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Click on the
question or read below.
- How do I apply?
- Where can I obtain job
applications/announcements?
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How long will it be until I am on the register?
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I sent in an application and it was returned to me. Why did this happen?
- Can I submit a resume?
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What happens to my
application if I apply for a class that is closed?
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Can I use the same application for several different job classes?
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Can I apply for a job requiring a college degree, if I have not yet graduated?
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What is your policy on accepting degrees or college coursework from foreign universities?
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What kind of test will I have to take to get on the register?
- How often is an
exam administered?
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How are scores calculated?
- I was placed on the
register 6 months ago, and have since obtained an advanced degree. I felt this would improve my
standing. Can I submit this additional information?
- If I take the written
test again in 9 months, and score lower, can I still keep my original
score?
- If I apply for two exams
being given on the same date, will I be able to take them both?
- I received a
scheduling card to take an exam in a city other than where I live. How can
I take the exam in the city where I live?
- I have a disability. How do I request special accommodations
to take a State exam?
- If I need special accommodations to
take a State exam, where will I take the exam?
- What testing accommodations are made for persons with
various disabilities, e.g., deafness, blindness or other visual limitation, learning
disabilities, quadriplegia, etc.?
- If I missed an examination for which
I was scheduled, how do I go about getting re-scheduled?
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What is banded scoring?
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What is a register?
- What does the Rule of Ten mean?
- How can I find out my standing on a register?
- How long do I remain on
a register?
- How can I keep my name
on a register?
- Why did my
position change on a register?
- I was told that I am
“inactive” on a register. What does
this mean?What is the
re-employment register, and how do I get on it?
- How do I change my
availability?
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I have been placed on
a register. How long will it be before I will be called in for an
interview?
In order to qualify for a state job, you must
first meet the
minimum qualifications. These requirements can be found on any
job announcement
under the heading:
“Qualifications Needed to Apply.” Announcements for both current job listings
and
continuous job listings
can be accessed here on our web site. They
can also be obtained from our office or any local Employment Service
Office. You should review each
announcement carefully, noting the location of the job opening, minimum
qualifications, description of job duties, and any special requirements. Taking the time to thoroughly review each
announcement will help you avoid applying for jobs that may not interest you,
or for which you may not qualify.
You may also refer to our
"Employment Guide (definition of Employment Guide),
which
contains a listing and brief description of many jobs in the State classified
service. Jobs are categorized by
occupation which can help you quickly identify a number of job classes in your
area of interest. Finally, if you still
cannot find what you are looking for, you may call the State Personnel Department
directly and speak to one of our employment counselors. This person will be
happy to help you in your job search.
You
may call the personnel departments in the various state agencies in order to
find out who is currently hiring. They should be able to provide you with the
number and location of vacancies within their department. Telephone numbers for State agencies can be
located in the blue pages of the telephone directory.
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I am not a resident of
Alabama
. Can I still apply for a state job?
Yes.
There is no residency requirement in order to be employed in the State of Alabama
Merit System.
Yes. If
you have an address change, please send it in writing to the State Personnel
Department.
You may request to be placed on the mailing list to
be notified when the job of your choice is opened for receipt of
applications. You should submit your
request in writing to the State Personnel Department (you can find a detachable request form located in
our Jobs Booklet. Your request must include your full
name, address, social security number and the class codes of those jobs in which you
are interested. You may also call our
office and ask to be placed on the mailing list.
Our
office is located in the Folsom Administrative Building, Third Floor, 64 North Union Street, Montgomery. We are located at the corner of Union
Street and Monroe Street,
across from the rear of the Capitol. Free parking is available at Cramton Bowl, or you may park at any of the 2-hour meters
located nearby.
(See Map of Capitol Complex).
You
may submit our official state application form to us directly. We accept Xerox
copies as well as faxes. Our fax number is (334) 242-1110.
You
may download applications and announcements from our web site. You may also get
them from your local employment service office or at our office in Montgomery.
Also, if you are on one of our mailing lists, you will receive information when
a job is open for recruitment.
We try
to place qualified applicants on a register as timely as possible. The actual
time frame depends on a variety of factors, including the number of persons
applying for a job, the type of exam used for the job, and the needs of the
agency using the job class.
An
application can be returned for several reasons. One reason is that important
information is missing from the application, such as Social Security number,
address, signature, etc. Another reason is that a person did not indicate what
exam they were applying for, or they tried to apply for more than one job on
the same application. Also, an application can be returned for clarification of
education/experience, necessary coursework needed for a particular job, or any
other supplemental information. Most
returned applications will be accompanied by a letter or note requesting
additional information, or will have sections circled in red pencil to indicate
which areas need completing.
You
can submit a resume to supplement your application, but you must submit an
official State application.
Your
name will be placed on a mailing list if you apply for a job that is closed.
When the job is opened again for applications, you will receive notification in
the mail.
No.
You must submit a separate application for different job classes. However, you may make copies of your original
application and submit a separate copy for each class. Please make sure that the correct class
title/code is listed on your application(s), and that each application
accurately describes your education/experience in relation to the specific
qualifications required. It is recommended
that you also keep a copy for your records.
If you
are currently in your last semester/quarter of college, you may submit an
application for most
entry-level
professional jobs requiring only a college degree. You will be allowed to take the examination,
and be placed on the register, but you cannot be appointed until you have
actually obtained your degree.
Applicants with degrees from foreign countries are required to provide
verification of their educational credentials for any classification in which their degree/coursework is
needed to meet the minimum qualifications or to receive credit during the scoring process. Credential
evaluation services are used to determine what a foreign degree is equivalent to in reference to a U.S.
degree (Associates, BA, BS, Masters, etc.). These services can also provide course-by-course equivalencies as well.
Currently, we are only accepting credential evaluations from the following two services:
Lisano International
P O Box 407
Auburn, Al 36831
(334) 745-0425
http://www.lisano-intl.com
World Education Services (WES)
P O Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, Ny 10011
(212) 966-6311
http://www.WES.org
Evaluations submitted from services other than those listed above, will not be accepted.
The
type of test you take will depend on the type of
examination being administered for a
particular job. The job announcement will provide this information under the
section titled “Type of Examination.”
If a job is on
continuous recruitment, the exam will be administered
several times a year. This can vary depending on the number of applicants, the
type of exam, and the needs of the hiring agency. If the exam is
current
and only open for a
short time period, it will be administered shortly after the closing date.
The way scores
are calculated depends on the type of examination procedure administered. For
more information, please refer to the section of the Application Process
titled: “How you are rated.”
No. Additional
education or work experience cannot be considered after your name has been
placed on a register. However, you are allowed to re-apply nine months after being placed on a
continuous register. At that point, you may submit any additional education and experience on
your new application.
No.
Your most recent test score will be used in placing you on the register.
If an
exam center is testing both in the morning and afternoon, and there is room
available, you will be scheduled to take both exams. However, if the exam
center only has one session, you will be scheduled to take the exam for the
application that was received and entered first into the State Personnel
Department’s automated filing system. Also, if a written exam is only being
given once, that exam is given priority over exams given continuously.
The
State Personnel Department has 13 exam centers
throughout the state, including sites in Montgomery,
Mobile, Birmingham,
Decatur, and Jacksonville.
When you complete your application, you have the opportunity at that time to
indicate your top three choices for testing. You should indicate the city
closest to your residence as your first choice, the next closest as your second
choice, etc. Whenever possible, we try
to accommodate an applicant’s choice of test locations in the order indicated
on your application. Factors affecting
whether your first choice is honored, include availability of test centers,
number of applicants being tested, etc.
Contact the Coordinator for Special Testing at the
State Personnel Department.
You will be scheduled to take the exam at the Alabama
Department of Rehabilitation Services office nearest you.If you live in Montgomery,
you may also be scheduled to test at the State
Personnel Department.
One important
purpose of testing is to identify the differences in test scores that reflect
real differences among candidates.
Banded scoring is a statistical procedure for grouping test scores that
statistically are not meaningfully different from one another. In banded scoring, bands are set objectively
and mathematically. The people in a band
are similar to each other in that statistically there is no meaningful
difference in their scores. Sometimes
Band 1 may be very large and at other times it may be small. The candidates' performance on the
test determines the size of the bands. Think of a band as a group of tied
scores. The scores are so close to each
other that they are basically the same.
Banding compares your performance on the test to other test takers'
performance, and groups your score with others that are statistically the
same. People with the most experience do
not always fall into the top bands. Time
spent in a job may not be the same as possessing a knowledge, skill, or ability
needed to perform the job. The people
with the strongest knowledges, skills, or abilities
(those who did best on the exam) should be in the top bands. Candidates with seniority or experience do
not automatically perform best on the test.
When several people are placed in the same band, it does not mean that
those people do not differ. Instead, it
means that their scores on the exam do not differ enough to be separate scores.
The
Rule of Ten refers to the certification
of the top ten
eligible job candidates
(including the names of those with tied scores) to the requesting agency. When a hiring agency requests a register from
the State Personnel Department, the Rule of
Ten is utilized to provide them with a list of the most qualified (highest
scoring) candidates. If more than one
vacancy is being filled, the name of one additional eligible candidate will be
certified to fill each additional vacancy.
You
can find out your standing on any register by registering on and visiting the
Personnel Online Employment System (OES) MyProfile page. The registers you
currently appear on will appear on the MyProfile page.
If you were placed on a
continuous register, you will remain on the register for a
period of two years from your original placement date. If you were placed on a
current register, you will remain on it for the life of
the register, until it is replaced.
In order to remain active on an employment register,
be sure to respond to any
availability information you receive.
Also, be sure to keep your address current so that you may receive information
on available jobs. If you are on a continuous register, be sure to reapply to
take the exam within two years so your name won’t be removed.
While your score will not change on a register, your
standing can change. Factors such as names
being added and removed, availability changes, and hiring can affect your
standing on a register. You can contact the State Personnel Department
via telephone in order to obtain your standing information.
Your name can become inactive if you fail to respond to job offers or decline three
job offers. In order to prevent becoming inactive, be sure to respond to all
correspondence you are sent, even if you are not interested in a job.
If you
are a former employee who had
permanent status and left state service in good standing
due to resignation, or if you were terminated during probation for budget
reasons, you may have your name placed on the re-employment register for the
job classification of the position you most recently held. You must submit this
request in writing to the State Personnel Department.
You will then be placed on this list for two years. Beyond two years,
eligibility on the list can be extended one year at a time for up to two years.
In order to qualify for the extension, you must submit a written request that
includes verification of having performed related work or having taken related
coursework.
In order to change your
availability,
please send written notification to the State Personnel Department.
Be sure to include your full name, Social Security number and the class
title/code of the job(s) in question.
As
vacancies occur, a list of
eligible
candidates will be sent to agencies that request them. After the agency reviews
the list, it will directly contact persons that they wish to interview. Agencies are not obligated to interview or
consider everyone who is in a reachable position on the employment register.
In order to serve state
agencies, the State Personnel Department maintains a list of persons in various state jobs who indicate they are willing
to transfer to another agency. In order
to transfer, you first must have
permanent status in the particular job class of
interest. You should then consider
contacting the personnel manager of the agency to which you wish to transfer,
to inform them of your interest. You can
also contact the State Personnel Certification Division and ask to be added to
the
transfer list. However, you are not required to be on this list
in order to be eligible for a transfer. All transfers must be approved by both
appointing authorities and the State Personnel Director. The receiving agency
may choose whether or not it will accept an employee’s leave balance prior to a
transfer.
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