State of California Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details Submitted standard state application on the final filing date. I was contacted within a week of submitting the application to set up and interview for the following week. There were two people on the interview panel. My observations of the employees was mostly positive, people were friendly and open.

I was given 15 minutes to provide references and review the interview questions. Take advantage of this short time to look over all the questions and make notes on the points you want to make. Really helps you remember things you want to discuss because when you are nervous, you tend to forget or overlook strong points. Questions were basic -- experience with a difficult project, (how you handled it and what was result), describe a situation where you work with difficult people, etc.

Interview took about half an hour, with the interviewers jotting down notes while I answered. Always research the job, the department and have some questions to ask at the end to better understand the job but also to show you are interested and have given consideration.

Interview Details It was a great interview process with straight forward questions. Management was very relaxed and opened, which gave me the opportunity to focus on my experience and my qualifications rather than being too nervous. I had approximately nine questions and a writing assessment. The writing assessment had about ten different choices. Interview length was about 45 minutes. The interview had a panel of three. Two line managers and another upper manager.

Negotiation Details – State of California has set salaries for every position. There is no room for negotiation. You either start at beginning level or level 2, 3 or 4 depending on how many years of related experience you have.

Interview Details FCC first class license required... experiance at a component level and commercial communications experiance required.

Negotiation Details – none

Interview Details When the state has an opening, they need to fill it FAST. I got a call Friday afternoon asking for an interview Monday morning. I went in and they were way behind schedule, about an hour late. They sat me at a desk and gave me a sheet of the interview questions - about 20 of them, and very in depth. Glad I had that hour to really prepare my answers. It was specific to the job - asking about previous coordinating experience, how do you deal with bad coworkers, etc. Not too bad, just have a ton of concrete examples to talk about. They don't want abstract "I'm a hard worker" but rather "Last week when 3 of my coworkers called in sick I jumped on and helped our unit stay on track." I went into the interview, which was 2 people (a 3rd was supposed to be there, but the doctor was too busy). They asked me all the questions, and it lasted about half an hour. Then they lead me to a desk with a computer and gave me a sheet of paper. They told me to follow the directions on the paper, and I had half an hour. This is called an "inbox exercise" and it's fairly common with CCHCS. They just want to prove you can actually do the work. Unfortunately, they don't know how to ask it very well, so I was unsure, but apparently I aced it. After I accepted the job they wouldn't stop talking about how amazing it was. The paper just asked me to put together a report on the number of people getting a liver transplant. So it listed 50 people had requested, 20 were awaiting doctor's approval, 40 had been rejected, and 2 had completed. So on the computer I used excel to make some charts displaying the data different ways, and then put it into a written report using word. I just explained the number of people and what that meant, and I ended with that because only 2 people had succeeded it was clear we needed to streamline the process to get more people finished with the process quicker. They called soon after, and I had to go in to get all my hiring paperwork done - several times sadly. They kept thinking of new things they needed from me. I ended up hiring myself mostly since I had worked as a hiring coordinator for the same department before.

Negotiation Details – There is NO negotiation. Your pay is posted online, on the job posting. The managers usually don't really know what you would make - just look at the classification online and you'll know. If you're concerned about where in the range you'll be you have to actually talk to HR, which is after you've accepted. You take it or leave it. It's almost unheard of for someone to decline.

Interview Details This classification rarely holds an exam process, but when it does, it is a good idea to get on it. Usually the exam process requires an STD 678 application with relevant work information, and a supplemental questionnaire. It may take awhile to be scored, you will get notice in the mail. This exam is NOT held online.

I included an STD 678, a cover letter, a resume, references, and copies of my degrees in my application.

The hiring process: an AGPA can lateral into this job if the work they do is very similar in nature, and that is determined by individual HR departments. This step is a promotion from Research Analyst I, and is a lateral salary bump from AGPA level if you qualify on an exam list.

The research analyst II interview incorporated relatively normal questions about previous work, level of ability or interest in the type of work at the agency, questions specific to the job duty statement, and basic analysis ability. Included questions on types of software programs used, ability in statistical analysis and math, and literature reviews. This class often works with mapping, databases, and analyses scientific reports. This class also does a lot of grunt work for higher level researchers. I also completed a written assignment, which included analysis of a chart. I recall that I noted the chart title was unclear, and that the y axis did not express whether the numbers indicated were representing a percent, rate, or whole number. I also answered a basic short essay question on research methodology.

The promotional series this class leads to is Research Program Specialist.

Negotiation Details – No negotiation. Came in with a pay bump because I qualified off an exam I had previously taken.

Interview Details I first took an exam with 90 other people in downtown Oakland(this was for the Alameda county). After passing the exam in about four weeks they called me in for a group interview with 5 people who would be involved in hiring me. This made it feel unessarily weird.

Interview Details Have had two Accountant Trainee interviews with the State of California's Controller's Office. I was isolated in a room with a computer & printer, and given twenty minutes to generate a response to a question, which I was to verbally present (in 3 minutes) at the onset of the oral portion of the Panel Interview. Clever, I thought. A test of multiple skills - organizational, oral and written communication, computer literacy skills, etc. Did I get the job? Don't know for sure - I was never even the courtesy of a reject letter!

Interview Details Important to read the job specs and know a little about the agency to which you are applying. It is helpful to have experience with the agency, know of current events involving the agency, agency dirctor etc. Most interviews are a series of questions asked by the panel, don't worry about eye contact from them as they tend to have their heads down writing. This is a good thing. Try and repeat their question back in your answer. Good luck.

Negotiation Details – No negotiation in government job.

Interview Details The interview for Associate Governmental Program Analyst is a typical panel interview where you meet with the manager who would be your boss, one of the staff people you will work with and sometimes the HR person who works in the department which is hiring you. Most of the questions will be about your previous analytical experience. The most important thing to remember when interviewing for these positions is to do your homework ahead of time and know a little bit about the program in which you interview for. If you are scheduled for an interview, ask the person who schedules you if they can send you a duty statement. A duty statement is a detail job description of the position. Usually you can figure out what they are looking for by reading the duty statement and researching the department website.

Negotiation Details – At this level, salary is typically not negotiable. A starting Associate Governmental Program Analyst will always be started at $4400 unless you are transferring from a similar classification and you are already earning more.