3006 - Examination Announcements and Application Filing Guidelines

Category

Examination and Hiring

Audience List

• Administrative Chiefs
• Equal Employment Opportunity Officers
• Human Resources Chiefs
• Personnel Officers
• Selection Analysts
• Selection Managers

Synopsis

This policy:

• Describes the responsibilities appointing authorities have regarding examination announcements and applications for examinations.
• Provides the requirements for state civil service examination announcements.
• Provides the requirements for filing state examination applications.

Introduction

This policy provides detailed information for complying with the laws and rules that govern examination announcements and applications.

Statement

Civil Service Examinations

Pursuant to Government Code sections 18502 and 18660, the State Personnel Board is granted the authority to establish rules that govern examinations, consistent with the merit based civil service system. To that end, various Board rules referenced in this policy provide the specific requirements for posting examination announcements.

According to Government Code section 18930.1, California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) has the authority to establish best practices for each aspect of the design, announcement, and administration of examinations for the purpose of increasing the diversity of applicant pools on employment lists. CalHR has delegated to appointing powers the delegated authority to develop and administer civil service examinations.

Filing Examination Applications

State agencies are required to provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals seeking employment with the State of California. As a part of this requirement, it is important to recognize the value of providing job seekers with various methods to file applications for examinations. While technology has provided new methods for filing applications, it is critical that state agencies continue to recognize and use traditional methods for accepting state applications for examinations and job vacancies to allow for a broader and more diverse recruitment pool for hiring managers.

When advertising examinations, state agencies should consider job applicants’ perspectives and resources. Accepting various versions of applications promotes goodwill and provides more employment opportunities to all.

Application

EXAMINATION ANNOUNCEMENTS

Examination Announcement Requirements

Appointing authorities shall announce or advertise examinations within a reasonable time before the scheduled date(s) of examination(s). Announcements for civil service examinations shall be posted for a minimum of 10 calendar days and shall provide all the following information:

• The date and place of the examination.

• The final filing date for applications.

For continuous examinations, the announcement shall identify any cut-off date(s) for applications.

• The title of the classification.

• The salary range of the classification.

• The minimum qualifications and any preferred or desirable qualifications.

• Functional core competencies as defined in Government Code section 18553.

• The general scope of the examination.

• The relative weight of the examination’s components, if more than one type of test is utilized.

• The type of exam method(s) or test(s). Some examples of exam methods or tests include the following:

Written Tests Training and Experience (T&E)

Supplemental Applications otherwise known as Statement of Qualification (SOQ)

Oral Panel Tests or Qualification Appraisal Panel (QAP)

Physical or Performance Tests

• A statement announcing that the list of eligible candidates resulting from the examination will exist for at least one year, but not more than four years after the date of the established eligible list.

• A statement that informs applicants that dates printed on envelopes by mobile barcodes or equivalent mobile print technology are not acceptable proof of the date the application and any other required documents or materials were filed.

• Clear instructions for filing applications and any other required documents or materials.

• Equal Employment Opportunity and drug free statements that comply with applicable federal and State laws, including any executive orders.

• Any additional information that CalHR or the appointing authority deems proper.

In-Person Examination Announcements

Regulation requires that when an examination is held in-person at the location(s) specified on the examination announcement(s), the appointing authority administering the examination(s) shall include in the announcement that examination applications may be sent or delivered through any or all of the following means:

• Online application systems

• United States Postal Service

• Parcel delivery

• Courier service, or

• In person hand-delivery

The following or similar language may be included in the announcement if the agency prefers receiving online applications:

“Using the online application system as specified in the announcement is the preferred method of applying for this civil service examination. However, applicants may instead apply by way of U.S. mail, parcel delivery, courier service, or in person, as set forth in this announcement.”

The preference to apply online shall not prevent departments from accepting certain required documents or materials via U.S. mail, parcel delivery, courier service, or in person delivery when certain filing documents are required. Examples of required filing documents are:

• Certified transcripts directly from a school or college

• Completed fingerprints

• Certified court documents

• Rehabilitation documents

Note: “In-person” does not include online or web-based examinations taken on a computer or other digital device where a particular physical location(s) for taking the online examination is not required and not specified on the examination announcement.

EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS

Application Requirements

Applications shall:

• Be filed at the place, within the time, in the manner, and on the form as specified in the announcement. Applications failing to meet this requirement shall not be accepted.

• Be filed for each examination separately unless otherwise specified in the examination announcement.

• Be available and accepted free of any charge to the applicant.

Where an applicant properly completes, certifies, and files the application form by way of the online application system, their handwritten signature is not required on the paper version of the application form. The applicant's digital certification of the application form shall have the same legal effect as if the applicant hand signed the paper version of the application form.

Applications for examinations in progress or testing materials for examinations shall not be returned to applicants and are the property of the examining authority. Furthermore, the names of applicants shall not be made public.

Application Instructions

CalHR or the designated appointing power may indicate in the application instructions, that applicants must provide their employment history on the application (STD 678) form rather than attaching a resume to the application form, if this is CalHR’s or the appointing authority’s preferred method of assessing candidate qualifications.

• Applications with attached resumes should be accepted if the application instructions above are not included on the examination announcement; or,

• The applicant shall be provided the opportunity to resubmit the application to include any missing employment history as long as the original application or resume was submitted timely.

Applications for Online Civil Service Examinations

When the appointing authority receives an examination application form that is filed online as prescribed in the examination announcement, the appointing authority shall do all the following:

• Provide the electronic communication address of the department or appointing power.

• Communicate with the applicant using electronic communication instead of postal mail unless the applicant specifically requests otherwise.

• Before sending any electronic communication to the applicant, inform the applicant that they will be provided with employment inquiry notifications and their score and rank on the examination using electronic communication, unless the applicant specifically requests to be notified via postal mail.

Appointing authorities that administer online examinations may require that only examination applications submitted online will be accepted. However, certain additional, and required examination application documents (see bullets above) may also be filed via U.S. mail, parcel delivery, courier service, or in person hand delivery.

Definition of Filing an Application “Within the Time”

Filing an application “within the time” is defined as follows:

• Postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service or date of deposit with a parcel delivery or courier service is no later than the final filing date specified on the examination announcement.

• Date stamped at one of the office locations of the agency administering the examination no later than the final filing date specified on the examination announcement.

• Electronically transmitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the final filing date specified on the examination announcement.

Dates printed on mobile barcodes or equivalent mobile print technology shall not be considered postmarks and are not acceptable proof of the date the application was received.

Accepting Applications Received After the Final Filing Date

Applications may be accepted after the final filing date if one of the following conditions apply:

• Receipt of application is delayed due to a verified error on the part of the staff of the examining authority or through a documented administrative error by the postal service, parcel delivery or courier service.

• The application was filed at the wrong agency and postmarked by the postal service or date stamped by the receiving agency on or before the final filing date specified on the examination announcement or contains proof of timely delivery with the parcel delivery or courier service.

• For a promotional examination, the appointing power verifies distribution problems with the examination announcement that prevented timely notification to an employee seeking to take the examination. Posting in a centralized location of each branch, district, institution, region, or office of the appointing authority shall constitute notification of the promotional examination to employees.

• The appointing power verifies that the employee seeking to take a promotional examination failed to receive timely notice of the examination because the employee was away from their place of work during the entire announcement period due to work assignment, vacation, sick leave or leave of absence.

Authorities

• Government Code section 18502
• Government Code section 18933 Examinations
• California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 170, Civil Service Examinations & Announcements
• California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 174
• Government Code section 18660
• Government Code section 18901 (c) General
• Government Code section 18930.1

Resources

Authorized By

Chris Dainard
Chief, Selection Division
California Department of Human Resources

Michelle La Grandeur
Chief, Policy Division
State Personnel Board

Contact Person

Selection Division
Policy Program , Selection Division
Phone: 916-909-3757
Email: SDPolicy@calhr.ca.gov

Superseded Policies

History

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