Fed Interview

[helpzwouldbenice]

Hey all,

Has anyone every had an interview with any of the Federal Reserve regional Banks? I have an interview coming up with the NY Fed and I'd be curious to see what kinds of questions they ask.

Thanks

[nobigdeal]

This is pretty standard advice that you would get from any job interview info site, but, from my experience, it applies.

First off, be prepared to meet with many people. They often like to make RA applicants go through several interviews with economists and current RAs. Have questions to ask them about the position.

Be prepared to talk about your interest in economics, why you want to work at a Fed, what you imagine yourself doing after working at the Fed, the relevant courses you've taken (econ and math), your research experiences (in depth), and your experience with statistics package software (in depth)... They may also ask you to explain how you would interpret output from a regression model.

Also be prepared to explain any deficiencies in your resume. I was once asked why I hadn't taken more math in college.

They want someone who loves economics and, ideally, someone who wants to pursue a phd in economics or a similar discipline.

Good luck! It's a great job if you can get it.
Best,
NBD

[chottodake]

Originally Posted by nobigdeal

Be prepared to talk about your interest in economics, why you want to work at a Fed, what you imagine yourself doing after working at the Fed, the relevant courses you've taken (econ and math), your research experiences (in depth), and your experience with statistics package software (in depth)... They may also ask you to explain how you would interpret output from a regression model.

Also be prepared to explain any deficiencies in your resume. I was once asked why I hadn't taken more math in college.

Were there any questions/discussions about the Fed's functions, recent policy issues/current events, technical economics/math questions, or things like that? Would it be necessary to go through the economists' current work in progress? Or, is it more personable and they-wana-get-to-know-me and my experiences kind of thing?

It's great to learn this directly from a current RA! This is my first ever interview for anything, and I'm so nervous..

[Golden Rule]

Originally Posted by chottodake

Were there any questions/discussions about the Fed's functions, recent policy issues/current events, technical economics/math questions, or things like that? Would it be necessary to go through the economists' current work in progress? Or, is it more personable and they-wana-get-to-know-me and my experiences kind of thing?

I'm a former fed RA. It's more like wanna-get-to-know-me, at least at my Fed. I would recommend though trying to determine what the works in progress are of economists you might be interviewing with, and be sure to emphasize if you are a particular good fit in terms of your interest and experience.