You hit submit on USAJOBS. Now what.

Most veterans I talk to expect a callback inside 30 days. Federal hiring runs slower than that. The realistic answer is 60 to 120 days for an uncleared role. For a position that needs a Secret clearance, plan on 90 to 180 days. Complex cases with foreign contacts or overseas history can run longer. For Top Secret, plan on 8 to 18 months.

The frustrating part is not the length. It is the silence between the gates. Your application sits in one queue, moves to another queue, sits again, then jumps a level. Each gate has its own wait. Each wait has a reason. Once you can name the gate you are stuck behind, the silence stops feeling personal.

This article walks through the nine real steps from "Received" to "Enter on Duty." Each step gets a typical range, a reason for the wait, and what to do if you are sitting in it. We also map each USAJOBS status to the gate you are in. By the end you will know exactly where your application is and what is reasonable to expect next.

For the higher-level view of the whole timeline, read the federal hiring process timeline overview. This article is the per-step breakdown.

Why I know the queue mechanics

When I oversaw federal contracts end-to-end, the work covered acquisition planning through final close-out. That included source-selection panels, contractor staff approval, and writing the PWS and SOW language that defined the work in the first place. From the government side of a contract, every name proposed to my team came across my desk first.

Federal hiring runs on the same kind of queue. HR screens. A cert list builds. A selecting official sits on it. Approvals stack. The mechanics are the same whether you are clearing a contractor to bill an hour or clearing a W-2 applicant to start work. I have watched both sides of that pipe. The civilian hiring queue is just a different cert list with a different name on top.

What are the nine real steps from submit to start date?

Here is the full sequence. Read it once so the rest of the article has context. We break each step out below.

Bradley Landed a GS Management & Program Analyst Role.

"BMR assisted me with the federal resume and made the translations from military jargon to civilian language so easy."
— Bradley, E-8, Army

Read their story →

OPM data built in — goes beyond the job announcement Full 2-page federal format for USAJOBS Tailored to every GS position you apply for

Get My Free Resume

2 free tailored resumes, cover letters & LinkedIn optimization

Step 1: How long does HR specialist review take?

Typical wait: 7 to 14 days. Range: 1 to 30 days.

The HR specialist is the first human to touch your file. They are the gatekeeper. Their job is to confirm three things. Did you meet the minimum qualifications listed in the announcement. Did you answer the occupational questionnaire honestly and at a level your resume backs up. Are you entitled to veterans' preference.

This is the step where your occupational questionnaire score matters most. The HR specialist matches what you claimed on the questionnaire against what your resume proves. If you claimed expert and your resume shows entry, your score drops. If your resume shows expert and you only claimed competent, you boxed yourself in.

What slows this step. End of fiscal year crunch in September. High applicant counts (cybersecurity announcements often pull 300+ apps). One HR specialist running 20 announcements at once. Agency policy on order of work.

What to do. Nothing for the first 30 days. This is normal. If you cross 30 days and the status has not moved past "Received," wait another two weeks. Then email the HR specialist listed in the announcement. Short message. Polite. Ask for status only.

Step 2: What is "Best Qualified" and how long does it take to build the cert?

Typical wait: 1 to 14 days.

Once HR has scored everyone, they pull the top group into a cert list. Most federal hiring uses category rating. That means applicants get sorted into three tiers (Best Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified). Only the top tier usually moves forward. Veterans' preference floats qualified veterans to the top of their tier.

This step lives entirely with HR. They are deciding who makes the cert. If you are reading "Reviewed" in your USAJOBS status, you are sitting in this gate. The decision has been made on your score, but the cert has not been sent to the hiring office yet.

If you want a deeper breakdown of how the tiers work, read category rating in federal hiring.

What to do. Nothing. This step is fast and you have no real way to push on it.

Step 3: How long until the cert reaches the selecting official?

Typical wait: 1 to 7 days.

HR forwards the cert list to the supervisor of the position. That supervisor is the "selecting official." On the announcement they are sometimes listed by name. Sometimes the contact is HR only.

Under category rating, the standard competitive hiring method, all candidates who score into the Best Qualified tier are referred to the selecting official. There is no cap on cert size. A cert may have a handful of names or several dozen depending on how many applicants scored into the top tier. If you are on the cert, your USAJOBS status changes to "Referred." If you did not make the cut, you see "Not Referred."

"Not Referred" does not always mean you were unqualified. It can also mean the cert hit the cap before reaching you. Veterans' preference helped float other veterans above you. The HR specialist scored someone else higher on the questionnaire. None of those are personal.

Step 4: Why does the selecting official take so long?

Typical wait: 7 to 30 days. Sometimes 60 days. Sometimes 90.

This is the gate where most applications go dark. The cert is on the supervisor's desk. Now they have to act on it.

The reason this takes so long has nothing to do with you. The selecting official has a day job. Hiring is on top of that day job. They may be waiting on a panel to free up. They may need their own boss to approve interviews. They may be waiting on budget confirmation for the new hire. They may be at a conference, on travel, or out on leave.

If you have been "Referred" for 30 to 60 days with no movement, that is not unusual. Brutal, but not unusual. If you stay in "Referred" for 90+ days, the announcement may be dying. Some agencies pull the cert and re-announce. Some let it expire. We wrote about this exact scenario in referred on USAJOBS but ghosted for 30 days.

What to do. At 30 days "Referred" with no contact, sit tight. At 60 days, send a single short email to the selecting official if they are named on the announcement. Otherwise email HR. Ask if the cert is still active and if the position is still being filled. Do not call. Do not chase. One email.

Step 5: When does interview scheduling actually happen?

Typical wait: 7 to 14 days after cert review.

Some agencies skip interviews entirely. High-volume series like GS-2210 IT and some GS-0301 Misc Admin announcements are often filled on cert alone, especially under Direct Hire Authority. Others run structured panel interviews with two to four panelists asking the same questions of every candidate.

If you are getting an interview, the selecting official's coordinator emails you with two or three time slots. Reply fast. Same day if possible. Slow replies push you to the back of the schedule.

Federal interviews tend to be structured. Same questions, same order, scored on a rubric. Behavioral questions are common. Bring the STAR method. Have receipts on every claim from your resume.

Step 6: How do reference checks fit into the timeline?

Typical wait: 7 to 14 days after interviews.

Reference checks are not always done in federal hiring. Depends on agency and series. When they happen, they are usually email-based. Your reference gets a short questionnaire. Five to ten questions. Did you supervise this person. Would you rehire them. Rate their performance.

Pick references who will respond fast. The slowest reference sets the timeline for this step. A reference who takes three weeks to fill out a five-minute form just cost you three weeks.

Tell your references they are listed. Tell them what role you are up for. Send them a copy of your resume so they can refresh on what you did and when.

Step 7: What is a tentative offer and why is it "tentative"?

Typical wait: 1 to 7 days after final selection.

The tentative job offer (TJO) is the first real signal you are getting hired. It is "tentative" because it is conditional. The job is yours pending background investigation, drug test (some positions), final fingerprint and credit checks, and any agency-specific clearance steps.

The TJO usually includes your title, series, grade, step, salary, location, and a request for documents (DD-214, transcripts, references). You will also fill out the SF-86 or SF-85 background packet. The TJO feels like the finish line, but the background investigation still has to clear before you get the final offer.

The status on USAJOBS changes to "Selected" when you accept the TJO. That status will sit there for months while the next gate runs.

Step 8: How long does the background investigation actually take?

This is the longest step. It is almost always the longest step.

Background investigations are run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) for most federal positions, with some agencies running their own. Here are the realistic ranges in 2025-2026, based on the tier of the position.

If you already hold an active clearance from prior service, this step can shrink dramatically. Crossover at the same level is often weeks, not months. For the full breakdown, read the security clearance investigation timeline and how to check your clearance status after separation.

What slows it down. Foreign contacts. Prior addresses overseas. Bankruptcy or unresolved debt. Unresolved criminal history. Long lists of references. Multiple employers in short windows. None of these are automatic disqualifiers. They just add interviews and paperwork.

What to do. Submit the SF-86 the day you get it. Fill it in cleanly. Truth on every line. The fastest way to slow this step is to leave gaps that force a follow-up interview.

Step 9: How long between final offer and start date?

Typical wait: 7 to 30 days after background investigation closes.

Once your investigation is favorably adjudicated, HR issues the final job offer (FJO). The FJO confirms your title, grade, step, salary, supervisor, and most importantly your Enter on Duty date.

EOD is the day you start. Most agencies set EOD on the first day of a pay period (every other Sunday or Monday in federal pay schedules). That means even if your FJO comes through on a Tuesday, you may not start until the following pay period.

If your EOD lands across an end of fiscal year (September 30), expect delays. New hires sometimes get pushed to the next fiscal year start (October 1) because of budget timing. This is also why excepted service positions can sometimes move faster than competitive service.

What does each USAJOBS status actually tell you?

Your USAJOBS dashboard shows a status. That status is a one-word translation of which gate you are in. Here is what each one means.

What can you actually do at each delay point?

This is the question most veterans ask. Here is the honest playbook based on which gate you are stuck in.

• Day 0 to 30 (status "Received"): Nothing. This is normal. Do not email. Keep applying to other announcements.
• Day 30 to 60 (status "Received"): Still normal at most agencies. Wait.
• Day 60+ (status "Received"): Email the HR specialist named on the announcement. One short email. Ask for status only.
• Status "Reviewed" for 14+ days: Wait it out. HR is building the cert.
• Status "Referred" for 30 days: Normal. Do nothing.
• Status "Referred" for 60+ days: Email the selecting official if named on the announcement. Otherwise HR. Ask if the cert is still active.
• Tentative offer 60+ days old: This is the background investigation. Out of the agency's hands. Email HR for a status check, but expect no real update.
• Any status, applied to a Direct Hire Authority position: Timeline often runs 30 to 60 days end to end. Read about Direct Hire Authority for federal jobs.

While you wait, keep applying. A working federal job search means keeping multiple open applications across multiple agencies at once. One slow announcement should never be your only iron in the fire. We wrote a playbook on volume in apply to 50 federal jobs in one week without burning out.

What speeds up or slows down the timeline?

Same announcement, two veterans, very different timelines. Here is what changes the math.

Veterans' preference does not speed the timeline. It improves your ranking on the cert. That is a different lever. The timeline runs at whatever pace the queue is moving.

Why the background investigation is always the slowest step

The other gates have one or two owners. HR. The selecting official. Maybe a panel. You can sometimes nudge those gates with a polite email.

The background investigation has dozens of owners. Investigators. Field offices. Adjudicators. Reference contacts. Former employers. Foreign-contact checks. None of them work for the agency hiring you. None of them respond to your emails.

The single fastest thing you can do here is submit a clean SF-86 the day you receive it. Every address, every employer, every reference. No gaps. No "I'll have to check on that date." Gaps trigger follow-up interviews and follow-up interviews stack up in the queue behind everyone else's follow-up interviews.

Held an active clearance in service? Separated less than two years ago? Your clearance is usually still active or eligible for immediate reciprocity. That can shrink Gate 8 from six months to six weeks. Check your status before you apply to cleared positions. We covered the process in how to check your clearance status after separation.

What is a realistic total timeline by position type?

How to stay sane while the queue moves

The mental game is the hardest part. Most veterans I work with crack at the 60-day mark because they assume silence means rejection. It almost never does.

Three things keep this manageable. First, track every application with status and date. A simple spreadsheet works. We built one and shared the template in track USAJobs applications spreadsheet, plus a roundup of free tools veterans use.

Second, keep your pipeline full. Keeping multiple applications open across multiple agencies is the working volume. One announcement should never define your week.

Third, treat USAJOBS like a long-haul. Public Trust positions can close fast. Cleared positions cannot. If you are going for TS work, line up bridge income for 6 to 12 months.

What to do next

If you are sitting in a specific gate right now, find the matching section above. Follow that playbook. If you are still preparing applications, the real bottleneck is upstream. You need a tight, keyword-aligned federal resume. One that scores high on the questionnaire and survives the cert build.

BMR's Federal Resume Builder handles federal formatting. Hours per week, supervisor contact, specialized experience language. It also tailors keywords to the announcement you are applying to. Free for veterans and military spouses. Built by veterans who have sat on both sides of the federal hiring desk.

The queue is going to move at the queue's pace. Your job is to be on as many certs as possible when it does.