- Determine which job classifications
(job titles) for which you wish to apply.
The job classifications listings
can be found at the
Job Search website. Type in either the job title you are interested
in or key words that you believe might be part of a job title.
For example, typing in Secretary will bring up the following
state job classifications:
Administrative Secretary
Executive Secretary
Legal Secretary
Press Secretary
Typing in Computer will
bring up over 20 different job classifications.
You can click on each job classification
listed, check the required qualifications and salary ranges, and
determine which job classifications for which you’d like to apply.
NOTE: Concentrate more on getting
on a list (also known as a register) to be considered for positions
whenever vacancies occur rather than applying for positions
based on the number of vacancies the website indicates a department
has at a certain point. Vacancies change daily.
-
Complete the State
of Tennessee Employment Application. There is room to list
five different job classifications on the front page of the application.
You can duplicate the front page and attach so as to apply for
more than five job classifications.
When indicating department of preference,
it is best to check 01 (All State departments/Agencies).
This increases the number of registers you can get on and, if
you are offered a job interview by an agency you don’t want
to work for, you can choose to not be interviewed, but remain
on the register. The preference for Finance and Administration
is 16.
When completing your employment
history, be sure to include any experience that will help support
your meeting the qualifications for each job classification
you are applying for. You can attach your resume or additional
sheets to the application as additional support for your qualifications.
NOTE: Your objective is to get
on as many registers as possible so as to increase your chances
of being offered a job interview.
-
Submit your application by mailing to:
State of Tennessee
Department of Personnel
Applicant Services Division
1st Floor, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0635
You will receive one of three responses
for each job classification you apply for:
-
Your application has been evaluated
and you do not qualify for the job classification. If you
receive this response, review the job qualifications at the
Department of Personnel website. It may be that you failed to
include information that would have helped you qualify. In that
event, you should complete a new application, placing more emphasis
on the pertinent information.
-
A test is required to qualify
for the job classification. If you receive this response,
it will include information about test dates and sites. Once
you take the test, your application and test scores will be
evaluated and you will be informed whether or not you qualify
for the job classification.
-
You qualify for the job classification
and you have been placed on a register. This response means
that you have been placed on a waiting list to be interviewed
for a job. The letter will tell you how far down the list you
are. Disregard this information! By the time you receive the
letter, you may very well have already moved up the list. It
is not uncommon for a person to be 100 on the list and yet get
offered a job interview the following week.
NOTE: For future reference, keep
a copy of the application you submit.
-
Wait for a job interview letter.
Once you are on the register, it
is now a matter of waiting until a department or agency has
received approval to fill a vacant position and contacts you,
offering a job interview.
If you are offered a job interview
you have no interest in (for example, the job may be located
in a county you don’t live near or it may be an agency you prefer
not to work for), you can choose to turn down the interview,
but be sure to specify that you want to remain on the register.
Failure to specify this will result in your being dropped from
the register and you will have to contact the Department of
Personnel to be reinstated.
Applicants remain on the register
for a period of two years, after which they are automatically
dropped from the register. You will need to keep track of the
date you first applied, and be prepared to reapply before the
two years have passed. When reapplying, be consistent with information
originally submitted to avoid discrepancies.
It is a good idea to periodically
review the application(s) you have on file with the Department
of Personnel to determine if they are still accurate. As you
obtain more experience in certain areas, you may want to submit
a new application for certain job classifications. This new
experience may help move you higher on the register and get
a job interview more quickly. Department of Personnel will not
re-evaluate an application unless at least 6 months have passed
since the applicant’s previous application was evaluated.
NOTE: Once you get on the register,
it is now a waiting game to be offered an interview. Many factors
such as hiring freezes, changes in work distribution and organizational
set-up, internal promotions, and budgetary constraints can influence
the length of time that passes before being offered an interview.
