Imagine a transformative summer experience working closely with intellectual property (IP) leaders as part of the USPTO Extern Program. Here we celebrate, support, and thrive by building the bridge between IP and accessibility for all.
This unpaid, volunteer program provides talented high school, college, and law school students with unique opportunities to gain valuable skills and professional experience. Join us this summer to learn more about various career paths at the USPTO.
Summary
Imagine a transformative summer experience working closely with intellectual property (IP) leaders as part of the USPTO Extern Program. Here we celebrate, support, and thrive by building the bridge between IP and accessibility for all.
This unpaid, volunteer program provides talented high school, college, and law school students with unique opportunities to gain valuable skills and professional experience. Join us this summer to learn more about various career paths at the USPTO.
This job is open to students enrolled in a high school, community college, university, trade school, or another qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree, diploma, or certificate. Students must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
This exciting externship opportunity will start in early June 2025 and end no later than August 29, 2025.
Some things you should know:
The duties assigned to this position are authorized to be performed at the Regional Offices in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, Denver, CO, Silicon Valley, CA, Detroit, MI and Alexandria, VA areas.
Work Schedule (the reporting requirements whether in-person, remote, or hybrid may vary at the discretion of the direct supervisor/office):
In person reporting may be assigned by the immediate supervisor.
Otherwise, telework day(s) may be assigned, except for federal holidays
Apply quickly!This announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received. All applications received prior to midnight (11:59PM ET) of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. 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 part of the USPTO Extern Program, 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 are interested in engaging directly with leaders in innovation to gain insight into the USPTO mission.
You desire to develop or enhance your personal and professional skills.
You're inspired by innovative environments that allow you to contribute to the accomplishment of organizational goals.
You're committed to training and development on various topics relating to the USPTO and government service.
You have an interest or background in studying artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other emerging technologies.
You're excited about assisting with special projects and new initiatives.
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 have an interest in redesigning business process improvement activities.
You have an interest in assisting with researching and contributing toward analysis of IP protection and enforcement policies of U.S. and of selected foreign countries.
You are excited about participating in outreach activities to internal and external stakeholder groups.
You're enthused and interested in observing meetings, appeal hearings, cases, and panels.
You desire to explore federal careers while completing your education.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
You must meet educational requirements and be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
You must be enrolled as a high school or degree-seeking student in a qualifying educational institution.
You must be at least 16 years of age.
You must be suitable for Federal Employment.
You are required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
Qualifications
All applicants applying to participate in this externship must meet the following requirements:
1. You must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled as a high school student or seeking a degree, diploma, or certificate at an accredited high school, university, college; professional, technical, vocational, or trade school. For more clarification on acceptable education, please see the education section below.
2. You must meet educational requirements and be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
All education must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Education
A successful candidate must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student at an accredited educational institution (including high school, 4-year college/university, community college, or junior college); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; or advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate. Students must be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.5 or higher).
Please note that if you will graduate prior to the completion of this extern program, you will not be eligible for this opportunity unless you are accepted for enrollment at a qualifying educational institution seeking an additional degree (diploma, certificate, degree program, etc.) or an advanced degree. You must submit proof of acceptance along with your current transcripts for consideration.
Additional information
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.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies 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, 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).
This externship position does not qualify for benefits.
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 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.
An HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official. If you are determined to be qualified, you will be contacted via email and may be invited for an interview.
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. Transcript(s) AND Official Proof of Enrollment Letter for the upcoming semester at a qualifying educational institution: You MUST submit copies of your school transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable when submitting your application package. However, if selected you will be required to submit an official transcript. Also, proof of enrollment is required upon selection of externship. Official Proof of Enrollment and/or course schedule for the upcoming semester should be submitted for your current qualifying educational institution in order to verify education requirements.
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
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
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 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. Transcript(s) AND Official Proof of Enrollment Letter for the upcoming semester at a qualifying educational institution: You MUST submit copies of your school transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable when submitting your application package. However, if selected you will be required to submit an official transcript. Also, proof of enrollment is required upon selection of externship. Official Proof of Enrollment and/or course schedule for the upcoming semester should be submitted for your current qualifying educational institution in order to verify education requirements.
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
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
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 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.
