements, they will contact the candidate directly to extend an offer of employment.

Prior to a formal offer of employment being extended, many of our federal customers conduct thorough criminal background and reference checks. Depending on the level of clearance required this may also include drug screens, credit checks, and a polygraph.  The candidate will be contacted to provide the necessary information by the agency in question for this information, as appropriate.