Sacramento County is one of the largest employers in our region, with more than 11,000 employees in over 900 job classes. The work runs from office and social services jobs to parks, airports and the Sheriff’s Office.
The County hires through a civil service process. It is not hard, but it has rules a private employer does not have, and most rejected applications break one of them. This guide walks through the process in the County’s own order.
First: the County, the City and the State are separate employers
“Sacramento County jobs” means jobs with the County of Sacramento. The City of Sacramento and the State of California each hire on their own sites, with their own rules. For State jobs, read our guide How to Get a California State Job in Sacramento.
How to apply for a Sacramento County job, step by step
- Find the open jobs. Every County opening is posted at SacCountyJobs.net, which opens the County’s page on GovernmentJobs.com. You apply there with a free account.
- Read the announcement and check the minimum qualifications. The County checks them against the Education and Work Experience sections of your application. Fill those sections in completely. Writing “see resume” is not accepted and can get the application rejected.
- Complete the application and the supplemental questionnaire. Many jobs have a supplemental questionnaire about your experience and training. Take your time with it, because your answers can become your exam score. Upload any degree or license the announcement asks for.
- Submit before the deadline. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. Pacific on the final filing date or cut-off date in the announcement.
- Wait for the qualifications review. If you do not meet the minimum qualifications, the County emails you, usually within two weeks of the final filing date. You have five calendar days to contest the decision.
- Take the exam. The announcement says which kind. Rank notices usually go out one to three weeks after the exam.
- Get on the eligible list. Everyone who passes is placed on an eligible list by rank. Departments may interview people in the top three ranks.
- Interview and accept the offer. Offers are conditional. Expect a background check and a physical exam or health questionnaire, and some jobs add a drug screen. New employees serve a probation of six months to a year.
What the exam really is
For many County jobs there is no test to sit. The County scores your training and experience from your application and supplemental questionnaire. Other jobs use a written job knowledge test, a structured oral interview or a performance test. Some safety jobs add a physical agility test.
That is why the questionnaire matters so much. Answer every question in full, even when the same detail is already in your work history.
Open and continuous recruitments
An open recruitment usually takes applications for two to four weeks and then closes. A continuous recruitment stays open and is processed on set cut-off dates. You may apply once per cut-off.
Eligible lists do not last forever. A list from a continuous recruitment usually lasts one year, and a list from an open recruitment lasts one to three years. When your time on a list ends, you apply again.
If the job you want is not open
Fill out a Job Interest Card on the County’s job site. Pick a job category or title, and the site emails you when a matching job opens. A card lasts one year. Use a personal email address and check your spam folder.
Veterans, students and temporary work
- Veterans: Qualifying veterans get 5 points added to a passing exam score, and qualifying disabled veterans get 10. It applies to your first permanent County job, and the County asks for your DD214.
- Students: The County has paid and unpaid internships for people enrolled in school, posted on the same job site. Some classes are open to high school students.
- Temporary office work: The County fills temporary clerical jobs through staffing agencies it contracts with, listed on its temporary employment page.
Where to get help
The County’s Employment Services Division is at 700 H Street, Room 4667, Sacramento, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. The phone number is (916) 874-5593. The County’s own hiring process page has the official steps, and the announcement for each job has the final word.
The County’s Department of Human Assistance also holds Job Talk sessions with recruiters. We list upcoming ones on our hiring events page.
Four mistakes that sink County applications
- Writing “see resume” in the work experience section.
- Rushing the supplemental questionnaire.
- Leaving out the proof of a degree or license the announcement asks for.
- Submitting after 5:00 p.m. on the final filing date.
Where SacJobs fits in
We list local government openings next to private employers on the SacJobs job board, and our government jobs guide covers city, county, state and federal hiring in one place. Government employers also recruit at SacJobs career fairs, where you can ask a recruiter about the process in person. The next dates are on the career fair calendar.
For the other places to look, read 5 Best Places to Look for a Job in the Sacramento Area.