It was a position with the federal government, so the process was initiated through USAJobs. The federal government has a 80-day window to job announcement to hire and these folks were following it. A human resource adviser reviewed the application for level of qualification and proceeded to forward package to the hiring official. There were a few email conversations with the hiring official, but those were more for determining an appropriate time for an interview. The interview was conducted by a panel and all participants had prepared questions. Though this ensured every candidate was presented with the exact same question, it eliminated any spontaneity or follow-on questioning. This division had an "ideal" candidate in mind, for which I wasn't their exact fit. Interestingly, and this goes towards their culture, a second opportunity opened within the organization. My application didn't make the panel despite improvements to my package.