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[Vanilla Ice]

I have been waiting for the PTO to start hiring again since January when they axed the examiner positions.  I have a PhD in chem and 2.5 years of Fed Government experience (in safety).

[Yet another examiner]

Are there a lot of 50+ examiners joining the USPTO as a 2nd career?

There were a couple when I hired, mostly people who were casualties from companies going under.

[Agent007]

PTO job seekers,

USAjobs will be shut down for upgrades, i think from Oct 6-12 and they supposedly will not be accepting new postings between Oct 1-6, but...the PTO is expected to hire something like 1500 new examiners in the new fiscal year which starts in Oct. 1.

[blaze1306]

PTO job seekers,

USAjobs will be shut down for upgrades, i think from Oct 6-12 and they supposedly will not be accepting new postings between Oct 1-6, but...the PTO is expected to hire something like 1500 new examiners in the new fiscal year which starts in Oct. 1.

Really... what is your source? I thought nothing was set in stone yet? I really hope you are right.

[klaviernista]

PTO job seekers,

USAjobs will be shut down for upgrades, i think from Oct 6-12 and they supposedly will not be accepting new postings between Oct 1-6, but...the PTO is expected to hire something like 1500 new examiners in the new fiscal year which starts in Oct. 1.

Really... what is your source? I thought nothing was set in stone yet? I really hope you are right.

I spoke to one of my SPE friends the other day.  She said that the Office is running on a continuing resolution until the end of the year.  However, her art area alone is scheduled to hire 53 new examiners next year.

[blaze1306]

PTO job seekers,

USAjobs will be shut down for upgrades, i think from Oct 6-12 and they supposedly will not be accepting new postings between Oct 1-6, but...the PTO is expected to hire something like 1500 new examiners in the new fiscal year which starts in Oct. 1.

Really... what is your source? I thought nothing was set in stone yet? I really hope you are right.

I spoke to one of my SPE friends the other day.  She said that the Office is running on a continuing resolution until the end of the year.  However, her art area alone is scheduled to hire 53 new examiners next year.

What is a continuing resolution?

[Yet another examiner]

What is a continuing resolution?

In a nutshell, it's a way for congress to appropriate funds temporarily when the lawmakers can't get their act together to properly fund the US government.

[blaze1306]

What is a continuing resolution?

In a nutshell, it's a way for congress to appropriate funds temporarily when the lawmakers can't get their act together to properly fund the US government.

I hope they start hiring this coming week.

[JustAnotherExaminer]

What is a continuing resolution?

In a nutshell, it's a way for congress to appropriate funds temporarily when the lawmakers can't get their act together to properly fund the US government.

I hope they start hiring this coming week.

It'll prob be a couple weeks before they're posted on USAJobs.  There's going to be a relatively high number of examiners transferring examination areas at the end of the FY because of Kappos.  They'll need to run some numbers after the FY to predict what needs to be hired.  But they'll be shooting for 1500 new hires again.

Kappos is going to be selling the COPA initiative success to Congress for funding.  The COPA initative sums up the examining corps pretty accurately:  http://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml#
We drop the target cases by about 10-20k/month the entire FY and then.....
In September, right at end of FY, we drop the target cases by about 100k.

[blaze1306]

What is a continuing resolution?

In a nutshell, it's a way for congress to appropriate funds temporarily when the lawmakers can't get their act together to properly fund the US government.

I hope they start hiring this coming week.

It'll prob be a couple weeks before they're posted on USAJobs.  There's going to be a relatively high number of examiners transferring examination areas at the end of the FY because of Kappos.  They'll need to run some numbers after the FY to predict what needs to be hired.  But they'll be shooting for 1500 new hires again.

Kappos is going to be selling the COPA initiative success to Congress for funding.  The COPA initative sums up the examining corps pretty accurately:  http://www.uspto.gov/dashboards/patents/main.dashxml#
We drop the target cases by about 10-20k/month the entire FY and then.....
In September, right at end of FY, we drop the target cases by about 100k.

Thank you for all the information. Let me ask an unrelated application question. Is it appropriate for me to apply as soon as the appilcations are accepted again and then try and defer my start date till I'm closer to graduation from law school? I dont want to graduate in September and have hiring at the USPTO frozen  again.

[Yet another examiner]

I think it's appropriate. But whether they let you do that or not is another question. idk how flexible they are with start dates.

[trw]

I know an examiner who deferred his start date by a month.  It wasn't a big deal because there was another Academy class starting then anyway.

[blaze1306]

I know an examiner who deferred his start date by a month.  It wasn't a big deal because there was another Academy class starting then anyway.

Thanks for the advice. I had seen on this board where people had defered  a month or two but i'm leary of trying to defer more than that. I guess I could apply now assuming the process takes about two months, which would put me to January,and then try and defer till after finals in May. Then I could finish my last semester of law school part time while working at the USPTO.

I really want to get to work, I just have this feeling the AIA did nothing to stop a hiring freeze for lack of funds next summer or fall right when I graduate.

[JustAnotherExaminer]

I know an examiner who deferred his start date by a month.  It wasn't a big deal because there was another Academy class starting then anyway.

Thanks for the advice. I had seen on this board where people had defered  a month or two but i'm leary of trying to defer more than that. I guess I could apply now assuming the process takes about two months, which would put me to January,and then try and defer till after finals in May. Then I could finish my last semester of law school part time while working at the USPTO.

I really want to get to work, I just have this feeling the AIA did nothing to stop a hiring freeze for lack of funds next summer or fall right when I graduate.

Given the current job market, especially for lawyers, I'd personally take the PTO job and start date and put off finishing law school or do it part time.

[patentatt]

I know an examiner who deferred his start date by a month.  It wasn't a big deal because there was another Academy class starting then anyway.

Thanks for the advice. I had seen on this board where people had defered  a month or two but i'm leary of trying to defer more than that. I guess I could apply now assuming the process takes about two months, which would put me to January,and then try and defer till after finals in May. Then I could finish my last semester of law school part time while working at the USPTO.

I really want to get to work, I just have this feeling the AIA did nothing to stop a hiring freeze for lack of funds next summer or fall right when I graduate.

Given the current job market, especially for lawyers, I'd personally take the PTO job and start date and put off finishing law school or do it part time.

I agree with JAE.