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RESUMES IN THE COUNTY
A resume is generally considered a tool to help you “get a foot in the door” with an employer and lead to
an interview. In the County, a resume functions in a slightly different way. To understand that function,
it is important to have a basic understanding of the County’s employment process.
County Employment Process Overview
Like most public agencies, the County has a structured process in which employment applicants must
participate. An overview of this employment process is provided below.
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Executive and high-level management positions have a different employment process.
When the County needs to fill vacancies in one
of our 2,000+ job classifications, human
resources will develop and open an
examination for the job opportunity. An
examination is the multi-stage process of
identifying who is eligible to fill vacancies in a
given job classification.
To announce an examination, human resources
will post an official job bulletin on the DHR
website. The job bulletin provides important
information about the job opportunity (e.g.,
duties and salary) and its specific examination
process (e.g., requirements, application
materials, and testing procedures).
To be considered for the job opportunity, you
must submit a job application and any other
materials described on the job bulletin (e.g.,
degree or supplemental questionnaire). You
can submit a resume as one of your application
materials; however, it will not be accepted in
lieu of a completed job application.
After you submit your application materials, an
examination analyst will screen them to
determine whether you meet the requirements
described on the job bulletin. If the materials
show that you do, the analyst will inform you
about the next stage(s) of the examination
(e.g., written test, interview, performance test).
If you successfully pass each stage of the
examination, your name will be placed on the
list of individuals eligible to fill vacancies in the
job classification. Your name will be placed in a
defined band of the list based on your final
examination score (e.g., highest scorers in Band
1, next highest scorers in Band 2, and so on,
with names listed randomly within each band).
As needs arise, hiring managers in County
departments will review the eligible list to
identify who they will consider and potentially
hire for the specific vacancies in their work
units. This is called canvassing the list. In
general, hiring managers must contact
individuals in the top band first, moving to each
subsequent band as needed.