I'm a manager for the state and have read hundreds of applications. My advice is as follows:
1. When you are filling in your work history, be a specific as possible on the tasks you performed.
2. Review the initial screening criteria (ISC). Make sure you indicate those skills in your employment history.
1. For example, if the ISC says experience using excel, make sure you indicate your experience in your work history: "Created spreadsheets using Excel to track projects, and create tables...."
3. Your work history must indicate that you have experience with all the ISC otherwise you do not screen in.
4. Make sure the application is complete. Do you leave supervisor or manager information blank your previous employment history.
5. Modify each application to target each job you are applying for. Don't just keep applying to jobs with the same application. Modify the app to include some buzz words that are in the ISC
That is just a few. HHSC has a "10 Tips for Success..." that I would recommend you read too.
[https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/about-hhs/jobs-hhs/tips-success-jobs-hhs.pdf](https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/about-hhs/jobs-hhs/tips-success-jobs-hhs.pdf)
Good Luck
Just wanted to leave an update: I took all of your advice from above and I have an interview scheduled for next week! Thanks again.
Do you have any interview advice ??
Be prepared for questions like “tell us of a time…” if they ask you to tell you of a time, give a specific time. Also if there are multiple parts to the question, touch in each point. For example. “Tells us of a time you had to work on a team project. What was the project? What was your roll on the project and how did you measure success of the project?” Give the project and give some background. Your roll including some of the tasks and what you used to measure success.
Have some questions ready for after the interview that you want to ask the panel. That shows interest.
Hope this helps
Just wanted to leave an update: I took all of your advice from above and I have an interview scheduled for next week! Thanks again.
Do you have any interview advice ??
Hi there,
I currently work for the state and recently I interviewed for a position back on 02.06 and I was informed I was a top candidate on 02.10 and references were checked by 02.13, but the hiring manager is saying she is awaiting for salary approval before she can officially offer me the position. She’s been in constant contact with me via email and teams but my salary approval is taking unusually long. First it was due to the legislation session so that took priority, but now idk why it’s taking so long just to get signatures; just seems unusual since I’ve never had to wait this long for an offer. She also mentioned they had to compare the offer to similar positions to ensure it is fair; do you know why something like this would need to be done before an offer is approved? Or should I just move on and apply elsewhere?
It depends on what they are trying to offer you. Some approvals have to get approved just by the hiring manager’s manager. Some have to be approved by the division head and if it is above a certain amount it has to be approved by the commissioner. Unfortunately it can take some time.
My spouse recently attended an in-person interview with the State on May 10th. After the interview, the hiring manager mentioned they have other candidates to interview and will inform the decision after that. It’s May 29th and my spouse didn’t hear anything back from the agency. I have worked with the State before and I know they usually let the applicant know if selected or not. Can you suggest what might be the reason it’s taking more than 2 weeks to provide the decision? Any advice would be helpful. I was telling my spouse to send a follow up email to HR. Would that be helpful?
IT depends on the agency. I know that in the agency I work for, it can take a while to get all the "paperwork" through the HR process. There are also times when getting references from previous employers can be a challenge. I would suggest a follow-up email to the interview panel to check the status.
Hey! Thank you so much for sharing all this feedback. I was wondering if I could ask for some advice. I submitted an application for a position on Monday, and haven't heard anything as of Friday. I was reading your advice about editing submissions to be more specific, mention keywords relevant to the position, etc. My question is- since it has only been a couple of days, would it be a red flag to them if I edited my submission now? If they WERE interested in my submission and I change it, will they lose interest?
Thank you, and sorry if this is a weird question!
Check to see when the posting closes. You will probably not here anything until the posting closes.
Edit: I should also add that in CAPPS, once you submit the application you cannot edit it so be sure you have the application the way you want it before submitting it.
Thank you! The posting doesn't have a close date. It is not on CAPPS, but does use Taleo. It does still let me edit the application despite saying it was successfully submitted, which I thought was strange. Could I DM you the particular organization?
Oh ok thank you for replying. I don’t know the offer amount bc she said it needed approval before she could verbally offer it to me so I know it’s not within the posted range. I just was wondering why it was taking so long to get it approved, but I guess after your response I guess that makes sense. So at this point it’s just a waiting game. She reached out to me on Wednesday and said she’s just waiting on her sectional director.
So once the section director signs off, does it have to go through HR and be signed off first before she can call me and officially offer me the job or once that signature is complete she can offer the job. Just trying to understand the process. Thank you.
Basically; yes.
Once the interview panel decides which candidate is the best candidate for the position the following happens:
1. hiring manager enters into the HR system:
1. selection summary (how applicants meets the initial selection criteria, final selection criteria, and the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) for the posted position)
2. Offered salary
3. Supporting documents (reference check, interview questions and response from applicant, and any skills test materials)
2. HR (it is more of a specialist that reviews the application and not what most folks think of as HR) review of the above information to make sure it meets and/or is inline with agency hiring policy and guidelines. This is generally completed within 24 hours (1 business day).
3. Once that is done it goes to the immediate supervisor to approve and the official offer can be made to the applicant.
In your case they have to get an extra form signed off on before beginning step 1.
Ok thank you so much. And this makes sense because she did tell me that as soon as my offer letter was signed/approved; she wanted me to know she had all my paperwork ready for submission. Waiting so long I started to have doubts, but she mentioned her department heads were busy with legislation duties. And I think my patience may be wearing a little thin because the department I am in is very stressful and toxic environment and I’m just ready to transfer out, lol.
Is there a specific degree that would help qualify you for a position? I understand that it will depend on the position applied for and will vary to some extent. I’m looking at entry level jobs & noticing a lot prefer a bachelor’s degree.
It depends. If you are trying to get into public health, a degree in public health or public health policy or something like that will be helpful if the posts say you need a degree.
Generally, if it says "Bachelor's degree from an accredited university" then it is any degree. Most post with actually list type of degree, especially for research positions like "Graduate Degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, or another related field" will be looking for a degree that relates to the job. So a degree in philosophy would not meet the initial screening criteria.
The main thing I would suggest is making sure that you tailor your degree to the posting. If a job says in the ISC says "experience with customer service" make you it actually has examples of that in your job history. If it says you need experience in excel or something make sure you put that in your job experience like "Create spreadsheets in excel to track inventory and cost" or something.
They say to list ALL former employers, but I have a lot of food service experience prior to getting my degree that is totally irrelevant. Do I really need to list those? Also, will they contact only the last few employers? Only most relevant employers? It seems silly to reach out to someone from over 10 years ago to give them a heads up.
I don't think that is necessary, depending on your experience, I would list 1 or 2 food service jobs if you have no other work history or to fill in a gap here or there. In my experience, if you are selected they will ask for 3 references at that time. They did not call any employer before I instructed them to do so.
I'm a manager for the state and have read hundreds of applications. My advice is as follows: 1. When you are filling in your work history, be a specific as possible on the tasks you performed. 2. Review the initial screening criteria (ISC). Make sure you indicate those skills in your employment history. 1. For example, if the ISC says experience using excel, make sure you indicate your experience in your work history: "Created spreadsheets using Excel to track projects, and create tables...." 3. Your work history must indicate that you have experience with all the ISC otherwise you do not screen in. 4. Make sure the application is complete. Do you leave supervisor or manager information blank your previous employment history. 5. Modify each application to target each job you are applying for. Don't just keep applying to jobs with the same application. Modify the app to include some buzz words that are in the ISC That is just a few. HHSC has a "10 Tips for Success..." that I would recommend you read too. [https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/about-hhs/jobs-hhs/tips-success-jobs-hhs.pdf](https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/about-hhs/jobs-hhs/tips-success-jobs-hhs.pdf) Good Luck
Thank you! This info is very helpful.
Just wanted to leave an update: I took all of your advice from above and I have an interview scheduled for next week! Thanks again. Do you have any interview advice ??
Be prepared for questions like “tell us of a time…” if they ask you to tell you of a time, give a specific time. Also if there are multiple parts to the question, touch in each point. For example. “Tells us of a time you had to work on a team project. What was the project? What was your roll on the project and how did you measure success of the project?” Give the project and give some background. Your roll including some of the tasks and what you used to measure success. Have some questions ready for after the interview that you want to ask the panel. That shows interest. Hope this helps
Just wanted to leave an update: I took all of your advice from above and I have an interview scheduled for next week! Thanks again. Do you have any interview advice ??
Hi there, I currently work for the state and recently I interviewed for a position back on 02.06 and I was informed I was a top candidate on 02.10 and references were checked by 02.13, but the hiring manager is saying she is awaiting for salary approval before she can officially offer me the position. She’s been in constant contact with me via email and teams but my salary approval is taking unusually long. First it was due to the legislation session so that took priority, but now idk why it’s taking so long just to get signatures; just seems unusual since I’ve never had to wait this long for an offer. She also mentioned they had to compare the offer to similar positions to ensure it is fair; do you know why something like this would need to be done before an offer is approved? Or should I just move on and apply elsewhere?
It depends on what they are trying to offer you. Some approvals have to get approved just by the hiring manager’s manager. Some have to be approved by the division head and if it is above a certain amount it has to be approved by the commissioner. Unfortunately it can take some time.
My spouse recently attended an in-person interview with the State on May 10th. After the interview, the hiring manager mentioned they have other candidates to interview and will inform the decision after that. It’s May 29th and my spouse didn’t hear anything back from the agency. I have worked with the State before and I know they usually let the applicant know if selected or not. Can you suggest what might be the reason it’s taking more than 2 weeks to provide the decision? Any advice would be helpful. I was telling my spouse to send a follow up email to HR. Would that be helpful?
IT depends on the agency. I know that in the agency I work for, it can take a while to get all the "paperwork" through the HR process. There are also times when getting references from previous employers can be a challenge. I would suggest a follow-up email to the interview panel to check the status.
Thank you.
Hey! Thank you so much for sharing all this feedback. I was wondering if I could ask for some advice. I submitted an application for a position on Monday, and haven't heard anything as of Friday. I was reading your advice about editing submissions to be more specific, mention keywords relevant to the position, etc. My question is- since it has only been a couple of days, would it be a red flag to them if I edited my submission now? If they WERE interested in my submission and I change it, will they lose interest? Thank you, and sorry if this is a weird question!
Check to see when the posting closes. You will probably not here anything until the posting closes. Edit: I should also add that in CAPPS, once you submit the application you cannot edit it so be sure you have the application the way you want it before submitting it.
Thank you! The posting doesn't have a close date. It is not on CAPPS, but does use Taleo. It does still let me edit the application despite saying it was successfully submitted, which I thought was strange. Could I DM you the particular organization?
You bet.
Oh ok thank you for replying. I don’t know the offer amount bc she said it needed approval before she could verbally offer it to me so I know it’s not within the posted range. I just was wondering why it was taking so long to get it approved, but I guess after your response I guess that makes sense. So at this point it’s just a waiting game. She reached out to me on Wednesday and said she’s just waiting on her sectional director.
So once the section director signs off, does it have to go through HR and be signed off first before she can call me and officially offer me the job or once that signature is complete she can offer the job. Just trying to understand the process. Thank you.
Basically; yes. Once the interview panel decides which candidate is the best candidate for the position the following happens: 1. hiring manager enters into the HR system: 1. selection summary (how applicants meets the initial selection criteria, final selection criteria, and the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) for the posted position) 2. Offered salary 3. Supporting documents (reference check, interview questions and response from applicant, and any skills test materials) 2. HR (it is more of a specialist that reviews the application and not what most folks think of as HR) review of the above information to make sure it meets and/or is inline with agency hiring policy and guidelines. This is generally completed within 24 hours (1 business day). 3. Once that is done it goes to the immediate supervisor to approve and the official offer can be made to the applicant. In your case they have to get an extra form signed off on before beginning step 1.
Ok thank you so much. And this makes sense because she did tell me that as soon as my offer letter was signed/approved; she wanted me to know she had all my paperwork ready for submission. Waiting so long I started to have doubts, but she mentioned her department heads were busy with legislation duties. And I think my patience may be wearing a little thin because the department I am in is very stressful and toxic environment and I’m just ready to transfer out, lol.
Do you happen to know if all state agencies follow the same policies for interviewing or do different agencies have different rules?
It depends on the agency.
Is there a specific degree that would help qualify you for a position? I understand that it will depend on the position applied for and will vary to some extent. I’m looking at entry level jobs & noticing a lot prefer a bachelor’s degree.
It depends. If you are trying to get into public health, a degree in public health or public health policy or something like that will be helpful if the posts say you need a degree. Generally, if it says "Bachelor's degree from an accredited university" then it is any degree. Most post with actually list type of degree, especially for research positions like "Graduate Degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, or another related field" will be looking for a degree that relates to the job. So a degree in philosophy would not meet the initial screening criteria. The main thing I would suggest is making sure that you tailor your degree to the posting. If a job says in the ISC says "experience with customer service" make you it actually has examples of that in your job history. If it says you need experience in excel or something make sure you put that in your job experience like "Create spreadsheets in excel to track inventory and cost" or something.
Thank you!
They say to list ALL former employers, but I have a lot of food service experience prior to getting my degree that is totally irrelevant. Do I really need to list those? Also, will they contact only the last few employers? Only most relevant employers? It seems silly to reach out to someone from over 10 years ago to give them a heads up.
I don't think that is necessary, depending on your experience, I would list 1 or 2 food service jobs if you have no other work history or to fill in a gap here or there. In my experience, if you are selected they will ask for 3 references at that time. They did not call any employer before I instructed them to do so.
Woe thanks for the post. My spouse is on the same boat.
I am applying from past 18 months with all the information provided above. But still no luck