Hiring process: Civil Service jobs

What is "Civil Service?"

Civil Service is a type of job classification at SIU Medicine. Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is part of the State Universities Civil Service System, a program of personnel administration at state-supported institutions of higher education. As part of this system, SIU Medicine follows the guidelines for posting and hiring civil service positions, including professional (non-academic), technical, and support staff positions. If an applicant meets the minimum qualifications to sit for a specific Civil Service exam, they will be contacted regarding the date and time that the exam will be administered. 

Applying for a Civil Service job at SIU Medicine

Completion of the "Application for Civil Service Employment" is the first step toward consideration for employment. SIU Medicine has carefully designed the application to gather information we believe is necessary to determine whether or not an applicant appears to be a viable candidate for employment opportunities at SIU School of Medicine.

During the screening process, SIU Medicine leaders consider many factors, including, but not limited to, the completeness and accuracy of the information provided, quality and stability of employment history, and conviction history.

Additional criteria and considerations:

Background investigations

All positions at SIU School of Medicine require a criminal background investigation as a condition of employment.

Employment eligibility

All persons hired are required to provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States within the first 3 days of employment in order to comply with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Disabilities - reasonable accommodation

If you believe that you may require a reasonable accommodation during the application, testing, or interviewing process, please notify the Office of Human Resources at 217-545-0223 prior to the date needed so that appropriate arrangements may be made.

Out-of-state applicants

Non-residents of the state of Illinois may apply and, if qualified, must pass the State Universities Civil Service exam required for the classification/position to which he/she applied.  Per the State Universities Civil Service System, placement on a Civil Service Employment Register for out-of-state applicants is based on exam score and the classification/position to which he/she applied.

Probationary period

All Civil Service employees are required to complete a probationary period of either 6 or 12 months, depending on the job title.

Veterans preference on exams

To determine eligibility for veterans preference points on employment exams, you must submit a legible copy of your discharge papers (DD214, DD215 or NGB22), which lists the branch of service, dates of service and character of discharge. This is the only purpose for which these forms will be used.

Information for annuitants

If you are a current annuitant from an employer that was covered by the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) benefits, it is your responsibility to contact representatives at your retirement system and CMS to determine whether or not your annuity or insurance benefits will be impacted if rehired within the same system.

Application process - frequently asked questions

 

Testing for Civil Service vacancies

All Civil Service vacancies require the completion of a pre-employment exam to determine an applicant's eligibility to interview, which is based upon their exam score.

Because of the need to fill vacancies as quickly as possible, there are not many opportunities for rescheduling examinations; however, applicants are welcome to call to inquire if they absolutely cannot make a scheduled exam time.

If the required exam is a credentials assessment, the applicant will only receive an exam score by email once their application materials have been screened, evaluated and entered into our automated system.

There are 3 types of Civil Service exams:

Manual, written exam

The applicant is scheduled to come into Human Resources and sit for a hand-written exam that may consist of multiple-choice or true/false knowledge questions, observation or proofreading components, written examples of work skills or attributes, or other written components. The maximum time limits for completing such exams range from 1.5 hours to 4 hours.

Electronic, written exam
  • The applicant is scheduled to come into Human Resources and sit for a computerized exam. These exams consist of multiple-choice and true/false knowledge questions. To accommodate applicants for positions that do not require a knowledge of the keyboard, these exams have been designed to require only that the applicant use the mouse to point and click on the answer. Certain titles also contain a credentials assessment component that is scored after the applicant completes the electronic exam. Maximum time limits for completing such exams range from 1 hour to 3 hours.

Note: If you are taking an exam in the accountant or clerical series, there are study guides and practice tests available on the State University Civil Service System's website.

Credentials assessment exam

The applicant does not return to Human Resources for a written exam, but, rather, is assigned an exam score based upon an assessment of their credentials. For this reason it is critical that all education, employment, and licensure information be provided by the applicant at the time of application. For certain types of positions, an Addendum form is also required, in an effort to provide the level of detailed information needed for accurately assessing credentials.

Testing process - frequently asked questions

Interviewing for a Civil Service job

Civil Service registers and eligibility to interview

Numerical examination scores are used to determine who is eligible to be referred to the hiring department for a job interview. The three highest scores, which includes veterans' preference points, standing on the employment register for a specific title are eligible for referral. Most employment registers are a composite of scores from previously tested applicants and recently tested applicants; however, certain employment registers are voided after each hire is made.

Once all new applicants for a vacancy have been tested and scores added to the employment register, the candidates from the top of the scores who are interested and eligible for referral are identified (more in the case of tied scores) and their application materials are sent to the hiring department. Applicants generally will be contacted by Human Resources prior to referral to determine their interest in interviewing for a specific vacancy if their score is reached. Applicants will then be contacted by the hiring department to schedule an interview if they are referred. Applicants do not have to accept an interview to stay active on the employment list; however, they do have to respond to any phone message or written notice sent to inquire about their interest.

If you have been contacted to schedule an interview and have not already reviewed the Position Description for the vacancy, you may view it through your online applicant account until the position is filled.

Interviewing

An interview team will interview each candidate for a specific vacancy. Once interviews have been completed, the interview team meets with a Human Resources professional to discuss each candidate. Once a selection is made or the candidates have been narrowed, pre-employment screening is conducted and a final hire decision is made.

Offers for employment

Conditional offers of employment may be made pending all pre-employment screenings. Once the required screenings are cleared, Human Resources will contact the applicant  to begin the onboarding process. All pre-employment screening must be cleared prior to the employee’s first day of employment.

Note: Only the Office of Human Resources is authorized to make an official offer of employment for Civil Service positions.

New employee onboarding

All new employees start work on a Monday. After accepting an offer of employment, the new employee receives notification by email of their job details and New Employee Orientation (NEO) events. New employees are directed to log on the online system to complete the New Hire documents attached to their account. These documents must be completed prior to the employee’s NEO date. New employees should pay close attention to the listing of documentation they are required to bring their first day of employment.

All new employees are also provided at NEO with a list of additional mandatory training sessions that must be completed at other specified times.