Have you ever thought about working for a State of Florida agency? State employment can not only be a rewarding career but it offers good benefits. Annual and sick leave, holidays, retirement and insurance benefits and deferred compensation programs are but a few of the advantages of working for the state.

A comprehensive listing of state jobs can be found at the new People First website: http://peoplefirst.myflorida.com . Registration on this site enables you to create a new email account, create a profile and update the preferences setting that controls email notifications of vacancies you are interested in as they become available. Setting up your profile is an important step because this is what the system uses to search for job openings and you want to make sure you have a good match for occupations, salary expectations and your level of education. After you have set up your profile, ask the site to email it to you so you can see exactly what the virtual recruiters see when your profile matches a vacancy. If you find a job you’re interested in, you can click the link titled “Begin the Application Process” but more about applications later.

The first step a state agency takes in the job selection process is to review the applications, which have been received to determine who is eligible to compete further in the selection process. The hiring official will compare the applicant's education, experience, and/or license or certification to the minimum qualifications for the position. Only those applicants who appear, after the initial screening, to possess the required minimum qualifications and any required entry-level Knowledge Skills and Abilities will be further considered further in the selection process.

The agency then uses job-related criteria to determine those applicants who will be asked to participate in additional assessment steps (selection techniques) such as an oral interview or a work sample exercise. Other selection techniques may be used depending on the position.

The job-related information gained during the selection process will assist the hiring official in making the final selection decision. Veterans' Preference and Affirmative Action goals are also considered by the agency in the decision-making process.

Your first step in constructing a state employment application should be to review the Occupation Profile which among other things lists a description of the job, examples of work, examples of job characteristics, examples of knowledge, skills and abilities and any special requirements such as licensure, certification or registration requirements.

Your next step will be to make sure your application shows that you have the Knowledge Skills and Abilities listed in the Occupation Profile for the position you are applying for. It is important to list these out on the application! Please don’t assume that the application screener will be able to tell by your experience that you have the knowledge skills and ability required for the position. If the application is being “scored” for points, having the job requirements and qualifications on your application will go a long way to improving the odds your application will make it past the screening process and getting a job interview.

All employment applications, hard copy and electronic, must be submitted to the hiring agency by the close of business on the closing date indicated on the job announcement. ("Close of business" means 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.) If an application is late, it cannot be considered in the application pool.

You can apply for employment using the “Hard Copy Process” which means completing a State of Florida employment application, then mailing or hand-delivering a your completed application to the agency advertising the vacancy; [or] the “Online Job Application Process” in which you complete and register your State of Florida Employment Application on-line, which will then enable you to electronically submit your application for advertised vacancies in the state agencies participating in this program and accepting electronic applications. Make sure you check to see if the agency is accepting electronic applications because at the present time, not all do. On People First, once you click “Begin the Application Process”, you are taken step-by-step through the process. It might be a good idea to have all of the information you need for the application on hand such as periods of employment, position and don’t forget those knowledge, skills and abilities!

So there it is. Let get started. Get on the site, register, create a profile and do your homework before creating your state application.