Application Process

Before submitting your application for the Digital Corps, we encourage you to:

1. Understand your eligibility

   • You must be a United States citizen or national (resident of American Samoa or Swains Island).
   • You must be available to start full-time with the cohort in August 2024. An exact start date will be communicated to candidates during the selection process.
   • You understand that you will be required to pass a government background check.
   • You meet the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Recent Graduates program (currently enrolled students must graduate by July 14, 2024 to be eligible):
     • You are a recent graduate who has received an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the past two years (November 2021 or after), OR
     • You are a preference-eligible Veteran who was precluded from applying within two years of meeting the above educational requirements due to a military service obligation. You have been discharged/released from active duty within the last two years, and it has not been more than six years from the date you originally met the educational requirements.
   • You have at least one of the below:
     • One cumulative year of experience related to the track you are applying to. This can include paid or unpaid internships, volunteer experiences, student organizations, and jobs, OR
     • An advanced degree (e.g. Master’s, PhD) in a technology field

       Technology fields

       Computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks.

2. Prepare to apply

   Prior to submitting an application for the U.S. Digital Corps, you should:

   • Review details about the program opportunity, including the Fellow experience.
   • Review our eligibility criteria.
   • Select your track. We are recruiting Digital Corps Fellows in five skill tracks: software engineering, data science and analytics, product management, design, and cybersecurity.

     Apply for the track in which you have the most experience. It’s okay if you have experience or interest in more than one area, but we recommend that you select the track that most closely matches your skill set. Doing so will help our team thoughtfully pair candidates with agencies and projects. Your track selection will not limit the projects you are considered for and Digital Corps Fellows will have ample opportunity to learn and grow in areas beyond their selected track.

   • Prepare your resume and transcript.
     • Resume. Create a resume (federal resumes not required!) that reflects your education and experience. Reference this blog post on USDC resume best practices.

       Subject matter experts will review up to three pages of your resume: the first page regarding your education—including relevant coursework, projects, and presentations—and the first two pages detailing your paid and unpaid work experiences, volunteering, student organizations, and other relevant experiences.

     • Transcript or certificate of completion (official or unofficial). If you are currently enrolled, you can submit proof of enrollment.
   • If you require accommodations at any point of the application or hiring process, please contact GSA HR.

3. Craft a competitive application

   Here are some suggestions for crafting a competitive Digital Corps application:

   • Thoroughly review our website and FAQs.
   • Be as descriptive and detailed as possible when creating your resume. We strongly suggest reading our blog post on resume best practices before applying.

4. Participate in the selection process and timeline

   We’ve included an overview and tentative timeline of our selection process to help in your planning.

   During the application process, all applicants will have the opportunity to consent to sharing their name, application materials, and assessment results with other agencies to be considered for open positions beyond the U.S. Digital Corps. Your choice will not affect your application.

   If you require accommodations at any point of the application or hiring process, please contact GSA HR.

   November: Apply to the U.S. Digital Corps

   Applications for the 2024 U.S. Digital Corps cohort are now closed. Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply early as there is an application limit in each track that may cause applications to close before the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted and all applications submitted before applications closed will be considered equally.

   If there are substantially more applicants than Digital Corps openings, applications that are not in the top category may be held at each stage of the process detailed below.

   December: Project-based assessment and resume review

   Shortly after the deadline, all eligible applicants will receive a short project-based assessment to complete. The assessment is track-specific and will take no longer than two hours to complete. You will have approximately one week to submit the assessment.

   In parallel, up to three pages of your resume (two pages of experience and one page of education) will be reviewed. Both applicant resumes and project-based assessments will be reviewed by subject matter experts in the track that you apply in.

   January — February: Interview with a subject matter expert in your track

   If your project-based assessment meets the required competencies for your track, you will be invited to a phone interview. You should expect your interview to cover both technical and non-technical (behavioral) questions.

   All interviews will be conducted virtually. Live captioning and other accessibility assistance is available for all candidates. If you require accommodations at any point of the application or hiring process, please contact GSA HR.

   Veterans' preference will be applied to applicants who move forward after the phone interview stage.

   February: Interview with host agencies

   Qualified candidates will have an opportunity to interview with U.S. Digital Corps host agencies and project teams based on mutual interest and alignment of skill sets. Candidates at this stage will receive additional information about specific agency projects.

   March: Final selections and tentative offers

   Upon consultation with host agencies, we will finalize agency placements and offers. As the Digital Corps operates within the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the GSA HR team will make tentative offers to selected candidates. Tentative offers are contingent on passing a background check.

   As your offer details will depend on your work location, we will work with you and your agency to determine your preferred work location subject to the position requirements and telework policies of your agency.

   Our team will also set up calls for incoming Digital Corps Fellows to welcome you to the program and our community, and answer any questions.

   March — July: Pre-employment process

   Once you accept your tentative offer, you will receive an email from the HR onboarding system. You will need to login and accept your tentative offer. You will be asked to complete a series of forms and receive a USAaccess email requesting you to schedule a time to provide your fingerprints for your security clearance and complete an e‑QIP security questionnaire.

   Once your e‑QIP has been initially cleared, a GSA HR specialist will call you with a final offer. At this stage, GSA HR and the Digital Corps team will confirm your start date.

   Note: We do not recommend you give notice or resign from your current employer (if applicable) until you receive your final offer with a confirmed start date from HR.

   August: Onboarding, orientation, and Fellow welcome!

   2024 Fellows will most likely start in August 2024. The exact start date will be announced during the selection process.