I was laid off in December, and had not so much as a job interview since. Finally I took some civil service tests, did well, and now I have state agencies soliciting me to apply for various jobs. A few days ago I got contacted to schedule an interview for a UW Whitewater job, and two more calls today to schedule interviews here in Madison. So I have interviews scheduled Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And Tuesday is my birthday.
Meanwhile my last employer just laid off another 60 people last week. This evening I get a call from my friend and former co-worker Linda. I haven’t heard from her since December either. Anyway, she survived the cut, but a lot of her friends didn’t and she was all stressing and asking unemployment question and about taking civil service tests, and how management is lying to the staff and blah blah blah. And we talked for like an hour and decided to catch up over coffee at Borders next Thursday evening.
Nobody said “date”, but I’m claiming credit for one anyway. We’re both single, we’re getting together in the evening for purely social reasons. Besides, I don’t even want to think about how longs it’s been since I’ve been on a date, but it’s sure as hell a LOT longer ago than December.
So today is my best day in the last two years or so – pretty much since I learned I was gonna get laid off – which was about a year and a half before I finally was.
Fellow civil service test taker here. Got me a job as a clerk typist 2 for the Bureau of Disability Determination in PA. I have a 4-year degree, so it’s not where I want to end up, but I could be doing a HELL of a lot worse, for sure. I’ve already had two interviews with Social Security (one recently). Here’s to hoping.
I don’t stand a shred of a chance on open applications through USAJobs. Too many veterans and the like. Got both interviews through soliciting my resume to the various district managers at many offices.
Civil service tests are a very well-kept secret. Unintentionally, of course, but so many people have no idea that the state has thousands of jobs that are partially rewarded based on the merit of taking an exam. You have to do well at an interview, of course, but it GETS you interviews.
Even after you take the test, there’s a lot they don’t tell you. I was posted as being #139 on the “Office Support” list, but they don’t say how long the list is. I called and asked, and at the time the list was 2300 names, which put me in the top 6%. Whoo again!
Yep, if you’re smart, you will do well. The nice thing is that veteran’s preference is already calculated when you see your standing on the list. The PROBLEM is that it’s still a factor at an interview, needless to say.
PA has a nice grid system (online) that shows all people ahead/equal/below you on the list (and in which counties for which you applied). Pretty handy.
I’d say (roughly, many variables) that the top 10% can expect availability notices for positions. I got excited when I got this first one as I assumed it was a cut-and-dry offer. Sent it back in marked ‘yes, I’m interested, duh!’, and heard nothing. Repeated this roughly 10-15 times and not a single interview, and then I got 4-5 in a matter of a month. They can choose to use the top people on the lists, hire internally, or not hire at all. There are many methods of recruiting, so an availability notice means almost nothing sometimes.
I’ve heard two conflicting things and I don’t know which if either is correct. First, that state employees get a first shot a pretty much all jobs before they are listed to the public, so that jobs that DO become open to the public have already been passed up by state employees. Second is that most managers know who they want for a job before they post it, but they have to post it due to hiring rules.
But I do see listings for jobs open only to current employees, so apparently they are looking at the same listings that I am. If theses jobs are offered internally first, they must be on the agency intranet or something, because most jobs on the state site don’t start as internal only, and later change to “open to everyone”.
There’s another really strange thing. If you pass the “Office Support” test, you are automatically qualified for about 15-20 types of positions, and can apply for any of them and use that test score. Yet when you actually put in an application for a particular job among them, you become “certified” for that job title at that location. So I now have 4 numbered “certifications” for the job “University Services Associate” at various campuses, even though I took one test, and applying for each separate job was a matter of pushing a few more buttons on the website. I have about 25 “Certifications” all together and I certainly haven’t taken nearly that many tests.
My guess is that the civil service hiring procedures haven’t yet caught up with the application technology.
There is an internal posting site. It’s “JobNet” for PA, not sure about other states.
Any entry-level position (ST-03 or the like) is less likely to be accepted internally as there are much fewer people below a 3 with civil service status.
In WI, anyone can get notices that jobs are available. You can establish an account, and establish particular job search criteria, and the system will generate emails to you with links to any new positions that meet your criteria.
I assume, and still do, though now your interpretation is putting doubts in my head, that if the agency solicits me by name, that they will give me an interview if I respond positively. They’re worded along the lines of, “If you would like an interview please respond by XXX date”. I’ve ignored or declined most of them because they’re half way across the state, or half-time, or both. I think all the ones I’ve said yes to have gotten back to me, but I’m not 100% sure.
That’s interesting. WI possibly works differently, then. I know that mostly all (if not all) positions require an exam of some sort which places you on a list. They pull the top % (based on how many openings/their standards/etc.) and send out availabilities based on that. Your state might work differently in that all you have to do is make an account and can then expect avail. notices.
Now I’m thinking we’re just using different terminology for pretty much the same thing. Same here that every job opening requires a test. There are some generic tests where you prove basic competencies like reading and math, and those tests are used for bunches of lower level clerical and administrative jobs. The higher level test are usually narratives of some sort asking you to describe what you have done in your work history that demonstrates skill or experience with the requirements of the job you’re applying for. They’re almost like guided cover letters, asking the kinds of things you’d probably put in anyway to convince an employer that you’re the right person for the job.
What I meant in the earlier post is getting emails of new job openings based on your search criteria. If you’re interested in one, you can apply, and take a test, or use the score you’ve already earned if the required test is one you’ve already taken to apply for some other job.
There are a couple of dozen “generic” tests offered monthly, that you sign up for and go to some state office to take. The one for Office Support, one for EMTs, one for cooks, electricians, etc. The narrative tests are ones you get when you apply for a position that doesn’t use a generic test. You can copy and paste the questions from the website into your own word processor, answer them at your convenience at home, and later go back to the website and upload your answers to complete the applications. I’m working on 3 more tests right now. I have to have them completed by the September 17 application deadline. .
This is where the inconsistency happened. I thought you were saying that an average joe off the street could just make an account with the Civil Service Commission and start flinging applications without examination.
We also have the “generic” exams. My clerk typist 2 position required a clerk typist 2 exam, but the exam filled positions for clerk typist 2’s in both local and state gov’ts. One difference I can see is that positions for non-entry level jobs still require a numerated examination. I recently took an exam for a disability claims adjudicator (ST-06 and ST-07 a year later) which is by no means entry-level. There were ~40 questions related to the subject material (claims terminology, interpreting SSA laws, etc) which was quite difficult, and ~50 questions of a general nature. Some related to computer usage/terminology, grammar, expression, etc.
I have civil service status (which in PA is serving at a position for 6 months with no issues), so I am eligible to apply for jobs with a grade ONE above mine and no higher. I actually need a year of experience to do so, but I am still able to apply (I just wouldn’t be considered unless they were desperate). This is done through the state JobNet, which actually requires an employee # and such.
Any joe off the street can start an application, but the application is not completed until the test is completed. Completing the test might involve signing up for a generic test, or downloading one of the narrative types I referred to.
Since the generic tests are offered once a month, and the scores aren’t posted for about another month, in practice that means that some people who want to apply are are not going to be able to complete the application because they can’t get a test score by the deadline.
The people applying for jobs with a specific narrative test have an advantage in a way. They have to complete the application, and turn in the answers to the test, by the deadline. But the test doesn’t need to be scored by the deadline. Presumably the first thing the HR people will do after the deadline is to score the tests as their initial screening tool, and send along only the names of the people who passed for consideration to be interviewed.
Let us know how it goes!