Imagine starting your career working side by side with intellectual property (IP) leaders as part of USPTO's Innovation Internship Program. Here we celebrate, support, and thrive by building the bridge between IP and accessibility to all. Join us as part of a team that makes meaningful changes with a global impact across the IP Community.
Imagine starting your career working side by side with intellectual property (IP) leaders as part of USPTO's Innovation Internship Program. Here we celebrate, support, and thrive by building the bridge between IP and accessibility to all. Join us as part of a team that makes meaningful changes with a global impact across the IP Community.
All candidates must be enrolled as a student in a 4-year college or university, community college, or junior college. Students must have completed 2 full years of post-high school study or hold an associate's degree and be enrolled as a full-time student in an educational institution.
This exciting internship opportunity will start late summer or early fall, and will not exceed 2 years. Some things you should know:
The internship will be full-time telework during summer breaks and part-time during the school year. Students on a trimester schedule will be accommodated.
The duties assigned to this position are authorized to be performed in the United States (currently defined as the fifty states and the District of Columbia) and Puerto Rico.
Apply quickly! This announcement is limited to the first 500 applications received. If the application limit is not reached by the closing date of the announcement, all applications received during the open period will be considered. Any required documents must be submitted at the time you apply, as documents will not be accepted past the day the application limit is reached, if applicable.
As a USPTO Innovation Intern, you will receive practical, virtual hands-on experience by engaging in a variety of diverse and challenging activities. This exciting opportunity is ideal for you if:
You're inspired by innovative environments that allow you to contribute to the accomplishment of organizational goals.
You're interested in engaging directly with agency leadership to gain insight into the USPTO mission by participating in regular senior level sessions.
You desire to explore federal careers while completing your education.
You enjoy learning through routine and recurring developmental assignments which will help acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods used in the areas of innovation and intellectual property while completing your education.
You're committed to training and development on various topics relating to the USPTO and government service.
You're interested in getting experience in legal writing and analysis.
You're excited about assisting with special projects and new initiatives including preparing and delivering a capstone project with a group of fellow interns.
You're a relationship builder who finds enjoyment in participating in group/team assignments and assisting with research, analysis, statistics and reporting out your findings.
You're an effective writer who finds interest in drafting various documents and reports, creating spreadsheets and charts, etc., to present a variety of data and information.
Assisting with IT projects excites you.
You're enthused and interested in observing appeal hearings, cases, and panels.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
Meet educational requirement.
Must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student in a qualifying educational institution.
Must be at least 16 years of age.
Must be in good academic standing.
Qualifications
All applicants applying to participate in the internship must meet the following requirements:
GS-4: Completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree. Two full academic years of undergraduate credit hours determined by the college or university attended. All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Education
A successful candidate must be enrolled as a full-time student as determined by the educational institution (including 4-year college or university, community college, or junior college).
Students must be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or higher).
Additional information
COVID-I9 Information: To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. The USPTO will request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Background Investigation: If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.
All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued.
All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Eligibility for appointment is based on applicants meeting the basic requirements for the position as documented in the resume and responses to the questionnaire.
Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for immediate dismissal.
Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Candidates with veterans' preference will be considered before non-veteran preference candidates.
Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the "Required Documents" section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
1. A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications; optional cover letter: Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience including job titles, salary, employment dates, duties and accomplishments, experience.
2. Transcripts and/or an Official Letter for Proof of Enrollment for the upcoming semester at a qualifying educational institution: You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable when submitting your application package. If selected, you will be required to furnish official transcripts along with proof of current enrollment. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above educational requirements. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration.
3. Veterans' Preference Documentation: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility, you will be asked to submit a copy of your DD-214 containing your discharge disposition, dates of service, and rank. If you are a preference eligible claiming a service connected disability of 10 percent or more, you will be asked to submit documentation (i.e. a letter dated 1991 or later from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces) certifying your present receipt of compensation. You must include dates of military service within the automated application process, and submit a copy of each Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214. For more information, please visit Special Appointing Authorities for Veterans.
You can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Department of Commerce application site which you access through the USAJobs site.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.
Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.
PATS - Patent Experience Extern Program
500 Elizabeth Lane
Alexandria, VA 22314
US
Next steps
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. You will also receive notification through USAJOBS at each of the following points during the application process: (1) application received; (2) applicant assessed for qualifications; (3) applicant referred or not referred; and (4) selected or not selected.
After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided.
You can check the status of your application by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the 'Notification Settings' to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
1. A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications; optional cover letter: Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience including job titles, salary, employment dates, duties and accomplishments, experience.
2. Transcripts and/or an Official Letter for Proof of Enrollment for the upcoming semester at a qualifying educational institution: You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable when submitting your application package. If selected, you will be required to furnish official transcripts along with proof of current enrollment. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above educational requirements. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration.
3. Veterans' Preference Documentation: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility, you will be asked to submit a copy of your DD-214 containing your discharge disposition, dates of service, and rank. If you are a preference eligible claiming a service connected disability of 10 percent or more, you will be asked to submit documentation (i.e. a letter dated 1991 or later from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces) certifying your present receipt of compensation. You must include dates of military service within the automated application process, and submit a copy of each Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214. For more information, please visit Special Appointing Authorities for Veterans.
You can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Department of Commerce application site which you access through the USAJobs site.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.
Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.
PATS - Patent Experience Extern Program
500 Elizabeth Lane
Alexandria, VA 22314
US
Next steps
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. You will also receive notification through USAJOBS at each of the following points during the application process: (1) application received; (2) applicant assessed for qualifications; (3) applicant referred or not referred; and (4) selected or not selected.
After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided.
You can check the status of your application by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the 'Notification Settings' to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
