HOW TO GET A JOB WITH DWR
To be employed by the Department of Water Resources, or any other State department,
an examination must be taken to obtain list eligibility. State civil service
exams are open to all regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry,
sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age or sexual
orientation. California residency is not required, and U.S. citizenship is required
only for peace officer jobs.
In accordance with the California state civil service
process, becoming a California State employee consists of five
steps:
- The examination process
- Becoming reachable on a list
- Locating a vacant position
- Participating in a hiring interview
- Probation
Step 1: The Examination Process
Before you can be appointed to a permanent position,
you must first take an open competitive examination to obtain
list eligibility. Examination bulletins specify information that
you will need to review to make sure you meet the minimum qualifications
so you can apply to take the exam. The examination bulletins
also contain information that tells you how, where, and when
to file for a particular exam. To find out more on a particular
classification, go to the CalHR website, at www.jobs.ca.gov.
Examinations are given by the California
Department of Human Resources and by individual state departments. To find
out about specific DWR examinations, you can go to the Current Exams
webpage. DWR also maintains exam bulletins and has computer access
at its Personnel Office located at 1416 9th Street, Room 320 in
Sacramento. The California Department of Human Resources maintains information on all examinations
and copies of the examination bulletins are available at the California Department of Human Resources,
1515 S Street, North Building, Suite 400, Sacramento, California 95811-7258 or on the
California Department of Human Resources website
(www.calhr.ca.gov).
To apply for an exam, you must complete a State
Application Form (STD 678) submit as indicated on the examination
bulletin. State application forms are available from any local
Employment Development Department office, any State of California
agency and from the State Personnel Board's website indicated
above. If your application meets the minimum qualifications,
you will be notified of a test date. Late applications will
not be accepted.
Step 2: Becoming Reachable on a List
Successful applicants will be placed on eligible
lists, which are divided into ranks by score. Only those that
are in reachable ranks may be considered for appointment. Reachable
ranks are those employees who are in the top three ranks. If
a rank is cleared (all candidates in the rank are either hired
or no longer available for employment), the next lowest rank
is then considered reachable and those candidates can now be
considered for appointment.
Step 3: Locating a Vacant Position
Now that you've taken an exam and are reachable,
the next step is locating a vacant position. There are many ways
to obtain vacancy information.
- Contact letters may be sent to those candidates that are in
reachable ranks for current vacancies. In some cases, because there may be several
candidates in the same rank, there is a random computer program that will choose the
candidates who will receive a contact letter.
- The Exams and Vacancy Search Engine available on
www.jobs.ca.gov, is a service provided by the
California Department of Human Resources that contains information on current exam
bulletins and current vacancies statewide. You may apply for any position advertised
in this database for which you have taken and passed the appropriate exam and are in
a reachable rank.
A departmental vacancy listing is available and can be accessed through this website
in the Job Vacancies page. Copies of job
announcements for vacant positions are also available from the DWR Personnel Office
located at 1416 Ninth Street, Room 320, Sacramento.
- Students may apply for Youth Aid, Student
Assistant, Graduate Student Assistant, or Student Assistant
(Engineering and Architecture) positions without taking an
examination. Additional information regarding student assistant
opportunities may be obtained from the Student
Employment page.
Step 4: Participate in a Hiring Interview
The examination was general, for an entire class,
where the hiring interview is specific to the particular department.
One class can offer a wide variety of opportunities. This process
is designed to identify the best job/person match for that position
only. Before you go to your interview, you should acquaint yourself
with the mission and functions of that department and how the
job you are interviewing for contributes. The department has
the discretion to hire anyone who is certified to them from an
employment list. Unless you are offered a job, your name remains
on the eligibility list to be considered for other vacancies.
Step 5: Probation
All newly appointed state employees participate
in a probation period which is usually 6 or 12 months depending
on the job classification. During this time you will receive
training related to your position, and will receive three probationary
reports/evaluations tracking how well you are doing on the job.
Most employees successfully pass the probationary period and
become permanent staff. However, those employees who are not
doing a good job should expect to be terminated before the end
of the probationary period.
For more information about the examination and civil service process
you may want to visit the California Department of Human Resources'
Job Page or specifically:
General Information
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