The City of Elk Grove is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and professionalism.

The City is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees regardless of because of the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status or any other status protected under state or federal law. For more details please see our Personnel Rules and Regulations.

Equal Employment Opportunity Program

To meet its commitment to complying with applicable federal and state equal employment opportunity laws, as well as to achieve the benefit of having a diverse workforce, the City of Elk Grove is committed to an active Equal Employment Opportunity Program (EEOP). All recruitment, hiring, placements, transfers, and promotions will be based on individual skills, knowledge and abilities, and the feasibility of any necessary job accommodation, regardless of the above identified bases. All other personnel actions such as compensation, benefits, layoffs, terminations, training, etc., are also administered without discrimination. Equal employment opportunity (EEO) will be promoted through a continual and progressive EEOP.

The objective of an EEOP is to ensure non-discrimination in employment and wherever possible, to actively recruit and include for consideration for employment individuals in protected classifications as identified in applicable federal and state laws and as enumerated in Section 5.1 of the City of Elk Grove Personnel Rules and Regulations.

Announcement of Vacancy

Except as set forth below, all vacancies in full-time or management positions, except Department Heads, shall be posted by The Human Resources Department. If the City Manager determines that sufficient candidates exist within the City, the City Manager may limit eligibility for the position to current City employees. If there are not sufficient candidates within the City of Elk Grove workforce, then recruitment shall include external advertisement. The City Manager may fill a position without posting if determined to be in the best interests of the City. “Best interests of the City,” as used in this section, includes, but is not limited to, fiscal, staffing, or operational needs of the City, along with the availability of a suitable candidate for the vacant position, such that the City Manager, in his or her best judgment, determines recruiting for the position by posting the vacancy is not warranted. A Department Head need not post for intradepartmental promotions.

Applications

For posted positions, a separate application must be submitted for each vacancy. The application must be submitted during the announced recruitment period through the city’s electronic application program on the Human Resources website. The application form must be completed in sufficient detail to allow a job-related, comprehensive review and evaluation of the applicant’s qualifications. Failure to file the application during the recruitment period or to complete the application in sufficient detail will constitute failure of the initial step in the examination process and the application may be placed in the inactive files. It is the applicant’s responsibility to notify the Human Resources Department of any change in contact information during the recruitment process. The Human Resources Department shall be responsible to establish rules, procedures, and forms necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

All applications must be submitted through the electronic recruiting system on the City’s website, or to The Human Resources Department at the City of Elk Grove’s Administration building so that they may be entered into the Applicant Tracking system and routed to the appropriate departments. If an applicant does not have access to a computer or the internet, there is an available computer with internet access at City Hall. The Human Resources Department will keep qualified job applications on file for one (1) year.

Qualifications

All applicants considered for a position in the City must be qualified for the work they will be required to do. The Human Resources Department will conduct the initial review of applications for possession of the minimum qualifications before sending the applications to the Subject Matter Expert (SME). In the event that a large number of applicants possess the minimum qualifications, the SME will select applicants who appear to be the most qualified based on their breadth and recency of experience to be invited to compete in the testing process. In determining whether or not an applicant is qualified, the Human Resources Department shall apply any or all of the following selection processes as necessary:

  1. Applications must be filled out completely. Please do not state “see resume,” answer all questions, supplemental questions, and add attachments if required. If an application is not filled out appropriately, the applications will be denied as incomplete. The application will be assessed based on the qualifying knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed on the application.
  2. To ensure a fair and equitable hiring process, applicant names will not be visible during the application screening. This will allow for clear review of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) listed on the application.
  3. Satisfactory evidence of certification, registration, license, or educational attainment where such requirement is stated in a class specification.
  4. Satisfactory evidence of compliance with experience requirements as set forth in a class specification.
  5. Successful completion of a written, performance, or oral examination, or a combination of two or more of such examinations, designed to test the applicant's knowledge, skills, physical ability, and personal attributes as related to the class of position for which the examination is established. Ratings of such examinations shall be in conformity with the provisions set forth on the examination announcement and shall be applied using appropriate techniques and procedures determining the final scores.
  6. Satisfactory evidence of status of the applicant's physical and mental health with regard to the job-related factors of the classification.
  7. Prior to beginning work, all persons selected for appointment must execute a loyalty oath to support and defend the Constitution and also agree to submit to fingerprinting and photographing for the purpose of identification.

Hiring Panel

The City works towards decreasing unconscious bias in the hiring process, which can be a barrier to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. An important component is to ensure the hiring panel composition is a diverse group of individuals with a wide variety of experiences and perspectives offering unique insights to questions asked and answered. While deviations may occur on a periodic basis, we make every effort to have a diverse interview panel.

Bias Awareness Training

In an effort to make the best decisions about candidates and to ensure an equitable interview process, the City of Elk Grove will provide Bias Awareness Training before every interview to the panel members who are participating in the process.

Reference Checks

References may be obtained in order to establish satisfactory evidence of an applicant's character, integrity, and success in previous employment.

Disqualification of Applicants

Reasons applicants may be disqualified from consideration for employment include, but are not limited to:

  • The applicant does not possess the minimum qualifications and essential skills for the position
  • The applicant is not physically or mentally fit to perform the duties or assume the responsibilities of the position and a reasonable accommodation cannot be made
  • The applicant has demonstrated an unsatisfactory employment record
  • The applicant made false statements or misrepresentations on their application or in their interview
  • The applicant does not qualify under the City of Elk Grove Employment of Relatives Policy

Conditional Job Offer

All job offers must be approved by the Human Resources Department and will be on the City of Elk Grove standard offer letter format. After extending a Conditional Offer of Employment to the selected Candidate a background will be conducted. The extent of the background requirements will depend on the job classification.

Salary placement

The City typically starts new employees between step one (1) and step three (3) of the salary schedule depending on experience.

Pre-Employment Background

Upon the City making a conditional offer of employment, Candidates will be required to complete a live-scan fingerprint for the Department of Justice and a Federal Bureau of Investigations background check to provide evidence relating to any history of criminal convictions. For this reason, the designated Human Resources representative is authorized to receive criminal offender record information. If the applicant has a history of criminal conviction(s), the City will make an individualized assessment of whether the applicant is eligible for employment with the City taking into account such factors as the length of time since any criminal conviction, the nature of the conviction(s), and the nexus between any criminal conviction and the position for which the applicant is applying. If the applicant is deemed ineligible for employment with the City due to a history of criminal conviction(s), the applicant will be so informed.

In addition, the City of Elk Grove may conduct the following background checks depending on
the position:

  • Past employment verification
  • Education verification (degree, professional license, etc.)
  • Credit report for all positions that will handle cash or have access to financial information
  • Driving record for all positions required to drive on behalf of the City
  • Military record (if applicable)
  • Employment verification can be accomplished either by telephone or in writing. If the prior employment cannot be verified, the hiring authority should discuss the situation with their manager or Department Head and determine whether it is reasonable to proceed with the hire.

After a conditional offer of employment is made, the offer is contingent upon full completion of,
and acceptable results from the background process.

Medical Examination/Drug Screen

Where positions require a medical examination after an offer of employment is made, the offer is contingent upon full completion of, and acceptable results from, all medical examinations as required or tests that determine the fitness of the employee to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Any medical test conducted of an applicant will be job related and consistent with the City’s business necessity for conducting such a test. Any such examination or test, which is solely conducted for the purpose of determining fitness for duty, will be paid by the City of Elk Grove. All such examinations or tests will be performed by an independent professional approved by the City of Elk Grove. The successful completion of a drug screen may also be a condition of employment and a positive drug screen is sufficient to rescind an offer of employment.

Failure to Appear for Work

If a Candidate fails to report for work within the time period prescribed by the City of Elk Grove, the Candidate may be deemed to have declined the position.

Immigration Reform and Control Act (“IRCA”)

All offers of employment are contingent on verification of the candidate’s right to work in the United States. New employees will be asked to provide original documents verifying his/her right to work and, as required by federal law, to sign a Federal Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Form. If at any time an employee cannot verify his/her right to work in the United States, the City of Elk Grove may be obligated to terminate that employment.

The City of Elk Grove will fully comply with IRCA provisions, which govern the following:

  1. Recruitment and hiring - The City of Elk Grove will not knowingly hire an unauthorized alien. If the City of Elk Grove becomes aware of the hiring of an unauthorized alien on or after November 6, 1986, it may terminate that person in compliance with IRCA;
  2. Employment verification - All City of Elk Grove employees must provide original document(s) which establishes his/her identity and authorization to work in the U.S.;
  3. Record keeping - Records will be maintained by the City of Elk Grove throughout employment and for at least one (1) year after termination; and
  4. Non-discrimination - IRCA prohibits discrimination in recruitment, hiring or discharge.