State Worker 101

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- Get an inside track on how to land a job as a public employee and learn the shortcuts to cutting through all the red tape…  A local Learning Exchange course called "Get a State Job" answers all kinds of questions, but it raises a few big ones too.

 Did you know there are more than 3,000 current job openings with the state? Jobs with benefits and the chance for advancement.  While there's no guarantee they'll all be filled, some will and they're something special.

"It's the kind of thing that we rarely get anymore, as good as it gets for security, job security," says Michelle Allen.

Instructor Michelle Allen knows first hand; she got her first state job hired during a hiring freeze, nearly four decades ago.

"When women had to wear hose, heels, suits and no pants; it was different," says Allen.

While some things have changed, the idea of the state employee job security hasn't.  And that's what students like Michele Marchioli are hoping for.

"I couldn't do it anymore", says Marchioli.

After working since the age of 16, Michele quit private industry for health reasons.  She sees a state job as more manageable, but one where her expertise can help the public.

"They'll get their money's worth out of me, I have a very high work ethic, so whatever job I do I do it the best I can," she says.

Another hopeful in the class filed more than 500 applications before landing a job at Caltrans, and is already looking for ways to get ahead.  She feels more protected by the state than she did in the private sector.

"I found when I was going for interviews that I was running into age discrimination issues but with the state I wouldn't run into that," she said.

This course reveals the secrets of how to navigate the bureaucratic application process.

"I was only on one exam list at the time, and I ended up being on 14 exam lists, and she pointed me to an exam list I didn't know about," the new Caltrans employee explains.

Allen evens translates the titles for her students.

"If I said to you I'm sure you can apply for an AGPA, you'd say what's an AGPA?" said Allen.

And did you know some exam questions are posted online beforehand?  This is all good information, but shouldn't the question be: Are state jobs what they used to be?

We continually see workers fighting to protect their jobs, and the buzz at the Capitol us about cutting pensions…especially with the state's more than $25 billion deficit and a belief that state government's bloated.  Some say it's high time for the state to do whatever it takes to slim down.

Jon Coupal with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association argues three thousand open jobs is too many, "This is probably the number one driving force behind the problems California faces with its current budget….Government is not held to the same standard as the private sector."

CBS13 went straight to the governor who didn't agree to our request for a sit down interview, but did answer a question from a CBS13 producer about state worker benefits.

"Some are high and some are low, so we have to continually scrutinize it," says Brown.

He leaves the door open for changes, but still holds it open for applicants.

"State employment is an honorable quality and I would encourage people to seek out public service," he explains.

That said, Brown's plan is to to cut some state workers' pay by up to ten percent.

He's also announced "reorganizations, consolidations and other efficiencies" which, at least in the private sector, translates into lost jobs…and often lots of them.

"California has a large population and a needy one, so they're always looking for people," says Marchioli.

Bottom line: There still is a market for both employees and classes like these, especially as the competition heats up.

"Government in the biggest state in the union still has to function, and with the baby boomers retiring in droves, somebody's 'gotta come in and take up that slack," Allen concludes.

So, state's government is here to stay, even if it gets leaner.  The number of state jobs that could be cut is still vague, though there is one count from the Employment Department that shows 4,500 executive positions eliminated.  The governor won't confirm specific numbers.

The next Learning Exchange course is in April in Sacramento, and it costs about $50.