How a NJ civil service job gets filled

Transcript

Most New Jersey civil service jobs are filled in three steps: an exam, a ranked list, and a certification.

It starts with an announcement on the Civil Service Commission's website. An announcement is for an examination. It tells you the title, the salary, the minimum qualifications, and how to file.

The exam can be written, oral or physical, or a rating of your education and experience.

Everyone who passes goes onto an eligible list, in rank order. Open competitive and promotional lists normally run up to three years, and an extension can't take a list past four.

When an employer wants to fill a position from that list, it asks the Commission for a certification, the top ranked names who say they're interested. A complete certification has at least three interested names. Tied scores can add more, because ties aren't broken and people who tie share a rank.

Then comes the rule of three. The employer can pick from the top three, with limits. On an open competitive list, disabled veterans and then veterans have to be appointed in their order of ranking. Promotional lists work differently: if the person ranked first is a veteran, the employer can't appoint a non-veteran.

Even then, most regular appointments start with a working test period, which the rules count as part of the examination process.

The site lists over 3,900 competitive titles. Look up yours on NJ Civil Service Navigator.