I received a note from a former computer science student who wants me to share information about current plans to hire a Project Manager under the Sr ISA classification. The Department of Business Oversight is recruiting for one (1) permanent full-time Senior Information Systems Analyst (Specialist) in the Executive Division's Information Technology Office located at 1515 K Street, in downtown Sacramento. The link to the job is https://www.jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=86611
This is happening all over the State Of California!!! The State has unimaginable opportunities to move in and to move up. Tons of state workers are retiring and now is the time to get on board if you are looking for a great job and a civilized life/work balance.
The person who shared this opportunity with me worked on a senior project for me and he is one of the most talented and all around nice people I have had the pleasure of working with. He worked with me on a project to automate an important function of my office at CSUS. He loves his job and his organization! He says it is a really great place to work.
Applying for state jobs is not as hard as you think and getting a state job can set your career on a fabulous trajectory. It just takes time and persistence. If you don't get the first job you apply for - try, try again. You will be glad you did.
To begin the process created an account with CalHR at: https://www.jobs.ca.gov/CalHRPublic/Login.aspx. Once that really simple process is done you can search for jobs you qualify for. If you want to apply for the Senior Information Systems Analyst job that my friend told me about you can follow the steps below.
First, you will need to take the exam for Senior Information Systems Analyst: https://www.jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/Bulletin.aspx?examCD=9PB4103
It is important to be generous with your assessment of your knowledge and skills when you take the exam. Over the years I have noticed that people who take state exams are so concerned with being caught overestimating their abilities that they err on the cautious side and actually underrate themselves. State exams are typically self exams that allows you to rate your skills, knowledge and abilities. If you under rate yourself you will not be seriously considered because your exam score will be too low. Having a score of 95% is optimal. Keep that in mind.
Second, you will apply for the position by completing a state application. You want to include as much information about yourself as possible in your job descriptions. In general keeping your resume concise is a good thing but with state hiring too little information is considered a bad thing. If you are having trouble remembering what you did in your previous jobs or are struggling with how to word your job descriptions - I recommend you refer to the US Dept of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook at - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. It is an incredible resource for all kinds of job information and it will give you a great way to find your job descriptions. Just cut and paste the relevant job descriptions or skills from the OOH.
Third, you will have to make it through a pretty rigorous interview. Study, Study, Study! Your interview prep should include a ton of research on the organization, and a complete analysis of the job description linked above. The more you know about the organization and the available job the better you will do in the interview. But you have to tie it all together with who you are relative to the needs of the organization and the available position. You will also have to analyze how your knowledge, skills, and experience fit with the organization and the available position.
To get more information on interviewing go to The Serious Job Seeker chapter 10.
Do the work and you will end up with a great opportunity!
Cici Mattiuzzi is the author of The Serious Job Seeker and has coached countless career candidates into great jobs for three decades. She was the Director of Career Services at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at CSU Sacramento for 32 years.
