Online Employment Application Guide This guide describes how to apply for jobs using the Ramsey County Job Opportunities web site. When applying for a job, please make note of the application filing deadline date and time. You must completely finish and submit your application BEFORE the deadline. If you prefer, you can download, print out, and complete the paper application form found under the HOT LINKS area of our website instead of using our online system. However, you must also complete and include any responses to supplemental questions listed on the job posting. The online process consists of the following steps: 1. Find jobs 2. Create a new user account (if you don t have one) 3. Apply for a job Other Helpful Features: 4. Self Scheduling for an Exam Date and Time 5. Forgot User Name/Password Reset 6. Updating Account Settings 7. Checking Applicant Status 8. Email Notifications/Subscription Service 1. Find Jobs Go to the Ramsey County Job Opportunities web page at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/ramsey/default.cfm. Using your smart phone, you can also use the following QR code to access this page as well: Page 1 of 14
Scroll down the page to find a list of job openings. Click on the job title for which you wish to apply. You will be able to view the job posting which includes Basic Function (a description of the job) which includes the salary range, Closing Date/Time, Location, Duties, Minimum Qualifications, Exam/Screening Process Information, and recruiter contact information. There is a second tab in the job posting to see the list of Supplemental Questions for this job posting. (Optional) Click the Print Job Information if you want to print a copy of the job posting for your own reference. 2. Create a new user account (skip this step if you already have an account) Click the Apply link in the job posting (towards the upper right portion of the page) Page 2 of 14
If you already created a user account, login using your previously created username and password using the Sign in link in the upper corner of the page. NOTE: Many government organizations across the USA use this same (Governmentjobs.com) system. If you have applied at other Twin Cities organizations such as Hennepin, Dakota, Washington Counties, City of St Paul, Metropolitan Council and many others, your same account will work for applying with Ramsey County. Otherwise, click the Create an Account link to create a new user account, and then enter your new account information. If you created an account before, you cannot use the same email address again to create a new account. The email value must be unique to you. If you created an account before and can t remember your username, click the Forgot Username link. This sends you an email with your username. Page 3 of 14
Your password must be at least 8 characters in length, and contain at least one number, one symbol (e.g., #,$,@ etc), and one upper case letter. Answer the arithmetic security question. In this example, type 14. As you supply correct information for each field, a checkmark on the right indicates that the value is correct, for example: Click Create. Keep a record of your username and password. When you are signed in, your username appears on the right in the top menu bar: If you need to change your password or the email address associated with your account, use Account Settings in the pull-down menu below your username. Once created, you cannot change your user name. 3. Apply for a Job (Refer to Step 1 above to find Ramsey County s job postings and the Apply link). You will need to complete a series of steps (entries, or screens). The specific steps that you must complete may vary job to job and may vary from this example. You must apply for a specific job. The system won t accept a generic application. Page 4 of 14
Your progress and current step in the application process is shown on the left. In the next example, the information (Info) step is in progress: As you work on your application, refer to the progress bar to see the number of items for each entry, and errors. In the next example, the work section contains eight items, and the questions section contains errors: Page 5 of 14
For each step, the buttons on the bottom allow you to save or discard your work on this entry. Although your typing is periodically automatically saved, it is good practice to click the Save button. The Cancel button discards any changes you have made since the last save. For some entries, the Remove link is present. It deletes the current entry, after a confirmation. Once deleted, the data cannot be recovered. The last time that the entry was saved is also displayed at the top: 1. Provide general contact information. 2. If required, provide previous work experience information. 3. If required, provide educational information. 4. If required, provide additional information, including certificates and licenses, skills and languages. 5. If required, provide references. 6. If required, answer any additional supplemental questions. These are general and agency (Ramsey County) supplemental questions. We strongly recommend that for essay type questions, you first draft your responses in MS WORD or other word processing program, save these to your computer, and then copy/paste your responses into the fields on your application. This will save you much time and reduce the possibility of losing your work. 7. Upload any attachments, such as a resume, drivers license, or certificates. If a particular attachment type is required for the specific Ramsey County job, there is an area provided so that you can upload that attachment. 8. If there are no required attachments, then you can use the Add supplemental attachment to add additional files. When using the Add supplemental attachment, make sure to use Choose attachment type before you upload the file. In the next example, the License type attachment is selected prior to uploading the file. Page 6 of 14
9. Review each section. If there is an error, it is shown in the progress bar and also in the section. Use the link to open this item and correct any errors. Once your application is complete, click on Proceed to Certify and Submit. 10. On the Certify and Submit page, click on Accept and Submit. An Application Submitted message confirms that you have successfully applied for the job. You can check on the status of this job application at any time by clicking on Applications in the top menu bar. Your username also indicates the number of in-progress and completed applications, for example: If you need further help, you can contact technical support at governmentjobs.com toll free (Monday Friday, 8am to 8pm, Central Time at 1-855-524-5627 (once connected, press 1 for applicant tech support). Leave a voice mail message with your phone number and name, and a technician will return your call within 12 hours. Calls are taken in the order in which they were received. Helpful Tips: (1) Pay attention to what information is required. These fields are noted on the application form with a red asterisk (*) next to the question. The system will not move you to the next step in the process if there is a required field that is incomplete. (2) If there are essay type supplemental questions on the application, you can speed up your application completion by typing your answers in MS WORD and copying/pasting them into the application fields. This way, you can always retain a copy of your responses. Page 7 of 14
4. Self Scheduling for an Examination Date and Time Some application screening processes for Ramsey County jobs require you to take an examination. In some cases, you can use our online system to self schedule your preferred time and date. You will be notified by email if self scheduling is open for the job for which you are being considered. Some email notices will contain a link that you can click on and access your account login page. In some cases, you will need to copy/paste the URL link address into your web browser. NOTE: Self scheduling may not work for some portable devices such as cell/smart phones or tablets. To access self scheduling, log into your user account. Under the drop down menu under your user name, select Job Applications. From the list of jobs for which you have applied, find the job where self-scheduling has been enabled. You will see a link to Schedule Exam. Page 8 of 14
By clicking the schedule exam link a box will appear to the right side of the page where you can select the time and date you wish schedule for your examination. Scheduling is on a first-come, first-served basis. If a date and time does not appear on the schedule, that session has already filled capacity and you will need to select another session. 5. Forgot User Name/Password Reset If you can t remember your user name or password for your account, you can retrieve your user name or reset your password any time at the log in page. NOTE: Because your account relies on the email address associated with your account, you need to have access to your email inbox. To retrieve your user name or to reset your password, go to the login page at https://www.governmentjobs.com/applications/index/ramsey, and then click on the link for Forgot Username or Reset Password. Page 9 of 14
Enter your email address associated with your account and answer the arithmetic security question, and then click Send Username. An email (Important Security Notice from governmentjobs.com) will be sent to your inbox. To reset your password, enter your email address associated with your account and answer the arithmetic security question, and then click Reset Password. An email (Important Security Notice from governmentjobs.com) will be sent to your inbox. The email will contain a link to Reset Your Password. Click the link and type in your desired password. You will need to type it a second time to confirm. The page should show a message indicating that your password has been updated successfully. You can then go to the login page to access your account. Password reset will also allow you to access your account if the system indicates you have been locked out of your account. NOTE: If the email goes to a junk mail or spam mail folder you will need to move the email to your regular inbox before the reset link inside the email will work. The link is valid for 24 hours. Page 10 of 14
6. Updating Account Settings It is important to keep your account settings up to date, especially the email address associated with your account. Since user name retrieval and password reset requires use of the email address to work, you should always use an email address for which you have access. Once on the page, you will see your account Contact Info with access to an Edit link. Click the edit link to update your Contact Info as needed, and then SAVE. If you wish to change your password, click the gray box link on the left hand side for Change Password. You will prompted to enter your current password, your new password, and to confirm your new password, and then click the Save Password box. Page 11 of 14
7. Checking Application Status From your user account, you can check on the status of any application you have earlier submitted. To do this, click on the link for Applications & Status from under the account menu. You should see two tabs, one for Submitted applications, and one for Incomplete applications. Incomplete applications are those you have started but not yet finished. These will continue to appear on your list until the job posting for the application has closed. To find the status of each application, read the summary information below each application in the list. The status will show the date and time you submitted your application, where your application is in the review process or if the recruitment has concluded and your application is no longer under consideration. Page 12 of 14
8. Email Notifications/Subscription Service for Job Postings Ramsey County has three different ways for you to stay informed about what jobs are open, either by specific job title or generally whenever updates occur to our Job Opportunities list. If you are a Twitter user, you can add @RamseyCountyHR to the Twitter users you are following from within your account. If you don t have a Twitter account and want to set one up (free), follow the link from our Job Opportunities page. Ramsey County sends a tweet whenever a new job posting is added to our Open (non-promotional) jobs page. If you prefer, you can subscribe for free to our GovDelivery email notification service from our web page using the link next to the Red Envelope icon (see below). You will be asked to provide your email or cell phone number (text messages). An email alert will be sent to your address or phone number whenever a job is posted to our Open(non-promotional) jobs page. Please note that your account for our GovDelivery notification service is totally separate from your Applicant User Account. Page 13 of 14
The third way to stay informed of job postings, for a specific job title, is to sign up online through our Job Descriptions library on our website. To access the job descriptions library, click on the link for Job Descriptions from the Ramsey County website. An alphabetical listing of all Ramsey County job titles will be displayed. You can use the alphabet links at the top of the page to jump to a particular part of the list (for example, click on E to display all jobs that start with the letter E. Click on the name of the job to display a description. From the description page, you can register to receive an email alert if that job title opens for application to the public (not promotional only) in the next 12 month period of time. To register, click the Email me when jobs like this become available link Page 14 of 14