I recently applied for a mid-level role at my local city government in a rural town with a population of about 100,000. I submitted my application early on a Monday morning, right when I noticed the listing. I wasn't sure how late I was to apply since the posting was only on their site and the date wasn't mentioned. To my surprise, by 1pm that same day, I received an email confirming that my application had passed the initial screening and was forwarded to the department manager for further review. They mentioned I should expect to hear back in about 1-2 weeks. This is a significant improvement from a few months ago when I applied for a very entry-level position with the same city and was completely ghosted. At that time, I was still finishing up my bachelor's degree. Since then, I've graduated and completed a 12-week internship, which I hope strengthens my application. I'm aware that competition might be tough, especially since it's a college town, but I'm feeling optimistic about the possibility of getting an interview. It was nice to receive a personalized email updating me on my application status, which definitely makes the process feel more engaging. I'm looking forward to potentially scheduling an interview next week!