Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints to Prepare for a County of Alameda Civil Service Examination

  • Read the job description and identify attributes/ behaviors that are likely key success factors.
  • Note 2 or 3 examples for each attribute that best illustrates your suitability for your target job.
  • Draw from experiences that demonstrate your skills and abilities. Be open, expressive, and succinct about each experience.
  • Use specific examples from bosses or customers, e.g., “I received a good performance review because I do not wait to be told to address and resolve issues.”
  • Use the ‘STAR’ model to answer questions by breaking your answer into 3 segments of:
    • Describe the Situation or Task
    • The Actions you took, and,
    • The final measurable Result.
  • Prepare at least 1 STAR response for each personal attribute for which you may be questioned.
  • Use recent and relevant examples from events in the last 12-18 months. Be specific about your contributions and the results achieved, such as cost, time savings, streamlining processes, empowering others, or resolved communication issues.
  • Sell your technical and personal skills. Communicate your adaptability and relatedness at an interview to stand out as a leading candidate.

    Helpful Hints to Prepare for a County Written Exam

    • Use study guides and practice Civil Service exams available at your local library.
    • Search out Learning Express for both standard basic skills.

    Helpful Hints to Prepare for a Panel Interview

    • Familiarize yourself with “behavioral interviewing”, a standardized method of interviewing to measure your performance based on the belief that the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior.
    • Prepare to answer how you handled certain situations. Describe prior situations and what you learned from those experiences.
    • The interviewer will use this information to assess your proficiency in various areas, such as adaptability, leadership, problem solving, etc.
    • Behavioral questions usually begin with a statement like: ‘Tell me about a time when…’ or ‘Can you describe a situation where…’ Some examples of typical behavioral questions are below:
      • Describe a difficult problem that you tried to solve. How did you identify the problem? How did you solve the matter?
      • Describe a time when you tried to persuade another person to do something that they were not very willing to do.
      • Describe a time when you decided on your own that something needed to be done, and you took on the task to get it done.
      • Describe a specific example of something you’ve done in your job that was creative. Tell me exactly how you handled it.

    Probationary Period

    County employees must satisfactorily complete at least a 6-month probationary period before attaining permanent status.  The probationary period length varies; the hiring department would advise prospective employees of the specific probationary period length.

    Fingerprint/Physical

    All new County employees are fingerprinted. A conviction record will not necessarily disqualify an applicant or employee.  Each case is given individual consideration, based on job-relatedness. Any record of conviction is reviewed and may result in a request for additional information or termination, if warranted.

    All prospective employees must pass a pre-employment medical examination.  For positions that require a commercial driver’s license and the performance of functions defined as “safety sensitive,” Federal law and County policyy also require drug screening.