Applied on usajobs.gov. I am a recent college graduate with a high GPA but it took well over a year and hundreds of applications before I got my first federal job. I kind of wonder if getting into a good graduate school separated me from the fold as I was not called for this position until after I updated my federal resume. The phone interview mainly just involved reiterating what the job posting said. The recruiters main issue was making sure I was not about to run off and join the military and if my grad school classes hampered by availability (If you really want a job, continue your education, but take classes online, half-time or less. No employer wants to hear that you do not have full availability, even if a job only promises you 15 hours a week). You have to do a lot of paperwork and get an unclassified security clearance. All together a total of four months passed between applying for the job and my first day of work.