Put Your Best Application Forward

Your application is the key to moving forward in the recruitment process. Taking a little extra time to provide complete and accurate information helps us understand your qualifications and ensures your experience gets the consideration it deserves.

Your Application Is What We Review

During the initial screening process, minimum qualifications are determined using only the information provided in your application. Résumés and cover letters are not reviewed to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Before you begin, review the minimum qualifications listed in the job posting and think about the education, experience, licenses, certifications, or other qualifications you have that meet those requirements. Then make sure that information is clearly documented in your application—even if it also appears on your résumé.

We can only consider the information you provide and cannot assume experience based on a job title, résumé, or general description.

Be Specific About Your Education

If education is part of the minimum qualifications, be sure your application identifies both the type of degree earned and your field of study.

For example:

Degree: Bachelor's Degree Major/Minor: Business Administration

When completing the education section, enter your actual major or field of study in the Major/Minor field—not the type of degree you received. Listing “Bachelor's Degree” as your major does not tell us what you studied and may prevent us from determining whether your education meets a specific requirement.

Be sure to include relevant licenses, certifications, or other credentials as well when they are requested or applicable to the position.

Make Your Work History Count

Complete your work history carefully and include all employment that is relevant to the qualifications of the position, even if that experience was gained earlier in your career.

For each relevant position, provide accurate employment dates, hours worked, job title, and enough detail about your duties and responsibilities for us to understand the type and amount of experience you have.

Job titles don't always tell the whole story. Describe what you actually did, particularly the duties that relate to the position you're applying for.

For example, if a position requires payroll and benefits experience, “performed administrative duties” doesn't tell us whether you have that experience. Describing duties such as processing payroll, maintaining benefit enrollments, reconciling deductions, or responding to employee payroll and benefit questions gives us the information we need to evaluate your experience.

Don't Leave Relevant Experience Out

Relevant experience doesn't necessarily have to come from your most recent job—or even from paid employment.

If experience from an earlier position helps demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualifications, include that position in your work history and describe the relevant duties.

If you have applicable experience that doesn't fit within your employment history, use the Additional Information section of the application to tell us about it.

Volunteer experience can be relevant, too. Include applicable volunteer positions in your work history and clearly identify the position as volunteer. Provide the organization, your role, dates of service, and duties performed so we have the information needed to evaluate the experience.

Be Clear About Supervisory Experience

The application asks how many employees you supervised or managed in a position, so you'll want to enter the number of employees for whom you had direct supervisory or management responsibility.

Do not include the total number of employees in your department, coworkers or team members you worked alongside, or individuals you assisted but did not supervise.

If supervisory or management experience is relevant to the position, also describe your supervisory responsibilities in your work history. This might include assigning or reviewing work, providing direction, evaluating performance, training staff, or participating in hiring or disciplinary decisions.

Example: If you worked in a department of 20 employees but directly supervised 4 employees, enter 4.

Requesting Veterans' Preference?

If you are requesting Veterans' Preference, remember to attach a copy of your DD214 to your application. The requirement is included in County job postings, but it's worth checking one more time before you submit.

Your DD214 needs to be included with your application when requesting Veterans' Preference, so don't rely on your résumé, work history, or other information in the application to document your veteran status.

Complete Supplemental Questions Carefully

If the application includes supplemental questions, answer each one completely and accurately. Your responses may be used as part of the evaluation process and should be consistent with the education and experience documented elsewhere in your application.

Read each question carefully and provide the information requested rather than assuming we can find the answer somewhere else in your application.

Before You Submit

Give your application one final review from the perspective of someone who doesn't know you or your work history.

Ask yourself:

If someone reviewed only my application—not my résumé or cover letter—would they be able to clearly determine that I meet the minimum qualifications?

Check your application for complete and accurate:

• Employment dates and hours worked
• Job duties and responsibilities
• Relevant earlier or volunteer experience
• Supervisory experience and number of employees supervised
• Education and field of study
• Licenses and certifications
• Required attachments, including your DD214 if requesting Veterans' Preference
• Supplemental question responses

If the answer isn't clearly there, take another look and add the details that help us understand how you qualify.