But officials are hoping that recent hiring reforms and changes to job classifications will speed things up and make applying for a state job easier.
The Government Operations Agency recently announced hiring reforms that will reduce the number of exams applicants need to take and make it easier to find positions candidates are qualified for. The changes were needed, said the recently appointed GovOps Secretary Nick Maduros , because the state’s hiring process “has really become too complex.”
“There are a lot of Californians who have talent and want to work for the state and are looking for jobs, and there are a lot of state jobs available, and there was this mismatch between the two,” Maduros said in an interview.
Maduros saw the hiring issues firsthand while serving as the director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration . The hiring timeline stretched on for so long the state would lose qualified candidates to other jobs, he said. Hiring managers spend days scoring hundreds of applications based on a rigid rubric, which doesn’t necessarily yield better hires, he noted.
“The first step into state service shouldn’t be a maze that turns people away,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Tuesday statement. “We’re recruiting the nation’s top talent and we need an efficient hiring process that attracts and keeps the best and the brightest. These changes cut the clutter, save hiring managers’ time, and keep top candidates from slipping through the cracks of an outdated system.”
Faster, More Modern Hiring Process
Currently, for most state jobs, hiring managers use several metrics to score every application on a numerical scale. The process is time-consuming and rigid, which can lead to some very qualified candidates being excluded from the final selection, said Suzanne Ambrose , the State Personnel Board’s executive officer.
The new hiring guide enables managers to outline their ideal candidate criteria and then sort applications based on those measures, which allows employers to more easily screen out unqualified candidates.
“It’s generally clear who your strongest candidates are because they might have experience in the field you’re looking for … or evidence that they’ve been promoted or gotten awards for their work,” Maduros said.
No rules were changed as part of the updates to the state’s hiring guide, which is being tested in 15 departments, Maduros said. He said state plans to expand this effort to more departments in the coming months.
The changes were made as part of Newsom’s July executive order to make state government more efficient by working with technology leaders in the Golden State. Despite the Newsom administration’s eagerness to incorporate artificial intelligence into state government operations, Maduros said California did not intend to use AI to screen job applications.
State Job Classifications Streamlined
Another piece of the recent hiring reforms — consolidating state job classifications — has been a decades-long process, said Ambrose.
At one point, the state had over 3,000 different job titles, which was partially a result of agencies creating department-specific class series for generalist positions. The wide variety of classifications made it difficult for external applicants to find positions, Ambrose said.
Recently, the state merged 67 job titles for generalist positions, which Ambrose described as the clerical, analyst and manager series, into eight classifications. The change applies to more than 32,000 state workers.
“This is really going to open up the system to external applicants and make it much easier for them to find state jobs, apply for state jobs and … have a fabulous career with the state of California serving the people,” Ambrose said.
After passing an examination, applicants can shop around to different departments with open positions for that classification, Ambrose explained.
“It’s going to cut down on the number of examinations, which is going to save a lot of money and time,” Ambrose said. “And the applicants will have an easier time navigating the system.”
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