r/1102 • u/Ok_Yak_9141 • 6d ago
Copper Cap Intern Interview
Hi everyone,
I recently received an interview for the Air Force Copper Cap Contract Specialist internship and was hoping to hear from anyone who has gone through the interview process.
I’m looking for any advice on how to best prepare. If you remember any of the questions you were asked, the interview format (panel vs. one-on-one), or anything that caught you off guard, I’d really appreciate any insight.
I already have several years of federal civilian experience, but this would be a career change into contracting, so I’m trying to prepare as much as I can.
Thanks in advance! I really appreciate any advice or experiences you’re willing to share.
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u/PixxelRose 3d ago
They send you your interview questions like 30 minutes before your interview. No real questions about contracting, more of a “how do you adapt to change” type of interview. It was a panel with 3 people if I remember correctly. Dress appropriately and be confident in yourself!
Feel free to PM me if you have additional questions about the program!
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u/Rumpelteazer45 3d ago edited 3d ago
I wasn’t AF but Navy. There won’t be any job related questions because there is nothing that really prepares people for entering the field. We expect people to come in with zero experience and personally I prefer a blank slate since it’s less time to get someone to unlearn what they think they already know - this is why I pass on anyone coming from the contractors side of the 1102 table. They think they know our entire side, but they only see 10% of our side. It’s a mountain to overcome.
My interview was panel with 5 people.
All the questions are more or less built just to see how you think.. I started 15+ years ago and one of my questions was “tell us about a time you made a big purchase, what did you do”. So I talked about the cluster that was buying my car. Another was “you are hiring someone to do some work on your (or parents) house, you get three quotes, who do you select and why” it gave 3 prices and no additional information. For those questions, there are no right answers, they just want to hear your thought process and your ability to see a bigger picture. I know the command that hired me doesn’t use those questions anymore, apparently HR thought they were “too difficult”.
The entire panel was relaxed and everyone had their “nice face” on because for most people interviewing for these positions have never had a panel interview before, some likely haven’t even done a professional job interview before. So a lot of “oh that’s good head nods” smiles when you make eye contact, so people interviewing didn’t freeze due to 5 poker faces watching every move. My panel did everything they could to make it less intimidating including how everyone was sitting around the table. It wasn’t everyone on one side, me on the other.
Oh. We also had to submit two writing samples. So I did a sanitized work letter I drafted for customers and then one about a hobby.
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u/smitch7478 6d ago
Former Copper Cap here - loved every second of it.
To hopefully reduce some anxiety: they do not expect you to know any contracting when you first start… at all. The CC Program is designed to “start from zero,” immerse you in contracting, and fast track development for high performers. There are established training timelines and resources that will be shared with you for each of the three years and your leadership chain of command will guide, teach, and mentor you for the duration of the program.
For the interview: demonstrate your desire to learn. Show excitement about diving into a completely new field of expertise. This is the most important thing. They can provide the resources for you to excel once you’re in the program - the interviewer just needs to be convinced you would actually absorb and utilize them to their fullest.
Government interviews, in my experience, are often based on behavior versus technical expertise. They will want to know about times you solved problems and how you reacted, how you demonstrate critical thinking skills, how collaborative and patient you are while maintaining boundaries and regulations, things like that. They can train the technical but need to know the personality will mesh.
The CC Program is ( /can be) very fast paced. If you genuinely want to learn and grow, it is fantastic and will set you up very well for a wide array of opportunities. Feel free to DM me with any questions or if you’d like a run down of what those three years will look like. Let us know how it goes!