|
Post by 71stretch on Jun 3, 2010 8:18:37 GMT -5
A word to the wise, unless you revel in mental stress, allow the night before to being in DC (DCA hotel?) if at all possible. All of those who made that choice were glad as they did not have to worry about flight delays, thunderstorms and overbookings. A few bitten fingernails were revealed on the Board... ITA with this. I'm coming from a long way away anyway, but a same day or redeye flight just sounds like more stress. It took me a three night stay at my expense to do both the WD and SI, with the scheduling, so planning for one reimbursable night sounds good.
|
|
|
Post by issuegirl on Jun 3, 2010 8:30:20 GMT -5
Just got my call to schedule at the crack of dawn. They only offered me times next week, but it appeared next week is totally open still. I did not inquire if there were still openings for the week of the 14th. Thought the anxiety would be weaning after this call, but it feel like it is just starting again!
|
|
|
Post by hurrywait on Jun 3, 2010 8:43:56 GMT -5
I stepped away for a minute and missed the call. I didn't get a message or anything. I tried returning the call, but you need an extension or a name to get through. Does anyone have the number to return a missed call? Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by hurrywait on Jun 3, 2010 9:08:36 GMT -5
It worked out, they call me again at my office number. They didn't offer anything for the second week. Since my schedule was flexible, I didn't ask if there were openings.
|
|
|
Post by justruling on Jun 3, 2010 9:33:38 GMT -5
Faxed last Thursday and have FAX confirmation. No email and no phone call yet. Patience, patience, patience. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who hasn't heard yet. Since it looks like next week will be more available though - it would be nice to know!!!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by doodlemom on Jun 3, 2010 11:05:14 GMT -5
I faxed in sucessfully at 10:00 a.m. Friday. got call at about 8:45 a.m. today. Have been trying to book it since. I am scheduled for the middle of next week, but the hotels nearby are all booked.
|
|
|
Post by Well on Jun 3, 2010 11:35:01 GMT -5
I've got an interview set-up but so far the travel email hasn't arrived.
|
|
|
Post by bowser on Jun 3, 2010 11:38:19 GMT -5
Since it looks like next week will be more available though - it would be nice to know!!!!!!! Yeah, it would be - uh - interesting to get a call on Sat to tell me I have to make arrangements to be out there first thing Monday morning! Had a kinda lousy day yesterday for other reasons, and this uncertainty didn't help. But now I'm beyond the POed stage to once more finding it amusing.
|
|
|
Post by zero on Jun 3, 2010 12:19:51 GMT -5
Faxed last Thursday and have FAX confirmation. No email and no phone call yet. Patience, patience, patience. It is comforting to know that I am not the only one who hasn't heard yet. Since it looks like next week will be more available though - it would be nice to know!!!!!!! I'm in the same boat. I called to see if they could confirm receiving the fax. They said no, they couldn't say one way or another. I'm considering re-faxing the package with the confirmation. But of course, if everyone does that, it will double the size of the stack of paper they're trying to process.
|
|
|
Post by 71stretch on Jun 3, 2010 12:23:55 GMT -5
I can appreciate that they don't have time to verify receipt on everyone. As I understand it, they were also going to make follow up calls to the people they DIDN'T get packets from. Lots of us still don't have calls. I'm trying to be patient and keep busy.
|
|
|
Post by bowser on Jun 3, 2010 12:27:36 GMT -5
Just got the call and a date that works. Life is good again!
|
|
mph
Full Member
Posts: 35
|
Post by mph on Jun 3, 2010 12:36:40 GMT -5
Faxed documents last Friday at 12:40, got the interview set up call this morning at 10:45. Waiting for travel authorization. Meanwhile, tentatively booked flight and hotel through the govt travel people. Can't finalize without billing authorization, however. Hotels suggested are full. Suggested alternative is a couple of miles away, and exceeds the government per diem by $100 per night. I can't say that actually getting the interview call has relieved any stress - just provided different stressors.
|
|
|
Post by zero on Jun 3, 2010 12:37:04 GMT -5
I can appreciate that they don't have time to verify receipt on everyone. As I understand it, they were also going to make follow up calls to the people they DIDN'T get packets from. Lots of us still don't have calls. I'm trying to be patient and keep busy. Keeping in mind that it’s awfully easy to Monday-morning QB SSA’s system for travelling the candidates to their interviews, I don’t think they’re following the most efficient process. First, acknowledge the dang fax with an email. How many calls have they had to respond to from applicants wanting to know if SSA got a fax? Second, if you’re not going to acknowledge the fax, make a list of the faxes you’re expecting and cross off the names as they come in. When you get a call, you can tell somebody whether they got marked off the list. Otherwise, what’s the candidate going to do? Eventually she is going to fax the packet again with the confirmation code and now you have double the paperwork to track. Third, don’t schedule the early dates last. As it is, from what I understand on earlier posts, the last dates to get scheduled will be the earliest dates. Theoretically, some of the Monday dates will be scheduled on Saturday. The travel arranging will certainly be more difficult and expensive. Fourth, it seems a little unfair that some of us who faxed our stuff last Thursday haven’t been contacted while some of the Friday folks have. Shouldn’t the early bird get the worm (by which I mean the more desirable interview dates?) I know they’re not deliberately making this process as painful, difficult, and burdensome as possible for the candidates. Surely it’s not just another screening tool to shrink the candidate pool?
|
|
|
Post by novacats on Jun 3, 2010 12:37:08 GMT -5
Does anyone know if there are still dates available for the first week? If so, what dates and times?
I received fax confirm at 430 pm Central on Friday. I have not received a call. My current employer is sending me outside the contiguous 48 from June 14 through June 18. As for the week of the 7th through the 11th, I need preapproved leave, so the longer I go without a call, the worse my situation becomes. Any suggestions?
|
|
|
Post by Well on Jun 3, 2010 12:42:17 GMT -5
I can appreciate that they don't have time to verify receipt on everyone. As I understand it, they were also going to make follow up calls to the people they DIDN'T get packets from. Lots of us still don't have calls. I'm trying to be patient and keep busy. Keeping in mind that it’s awfully easy to Monday-morning QB SSA’s system for travelling the candidates to their interviews, I don’t think they’re following the most efficient process. First, acknowledge the dang fax with an email. How many calls have they had to respond to from applicants wanting to know if SSA got a fax? Second, if you’re not going to acknowledge the fax, make a list of the faxes you’re expecting and cross off the names as they come in. When you get a call, you can tell somebody whether they got marked off the list. Otherwise, what’s the candidate going to do? Eventually she is going to fax the packet again with the confirmation code and now you have double the paperwork to track. Third, don’t schedule the early dates last. As it is, from what I understand on earlier posts, the last dates to get scheduled will be the earliest dates. Theoretically, some of the Monday dates will be scheduled on Saturday. The travel arranging will certainly be more difficult and expensive. Fourth, it seems a little unfair that some of us who faxed our stuff last Thursday haven’t been contacted while some of the Friday folks have. Shouldn’t the early bird get the worm (by which I mean the more desirable interview dates?) I know they’re not deliberately making this process as painful, difficult, and burdensome as possible for the candidates. Surely it’s not just another screening tool to shrink the candidate pool? They should be fielding no calls asking if faxes were received if people are following the instructions. Yes, given the time constraint it would have made sense that the first 150-200 people called be offered the week of June 7 only because there are very likely going to be people who will not get their travel authorization until Saturday who have to be there on Monday.
|
|
|
Post by 71stretch on Jun 3, 2010 12:51:11 GMT -5
Does anyone know if there are still dates available for the first week? If so, what dates and times? I received fax confirm at 430 pm Central on Friday. I have not received a call. My current employer is sending me outside the contiguous 48 from June 14 through June 18. As for the week of the 7th through the 11th, I need preapproved leave, so the longer I go without a call, the worse my situation becomes. Any suggestions? It's hard to know in this kind of situation whether to be a "squeaky wheel" and contact them and explain your dilemma, or not. But, as time goes by, that may be your only option.
|
|
|
Post by iapplied on Jun 3, 2010 12:55:19 GMT -5
I'm a Friday faxer too so I should be getting a call hopefully today at the latest. Every time my phone rings, I feel like a schoolgirl with a schoolboy crush waiting on my first call after we exchanged numbers I'm keeping in mind that with all that likely goes into this process and the short deadlines, this process is equally hard on SSA. I'm sure we are not the only ones under the time gun. There's more to do on their part than ours so I'll just keep waiting on my schoolboy Who knows it might be a marriage made in heaven!
|
|
|
Post by bowser on Jun 3, 2010 12:55:55 GMT -5
When I was called, they simply said they wanted to do them the first week, and when I gave my preferred day, they had a wide range of times available.
zero - what is so weird is that it seems there are so many different ways they could have done this, any or all of which would be better than what they actually did. One simple thing would have been to say "You will be allowed to choose your interview time/date, so the earlier you get it in, the more choices you will have." With no information, I thought it possible that they would simply give the earliest dates to the first responses they received. Since my only conflicts were the first week, I held off until Friday.
And I sure can't imagine why it would not have been preferable for them to have us e-mail material in pdf format with delivery receipt.
Tho this should have been a no-brainer, I feel I have successfully jumped through another hoop.
|
|
|
Post by iapplied on Jun 3, 2010 13:00:25 GMT -5
Faxed documents last Friday at 12:40, got the interview set up call this morning at 10:45. Waiting for travel authorization. Meanwhile, tentatively booked flight and hotel through the govt travel people. Can't finalize without billing authorization, however. Hotels suggested are full. Suggested alternative is a couple of miles away, and exceeds the government per diem by $100 per night. I can't say that actually getting the interview call has relieved any stress - just provided different stressors. OMG! I'm just seeing this. What is going on in DC that all of the hotels are now booked? Well good thing you were looking. I wasn't sure if we could use the government travel people to tentatively book travel.
|
|
|
Post by 71stretch on Jun 3, 2010 13:23:32 GMT -5
Could someone who has their interview set share with us the SSA address, so we can start prowling around looking at hotel options for next week, which is where the rest of us are likely to end upgetting scheduled?
|
|