I recently applied for a Land Surveyor position with the US Forest Service. The position requires a land surveying degree or a PLS license. I just received an e-mail indicating that I had made it through the initial screening process and that my application had been forwarded to the hiring authority for further consideration.
I was feeling pretty good about my chances until I talked to the "hiring authority". It turns out that there are a hundred and twenty-five of us that made it to the next round!
Times have sure changed. A couple of years ago, I probably could have demanded a signing bonus!