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Editor's Notes

• #2: There¡¯s a reason I didn¡¯t title this presentation ¡°How to get a GIS job with the State.¡± I don¡¯t work for the California Department of Human Resources, and my job hasn¡¯t nothing to do with personnel, so I am most explicitly NOT an expert. My only qualification for giving this talk is that I managed to get hired by the State as a GIS Analyst, and I have worked in that position for 7 ? years. I have observed how GIS is used in my department, and who is doing the GIS work. I really don¡¯t have the recipe for getting a GIS job with the State; I just want to share some of these observations.
• #3: There are steps to follow, and the resources for that are not difficult to find. I googled ¡°how to get a state job in CA¡± and this page was the first result. This is a good place to start learning about the process of applying for a civil service position with the State of California. It¡¯s summarized into 2 steps but if you look closely you will see that there are many embedded links to other steps. If you are interested in getting a state job, there¡¯s a good chance you are already familiar with some of this. Step 1 is Take an Exam, and Step 2 is apply for job vacancies. The exam is the initial screening process to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications for the classification. Only after you pass an exam can you apply for a particular job opening.
• #4: The internet has many resources on these steps. Some are free, but there are also consultants who would be happy to take your money to share their expertise. So I will move on to the GIS part of this presentation.
• #5: Before you can take the exam, you need to figure out which exam. There are about 4,500 different job classification in State Civil Service, and each has its own exam. These classifications are grouped into about 2,500 Class Specifications. There is one class specification that includes the words geographic information systems in the job titles, so let¡¯s start with that.
• #6: Before 1990, there was no GIS, as far as the State of California civil service system was concerned. Faced with a need to hire workers who had some background with this emerging technology, the decision was made to add a Geographic Information System parenthetical to the already establish category of Research classifications. It¡¯s considered a parenthetical because the classifications of Research Analyst, Research Program Specialist, and Research Manager are used for various disciplines which appear in parentheses: these are Economics, Demography, Social/Behavioral, and General. This screenshot
• #7: This is the entire list of classifications that contain the words Geographic Information Systems in their titles.
• #8: And this might be a bit easier for you to read. Keep in mind, however, that the state classification use Geographic Information System spelled out. If you try to search the state jobs website using GIS as your search term, you will get geologist, biologist, archeologist, psychologist, etc. but no geographic information systems.
• #9: How many GIS positions actually exist in state service? To put this into perspective, let¡¯s take a look at 2013 data. For that year, the average number of state employees on the payroll for any month was 218,360.
• #10: In that same year, 135 of those 218,360 employees had the words geographic information systems in their job title. As you can see, we are a tiny part of the state workforce (.06%)
• #11: Let¡¯s take a closer look at these positions. The most utilized classification appears to be Research Analyst II. Promotional opportunities beyond that classification are quite limited. Many of us will not get beyond RA II in our state service careers. And the manager positions may be eligible for endangered species status.
• #12: The entry level position requires the equivalent of a 4-year college degree with any major, but with these course requirements specific to the GIS parenthetical. There are alternate ways of meeting the minimum qualification. Read the specification very, very carefully.
• #13: If you do not have a four-year degree but have been performing GIS-related work in state service, you may be able to substitute the work experience for the education. But how would you get that work experience in state service?
• #14: It¡¯s been known that some of these positions may involve the use of GIS. These are all classifications that do not require a four-year college degree for entry to the exam, and the first two listed don¡¯t even require an exam. They most likely will have other education requirements, but it¡¯s worth taking a look at these if they match your background and interests. Work experience in these classifications may help you get admitted to the Research Analyst I (GIS) exam if you do not have a four-year college degree. But be prepared to include a very detailed work experience summary on your exam application.
• #15: But let¡¯s get back to these numbers I showed you a few slides back. Does this really mean that there are only 135 state employees doing GIS?
• #16: Says the skeptical child
• #17: This list was assembled after a discussion on GIS Human Resources issues at a meeting of the CA State GIS User group about a year ago. It¡¯s anecdotal, not scientific. But if you have a background or interest in any of these disciplines, along with an interest in GIS, by all means explore these options. If you can qualify for any of these exams, APPLY! Then check the vacancy listings religiously, and read the job duty statement of each position. You may just have the right mix of skills and background for the job. There are many reasons why GIS work is done by professionals who don¡¯t have GIS in their title. The reasons have to do with the mission and culture of the hiring organization, with sometimes arcane personnel policies and rules, and to be honest, most of these classifications offer higher pay and/or better promotional opportunities than the Research (GIS) positions.
• #18: This is a look at the job classifications of some of the attendees of a GIS Professional Development event that was held a few weeks ago for staff of the Natural Resources Agency, which includes the Departments of Water Resources, Conservation, Fish & Wildlife, Parks, and others. Of these 74 individuals who bothered to sign in, 19 of them have GIS in their job title. The majority of the others appear to be geologists, engineers, and environmental scientists. I think it¡¯s a safe guess that of these ¡°others,¡± GIS is not the main focus of their job duties, but they use it enough that they took the time to attend an all-day event focused on GIS.
• #19: If you really want to get a job in California state service doing GIS, you¡¯ve got some things to think about
• #20: GIS generalist jobs are there, but there is a lot of GIS work being done by folks who don¡¯t have GIS in their job title. Your background ¨C education and experience ¨C may qualify you to take the exams for several classifications. My advice is to apply for every exam you qualify for. If you are really desperate for a job and willing to put your GIS dreams on hold for awhile, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to go for any entry-level position you can. I started my state service as an Office Assistant and discovered GIS by looking over the shoulders of my co-workers. I am now working as a Research Analyst II GIS in the very same office and branch where I started. Explore every path that may be open to you.
• #21: So, I said This wasn¡¯t going to be a ¡°How-to¡± presentation, but I will go over the basics. Start Here. Type geographic in the job title box
• #22: You will likely get a result that looks something like this. Several months ago, CalHR began offering online, open, continuous, statewide exams for the Research analyst GIS and Research program specialist GIS classifications. (explain exam bulletin and job vacancies.)
• #23: Explain departments. There is a very good chance that when another department has a vacancy in one of these classifications, they will utilize the eligibility list established by this exam. Read the bulletin very, very carefully. Several times. Click on all of the links and read that stuff also. You can even preview the exam.
• #24: The exam consists of your evaluation of your training & experience. Be sure to read this carefully.
• #25: It wouldn¡¯t hurt to watch all of these videos, either.
• #26: Once you have successfully completed the exam and you have received your score and rank, you must then search for actual job vacancies and apply for them. Technically, the hiring department can only hire from the top three ranks, but those ranks are fluid. If you are in rank four, do not hesitate to apply. If they decide you are the best candidate for the position, there are ways¡­
• #27: You can sign up for eNotify - you will get an email every time a new vacancy in the classification you specify is posted. As far as I know, actual job applications are still only accepted on paper, submitted to the hiring department via snail mail or delivery in person. When you do apply, be as detailed as you can when describing your experience and skills. You can ¨C and should - attach a resume and a cover letter. If you get called for an interview, bring a portfolio of your work.
• #28: I could go on, but I think I will stop here. In the time we have left I¡¯d like to invite your questions as well as comments from other State service employees in this room. You are welcome to contact me but please remember I am not an HR person. Specific questions about the California Jobs process are best directed to CalHR.