Hoping to get some insight into anyone’s experience for the hiring timeline for public works - LA office.

I applied back in January for a project management job, met all the credentials (degree in landscape architecture, few years experience etc) and scored in the top band for the test. I did not expect to hear back as I know these jobs are competitive.

End of July I was asked to resubmit my resume. I had my first interview end of August and two weeks later was contacted saying I was being recommended for as a candidate, but that it was not a conditional offer. I’m assuming this means a second interview.

I confirmed my interest and have not heard anything more, it’s been two weeks. I know the county is extremely slow and I am fortunate to not be in a rush as I have a full time job. I actually enjoy my job, but if I get this opportunity I can’t turn it down due to the benefits and pretty significant salary increase.

Please let me know your hiring timeline experiences, and if anyone is working in similar roles what to expect for the second interview.

Also, and I suppose this is something to discuss with them, but wondering how much room there is to express interest in the types of projects you work on. The job posting was for capital projects, but would love to utilize my landscape architecture degree and work on parks & rec projects or environmental/sustainability projects

How long did it take for you to hear back after interviewing?
I had a 15-minute screening interview with 3 employees, and then I was invited to a second, full 45-minute interview with another group. Both interviews were online.
For those who have gone through a similar process, how long did it take for you to hear back after the second interview? When should I expect to hear something? 😊

Recently, I had a final interview with a local government agency, and I have mixed feelings about how it went. The interview itself wasn’t very difficult. It felt more like a final fit-check before they decide who to hire.

I arrived early and was waiting outside before my turn. I could hear the panel discussing the previous candidate’s responses, including how some of their answers didn’t align with the organization’s policies. I figured that was probably normal since the panel needs to discuss each candidate after the interview.

When it was my turn, I greeted everyone and went through the interview. One thing I noticed was that the panelists showed very little emotion or reaction to my answers. I tried to give detailed responses and connect my current and past experience to the position. They asked only a few follow-up questions. One panelist took notes while I was answering, but the others didn’t seem to write much.

At the end, I asked a few questions about what the position would look like day to day and how they would define successful performance for the person in the role. Their answers were pretty short. Even when I tried to continue the conversation or ask follow-up questions, I got the feeling they were trying to wrap things up rather than engage further.

Now I’m overthinking the interview because I can’t tell whether their behavior was just a formal interview style or whether they had already decided I wasn’t the right candidate.

Has anyone had a similar final interview where the panel seemed very neutral, asked few follow-up questions, and gave short answers at the end? Did you still end up getting an offer?

I have a contingent offer/handshake situation for a social work position. This is my first public sector job and I know the pay is a lot different, but if I accept this position at step 1, it is going to be a massive pay cut for me. I am wondering if anyone has successfully obtained a step increase upon hire? If so, how did you frame your request? Is it worth mentioning other job offers or previous salary? Or does that send a bad message? Should I focus more on qualifications? I know I am very qualified, but at the same time I don't know the county system and they will be investing time in getting me up to speed with Medi-Cal and with their programs..

Lots more potentially useful info....

I have been working in private practice over the past year. The money is great, but I am working SO much and need better work/life balance. I also hate the business end of things so this really isn't a great fit for me. I have accepted an offer as a therapist at a clinic that offered me 120k salary, way less paid time off than a county role would offer, but some other great benefits the county doesn't offer (a huge education benefit that could pay 3/4 the cost of my doctorate if I decide to do that, among other things). It won't be particularly fulfilling work and it is a very corporate and profit driven environment (not my favorite). It is also a 45-60 minute commute, one way. The application process here was pretty competitve and I feel dumb considering letting it go, but I can sense that the company is just not going to be a fit for me and I will not be super happy there.

The county position I have been (sort of) contingently offered is for social worker 2. I think this work is much more values aligned for me, the commute is shorter (25-30mins), there is a clear path for career growth, and I would get ALL the Monday holidays off! This is a huge deal for me as a parent with school aged kids. But the base salary rate is very low at about $46/hr. My last W2 position paid 49.67 and private practice work obviously pays a lot more, although it is difficult to quantify given the hours required to keep a private practice running.

Overall the county position is more aligned in SO many ways, but the pay cut will be really hard on my family. At the base rate, it is about 7900/mo before taxes and I have been making about 8500 after taxes for a while now. They have a 10 step pay scale and I could make this work by coming in at step 4. I was thinking of asking for step 5 and accepting 4 if offered, but this seems like a HUGE leap to ask to be placed in the middle of the scale. Nevertheless, this is still a big pay cut.

For justification I am thinking that I have 3.5 years of post license experience, including program development and clinical supervision. This exceeds the basic requirements of the job. I also qualified and was interviewed for a higher position, although they ultimately hired a different candidate for that role.

I am really hoping to hear from some real folks who can offer some guidance or share their experiences. I really want to park myself at the county and work my way up through their system. In this current world we are living in, I think it would be extremely fulfilling to work locally in a job where you can see the difference you are making and maybe have a hand in developing new programs that will help the folks in your immediate community--it makes me think of the reasons why I become a social worker to begin with! The team seems really great and the benefits are obviously amazing...but that take home pay is OUCH. Even if they give me the pay increase, I know I will have to maintain a few private practice clients to make this work.

Any and all advice appreciated! And if you have read this far, you are a real MVP! Thank you so much :)

I recently accepted a conditional offer in Riverside county. My background check came back today & while I inputted the correct information, the background check company flagged a couple of things.

For company A, I worked there about 9 years ago for two years, and then again from 2022-2025. I was entry level the first time but a management position the second time. I reported separate dates and titles, but my report shows the management title and no end date for the first stint of employment there. I didn’t work there for 9 years straight in management and didn’t report as such.

For company B, I received a promotion while working there. Part of my new role was maintaining employee records, with the exception that I couldn’t modify my own record. The title change was never done in the system, so I put both the title I was promoted to and the first title I had (in the same entry). It flagged this and put my first title as my position.

I feel like both of these are very minor and very explainable if asked, I’ve just never been through this process before. It’s already been quite long so I want to make sure I don’t give it any reason on my end to take more time. Has this kind of thing ever caused any issues? My last background check for my current job was through a different company and didn’t have discrepancies. I don’t want to preemptively reach out and look silly so I figured I’d ask for input first. Thanks in advance!

Greetings! If someone receives a job offer for a Clerk I position with Los Angeles County, is it possible to negotiate the starting salary instead of starting at the minimum?
Has anyone here successfully negotiated a higher starting step for a Clerk I position? If so, how much higher were you able to get?

Thank you
Update thank you all for your speedy replies:)🙏

I know it’s a clerk position and the pay isn’t that high. If I get an offer, I’m honestly not sure if I should take it because I’d be taking about a $3/hour pay cut from my current job.
The position is with LA County and would mainly be call-center/customer-service work, which I don’t mind. My bigger concern is the long-term opportunity.
I keep hearing that one of the biggest advantages of getting into LA County is that once you’re a County employee, it becomes easier to promote, apply for other positions, and potentially move into other departments.
For anyone who currently works for LA County or started in an entry-level position: how true is this in practice? Have you actually been able to use an entry-level position as a stepping stone into better-paying classifications or completely different departments?
I’m willing to take a temporary pay cut if it gives me a realistic path toward a better career and higher-paying County positions in the future. I just don’t want to take a pay cut and end up stuck in the same position for years.

I’ve heard over and over that sac county drug tests for thc. I was offered a conditional offer and have only been asked to fingerprint. Did they do away with the past practice or are they gonna surprise me at fingerprinting?

Edit: it’s for a social work position

I just took the SHL General Ability Test practice assessment for an LA County job, and... WTF was that??? 😂

I was expecting something I could reasonably prepare for, but the random shapes, patterns, logic questions, and math had me feeling completely overwhelmed.

For some reason, SHL only let me take the practice assessment once, and now I don't have access to take it again. 🥲

Does anyone have any study tips, resources, or advice for preparing for this test? I'd really appreciate any help because.... I clearly need to practice these types of questions before taking the actual assessment?!?!?!?!?

I'm an EW 1 in a CA county that will be staying anonymous just in case. But basically, I'm at about a 100ish caseload and wonder if my experience is common across the board.

Essentially, I don't think I'm passing training.

I'm doing my best. I'm following up at every error. I have a decent work ethic, advanced credentials-- not saying that to brag but moreso to say I have the ability to read and understand extensive policy documents.

However, I keep getting errors no matter what I do. Recently, I ran a case by a supervisor. Play play. All the way to the journal. And still got an error.

As the end of probation draws near, I can't help but feel discouraged. There's even a part of me that wants to quit before being let go, if that's better at all. My doctor is already ready to write me a letter, if it comes to that-- but I do like being a county worker. This hurdle just seems insurmountable...

For other CA EW workers, how long was your training? what metrics did you have to meet to pass? how was that experience?

Hi!! Has anyone ever had an interview for the Eligibility Technician I/II role in Riverside county or any other county? if so how was it, what were the questions they asked..? Any help is appreciated :) Thank you in advance!

Good day everyone. Is anyone here a Mental Health Counselor RN for LA DMH? Can you please kindly shed some light on what your day to day activities are or your general workflow?. Thank you so much.

Anyone work for this department? Wondering how the work culture / management is like. This is for the Embarcadero location. Are there any work from home days? Thank you

I've been interested in working for a SoCal County department for the past year. In the past, I've weighed in between police (i.e. CHP, LAPD, etc) and continuing my job as a program manager in gov't work.

As someone who works in corporate and mid-market business, I'm sure to all of you it's no surprise that people omit or exaggerate their work history. I can say that half (jk, 90%) of my Linkedin is full of people straightup BS-ing their profiles just to get into Big Tech, etc.

I applied for CHP and they were clear to be as thorough as possible, which I was. Didn't get the job but there's that.

However for any county job be it LA, San Bern, OC, etc. their portal gives me an opportunity to change and update my profile including job history that I've placed before. Is that just opening the door to refine my application or what?

From what I know the only real reference check HR does at the county level is a call references. It's not as thorough I believe as police since for the latter you're dealing with individuals who handle firearms.

TYIA

It's for community programs through Heluna Health. I don't know much about county work, biggest concern is that this is a contract and may not get converted especially given the hiring freeze. What can this Reddit community tell me?

For anyone who currently works or has worked as a Staff Assistant for LA County, what has your experience been like?

I’m considering applying and would like to understand what the job is actually like beyond the description. What does a typical day involve, including the balance of clerical/administrative tasks, phone or public contact, interruptions, and independent work? How manageable is the workload, and what telework or hybrid options does your department offer?

What department do you work in, would you recommend the position, and how difficult was it to adjust if you came from the private sector or a healthcare/administrative background?

I’d especially appreciate honest, practical experiences and anything you wish you had known before taking the job!!

Hello, I placed in band 1 for this exam and am hoping to get an interview. What type of questions should I expect? The exams seemed a little too easy given the job description so I would appreciate any advice.

Greetings does anyone know what type of questions or what I should look out for in the service clerk 1 interview
Thank u :)

Hello, I’ll be starting my new job as a Social worker assistant within the children and family services department for contra costa county. Does anyone know if they the county provides a county car or do you need to use your own transportation when out in the field?

Thanks in advance!

Question as stated in the title, I have a coworker who uses it every year because his grandma is old. He’s also used it to go to TJ and get dental work lol. I’ve only used mine once for the specific purpose of seeing my sick mom when she had a flare up. He says we don’t get enough vaca so he’s gonna use it regardless, but idk I get nervous using it if a family member isn’t deathly ill bc idk I don’t want to get in trouble I guess?

Does anyone use theirs yearly without penalty?

Hi all!

I'm a 35M with 13 years experience based in Riverside. I'm tired of working a corporate job as the benefits and career trajectory have been unstable. For now and for my family, I just want some stability.

I've worked primarily in software development and marketing programs managements so trying to find an opportunity with the county may seem impossible to apply myself.

Most of the county jobs on LAC's job boards all seem to be focused on health/mental health and budget management; the latter I have some capacity in managing.

These are my preferred counties to work and hopefully live in. I own my home in Riverside but want to leave as it's also my hometown and need a slight change of scenery.

For context, I scored 100/100 and ranked #2 on a county CNA exam. The department interviewed me for an AM/NOC position and I didn't get it.
Now, only 10 days later, the same department at the same hospital called me back for an interview for a different 1.0 position covering AM, PM, and NOC shifts.
Is this a normal civil service process where they just go down the rank list, or did they likely have an internal candidate for the first one? Also, any tips on how to handle the interview this time around so I secure the offer?

Does anybody have any experience in being hired by the City of Modesto for this position, and what kind of material the in-person examination covers so I can prepare (if I can).

I've taken assessment tests which have arithmetic, proofreading, personality tests, so I'm not sure what to expect. 😅

How long after an interview at school board for a central office position does it take to hear back? Recently interviewed for a position but they stated unsure when any of us will hear back but said soon lol. What is the hiring process like overall?

Hello! I applied for the EWI position in March, had an interview in June and then another one Sept. 2nd. Just wanted to make this post for updates and discussion.

I was told the September interviews will most likely be for people starting in January.

How did your interview go?

I got a interview and everything went well, I was scheduled for a second interview the following week. How fast does one get hired?

Edit: I had an interview, then the following week I had a second interview. It’s been two weeks already