Patent Examiner Employment Application

USPTO uses the USA Staffing System to rapidly review applications for employment of entry-level patent examiners. The use of such automated online systems during recruitment allows USPTO to remain competitive, meet hiring goals, and fulfill the Agency's Congressional commitment to reduce the pendency rate for the examination of patent applications. Given the time sensitive hiring needs of the Patent Examining Corps, the USA Staffing system provides increased speed and accuracy during the employment process. This information collection covers respondent data gathered through the USA Staffing System. The USA Staffing online application collects supplemental information to a candidate's USAJOBS application. This information assists USPTO Human Resource Specialists and Hiring Managers in determining whether an applicant possesses the basic qualification requirements for a patent examiner position. From the information collected, the USA staffing system creates an electronic real-time candidate inventory on applicants' expertise and technical knowledge, which allows USPTO to immediately review applications from multiple applicants.

The latest form for Patent Examiner Employment Application expires 2027-03-31 and can be found here.