I worked at the FDIC in the early '90s as a senior term employee, and again in 2009-2010 as a mid level LRS. What most experienced pros don't know is that they should not answer the online application questions individually. Just copy and paste relevant parts of your resume into the answer sections. Even if you find yourself pasting the same paragraph more than once, it probably answers more than one question. Do not hesitate to do it this way. It worked for me after they turned me down in late 2008 (my former colleagues still there were astonished). I called, asked a few questions and then did the "copy and paste" trick. I was called within a few weeks after re-applying. This works for any financial regulator job. The interview was with two senior guys, who had been together for 20 years. One quick loan review was requested, and it was simple. Two months after starting, they sent everyone to Loan Analisis school, where, I swear on a bible, my group instructor, acting the part of a small country bank president, said this lousy loan was good, "because these folks have a farm where they grow, some, ah, cash crops" (i.e. Kentucky pot growers). And if we did not sign up for that explanation, we got lashed. The career folks just want to get their 25 or 30 yrs in. If they will end at a lower level, say a 12 or 13, they want to become the risk officer at the bank nearest to their home, which by the way, they are often assigned to examine.