Sometimes it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I applied (and was rejected) for at least 50 federal positions before I was hired. My organization needed someone fast to replace a 20-year fed who was retiring. They compiled a list of all the candidates who made the cert, and in the end, a veteran was selected. Except she wasn't a veteran, not even close. She had lied on her application, and assumed that no one would follow through - and she was almost right, because OPM clearly didn't do anything. But one of my bosses is an Air Force reservist, and he caught it right away. They went back to the original list, and to make a long story short, I was hired even though I'm a non-veteran with only private sector experience. To anyone who is really determined to make it happen, I've heard Kathryn Troutman's books recommended by coworkers.

USAJobs is badly in need of an 18F overhaul.

Hiring in gov't is hard. We've had to pause and refactor our hiring process several times. Long delays are just as frustrating to us, trust me. It's getting better all the time though.