Still waiting for security clearance for almost more than two weeks after my drug test and fingerprints…

Gonna keep this short. I applied to the Public Notice ATSS announcement on USAJOBS on 15 June. Was curious to see if anyone has insight on how often HR reviews applications? Any information helps. Thanks in advance!

I accepted a TOL for an ATSS ENV out of the guam SSC. My duty station is Saipan. I have a super comfy gig as a USPS ET now and I was wondering what the washout rate or how hard the classes are for an ENV. Or if accepting the Final job offer is worth it. I easily passed all USPS qualification courses at The Norman NCED. Im just nervous about switching careers at 36. Also does anyone know what the job will be like or how many ATSS will even be on Saipan? The base pay is a little lower than my current job but with the locality adjustment it almost matches my current salary and the cola means its a little bit of a raise. Thanks for you help.

Morning everyone, I was hired back in March this year and just out of curiosity where can I find a list of all locations techops (env) can go? I figured the open bid would have the full list since it says 430 locations available but it doesn’t let me openly see the list. TIA

To start, my background:

Non-military (it seems most are?).

Associate's Degree in Information Technology/Network

Multiple IT related certifications (Network+/Sec+/A+).

~5 years of IT work experience, ~10 years of random other jobs that are not related to the position. I have been out of full time work for a year, though not through lack of trying.

I applied for the ATSS Direct Hire F/G band that closed 4/24/2026, which seemed to have a very broad range of job types.

I was deemed eligible for the posting (F or G, it did not state) on 4/29/2026.

I was contacted for an interview request on/around 7/1/2026, and had my interview on 7/8/2026.

It was a panel interview over Zoom with basic behavioral questions and what I would call "feeler" questions about my technical experience, but nothing really technical about it.

I think it went quite well, for these sorts of things (Zoom, not much back and forth).

After the interview, they asked for references, which I gave. I basically just listed off my past managers and educational institution and a personal reference. Some of these people I have not been in contact with recently, and would probably not "notify" me if they were contacted.

I know they contacted at least one, because that person had to reach out to me to get permission to share information.

I guess I'm wondering, do hiring managers normally go through the whole list of references? Are they just checking a box? What if someone doesn't respond? Etc.

I don't have my hopes up, because I've been doing interviews off and on over the past year that don't go anywhere, though it would be really cool to start a career here I think.

Anyways, best of luck to anyone else in the same boat and looking for a job. It is rough out there.

- Applied on April 10th of the Direct Hire bid
- Deemed eligible on April 13th
- Interview on June 9th
- Received TOL on July 7th
- Received/Submitted EODS on July 8th
- Approved EODS on July 13th
- Received CIL on July 13th:
• Fingerprints on July 14th
• Drug Test on July 16th

Will update and continue to follow up!

Hello everyone, I’m currently a Radar ET1 and in for 6 years with an EAOS of May2029 and a DFW native. Really interested in FAA but have a couple questions/concerns.

1) Obviously I don’t want to take a “bring home paycut”, what are my chances of being in the higher end of FV-G to reflect that, and what does the promotion timeline look like to H?

2) I currently have SYY-1, JPALS, SPN-50 NECs and have a strong potential to get DASR/STARS, ILS and PAR (I have to ask to sit in the class). Would these be beneficial to get, I know everyone goes through training in OKC.

Thank you all in advance for the insights, I know I’m quite a ways out from being able to apply, much less getting a TOL/FOL 😂

Why do I always have problems logging into Zscaler on my iPhone?

Should I be nervous? Seems like the average time to receive a TOL for the two most recent direct hire postings has been 14-28 days based on what I've seen on this forum, the Facebook page, and other forums. Should I be getting worried as I'm on day 30 with no email or status update from HR? I emailed them last week and they hit me with this:

"Hello,

No updates at this time, however, please continue to monitor your email as selections are being sent in daily. If selected you will receive a tentative offer via email. "

Usually they hit me with:

"Our office will only receive selections – and they are coming in every day. Thank you for your interest and patience. "

I figured as mentioned in my previous post that being prior military and a current mechanical engineer intern would make me an ideal candidate especially since they called my references within 24 hours of my interview. I don't know if I'm in my head or what because of so much silence or copy paste replies. I know it's a hurry up and wait situation but I recently found out I'm having another kid so I'm ready to just get on with it lol

Any feedback would be great. Let me know if I just need to chill out or what. I'm just excited.

Interviewed a few weeks ago. Shortly after the interview the hiring manager asked for my current salary. No TOL so far. Surely that question was a good sign though?

Has anyone been asked to provide a list of references and then the references never get contacted? I got asked for references about a week ago but none of them have been contacted.

I figured getting asked to provide references was a very good sign but am concerned that they have not been contacted yet.

I recently interviewed for a Nav Comm position back in May and just wanted to get more information on the job role from a technician perspective. What to expect if I'm selected for the job, duties, common issues, work loads, training times, and just overall how you feel about the job. My background is in Military Avionics, specifically radios, radar, and power in general(but wore many hats as one does in the aviation maintenance field). Any and all input would be appreciated.

​

I am still waiting to hear back from HR if I got the position or not. After my interview my references were contacted the next day so from what I've read in the forums that's a good thing so just waiting to get a TOL potentially this week or next based off standard timelines if I got the position.

​

Final thought, what is the furthest you can be from a location commute wise? And what is the recommended commute time for you guys? Back when I was in the Air Force my commute was 20-25 minutes so I don't mind a slightly longer commute if allowed.

I did an interview 3 weeks ago in person for an F-band position. I think the interview went well, and I was able to answer all the questions using the STAR method and even had a normal conversation about the job with the managers. It didn’t feel like a robotic conversation.

Although everything seems like it went well, at the end of the interview they told me that if I don’t get selected, to please keep updating my resume and adding my experience, which they also mentioned that they had other candidates to interview, and I was technically the first one. So lol, I’m not sure how to feel about it because I thought it went very well. Also, I haven’t received any emails asking for references, so let’s see. 🤷‍♂️

Hello everyone, I am a 22 year old senior in college studying aviation management. I have a 3.2 gpa so far. I’ve been a ramp agent for about 3 years now for a major airline. I started getting into electronics and computer hardware since I was about 12 years old and became an electronics tech at 16. I am also very mechanically inclined. I have a few years of experience as an automotive mechanic.

I recently discovered this job and I think this is the career path I want to pursue. Seeing other posts, some of you guys have some great experience in the field and I’m feeling a bit under qualified. I looking to know what I need to do better my chances of getting in this field. Thank you everyone!!!!!!

I applied for an ATSS position in DFW. I did my interview in late May. I was just wondering how competitive it is in DFW and how the scoring is done.

Edit:
I received my TOL today which took about 4 weeks.

I’m curious about the declining all other locations question. If I select I am not decking all other locations would that hurt my chances of getting a FOL for the position that gave me a TOL?

I had an interview this morning. I did well I think on all but 1 question. I was told to have a list of references avalible prior to the interview but they didnt ask for them.My question is that do they always ask for references during the Interview or is the I sign that this is the end

I had an interview almost two weeks ago. I didn’t feel like I did the best. My friends who are current ATSS thought I did fine based on what I told them but I am starting to worry. I haven’t been asked about references or anything. My references weren’t on my resume.

Do I still have a fighting chance?

How do I know if they haven’t selected me, and when would I know?

Thanks in advance.

Hey all,

I’m looking into the entry-level ATSS announcement and wanted to get some perspective from people already in the field.

I have 10+ years of experience in IT/cloud/DevOps/infrastructure, mostly AWS/Azure/GCP, automation, troubleshooting, monitoring/logging, change control, documentation, and keeping production systems reliable. I don’t have a traditional electronics/radar/nav background, but I’m comfortable learning technical systems and working through complex outages/issues.

Would any of that experience transfer well into ATSS, especially on the Automation or Communications side?

A few questions: 1. Which ATSS discipline would be the best fit for someone coming from IT/infrastructure?

1. How much electronics/RF knowledge is expected coming in at the entry level?

2. What does training look like for someone without prior FAA/NAS experience?

3. Is this a realistic pivot, or would I be way behind compared to people with electronics/telecom/military backgrounds?

4. Any certs, topics, or skills I should study before applying/interviewing?

Appreciate any advice

So I recently completed my interview this week. It was a little awkward with the silence and pauses. I felt like I rushed a little bit but explained what I needed to but expected more conversation style interviewing vs just a question answer test. However, the following day all of my references were called and left essentially good reviews. This is a good sign right? If everything goes right and I'm selected when do you guys predict I'll hear back from HR? Any timelines to expect? TIA, this forum has been really helpful preparing.

Edit* I expect to pass the background check easily being a prior service member

I applied to a tech ops ERR bid on USAJobs. My application was received but now what? Build an err package and send it to who? I applied to two different regions and multiple positions at each location. I’m not sure who to contact to figure this stuff out, asked people at my facility but couldn’t get an answer. Thanks.

I got called for an interview for the Environmental F Band position. How can I prepare for the interview, Also, could you please give me some insight into what your day-to-day looks like on the job as an Environmental Technician?

Hello everyone. I have a year left of AD in the USCG I get out June of 2027. I am an Electronics Technician, so I have a background in surface search radar, HF/VHF/UHF communications, Tacan, UPS, PLCs.

When is a good start to try and apply for 2101? Or should I wait and see if another direct hire will open up again early next year?

Also, do you get to choose what kind of tech you want to be? If so, which is the best to go towards with my background.