Understanding the hiring process

Joining the City and County of San Francisco

The hiring process is dependent upon the type of role you apply for. For more information about the different role types, please reference the Role types | City and County of San Francisco page.

City's Job Board

Job Advertisements: When a department has a position to fill, they will post a job advertisement (Ad) on the City's career website. The job ad serves as the official notice of a recruitment, providing details about the position, like a description of the job, required minimum qualifications, and an overview of the selection procedures (exams, interviews).
Applying: Candidates are usually given a window of time to submit their application to formally express interest and to provide any additional information requested in the job ad. It is important that you pay attention to any dates that are listed; we are not allowed to accept late applications.

Do I have the right skills?

Minimum qualifications

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. This includes your experience, education, and certifications.

Exams and assessments

Exams are a tool that the City uses to gauge your knowledge, skills, and abilities fairly amongst others who apply.

Some exams may include multiple components or mulitple tasks. Your final score is based on a weighted average of these components.

Learn more

Eligible lists

Once you pass the exam, you will be placed onto an eligible list and given a score and a rank. Your score will tell you how you did on the exam and your rank will show you where you are amongst other candidates.

While a list of ranks and scores will be published, the names of applicants and their scores are kept confidential, in most cases.

Communication

Referral: When a team or a department has an opening they will use an eligible list to fill that position. Depending on the type of position, this may be a new list, tailored just for that role, or a list that was created for many similar roles. The candidates who passed the exam and were placed on the eligible list are "referred" (made available) to the department for consideration. In many cases, only the top candidates on the list may be considered, but that line moves down as individuals are hired and more positions use the same eligible list.
Interviews and final selection: The hiring team may decide to follow-up with you to ensure that you are interested in the role they are hiring for. This process will be conducted via email, and it is important that you respond with your interest, to continue in the process. The selection process may include one or more interviews with the hiring manager or your future teammates.
Communication: Throughout the hiring process, you will receive several emails that are system-generated. This is a normal part of the process, and we urge you to read each message carefully as messages will often contain important information about the role and tasks for you to complete. Please be aware that the selection process can take some time, but you will be notified if you are not selected, though this may not occur until the end of the hiring process.

Qualification Verification

As a local government employee you will be part of a team that is responsible for protecting the health and well-being of the more than a million people that live and work in San Francisco. This may mean that you have access to sensitive information, public funds, or you may be directly involved in providing face-to-face citizen services. To protect the safety of our residents as well as fellow employees, you will be required to go through some final checks before you can start work.

Qualification verification: If selected, the City and County of San Francisco is required to verify the information in your application. This may include submitting your transcripts, diplomas, certifications, as well as contacting your references.
Background checks: All employees must go through a background check. For most employees this involves taking fingerprints and requesting records from California and the FBI (LiveScan check). Under City ordinance, the records that are returned are compared to the individual requirements of the position, so simply having records does not directly disqualify you from employment with the city.

First Day Preparations

Congratulations on making it to the onboarding step, we are so excited to have you join our team. While every department and team handles these last steps a little bit differently, there are a few things that we can tell you to prepare for your first day:

Hiring information: You will receive an automated email requesting some final pieces of information to help us get you onto payroll quickly. Please keep an eye on your inbox for this form and complete it as soon as possible.
Prepping for your first day: The individual handling your onboarding will ultimately provide you with more information, but on your first day, please bring two forms of identification to complete employment eligibility forms and, if you choose to recieve your paycheck via direct depoist, a voided check.