Recruitment and Selection

As stated in my video clip above, I’d like to provide you with some pertinent hands on information regarding the recruiting and selection process for the City of Clarksville.

As you know, today is an opportunity for you to get an overview of how the virtual job fair will work tomorrow. You can peruse the site, watch a brief introduction to any departments participating in the job fair that you may be interested in working for, preview our benefits package, see tomorrow’s schedule of events, review job descriptions for open positions and decide which positions you may want to apply for, and a lot more.

OVERVIEW

All open positions with the City are advertised via our website and applications are ONLY accepted through NeoGov.com via our website. Applicants are required to complete an initial profile through the NeoGov site that they then may use to apply for any positions they would like. Once the profile is completed, it can be used as often as the applicant wants but should be appropriately updated any time information on the profile changes.

Recruiters are limited in the assistance they can render to an applicant who has been locked out of their account or is having difficulty logging onto their account. However, NeoGov does provide assistance to applicants in those situations. The customer service number for NeoGov is (855) 524-5627.

All regular fulltime positions will be open for a minimum of five business days. In those instances that a posting indicates that only certain applicants will be considered for the position, such as those working for a specific department or only those working for City of Clarksville/Clarksville Department of Electricity, please refrain from applying for the position if you do not meet those qualifications. Applications that fall outside of those requirements will not be considered.

Each day we receive dozens to hundreds of applications for the positions we have open. When an applicant submits their application, the NeoGov system automatically generates a pop up message that lets the applicant know their application has been received. Thereafter, the applicant also receives an email message from the Recruiter acknowledging receipt of the application and letting the applicant know they will be contacted again should additional information be required. Each application is reviewed against the job description and whatever additional criterial the hiring department has indicated on their position requisition. Applications meeting the specifications of the hiring department are then sent to the hiring department. At that time, the applicant is also sent an email letting them know their application has been sent to the hiring department for review. The hiring department then takes over the selection process. The hiring department decides whom they will interview and then contacts the applicants to schedule those interviews.

The hiring department is responsible for conducting the interviews and making their selection. Thereafter, the hiring department will contact Human Resources to let the Recruiter know whom they have interviewed and selected. The hiring department will contact all applicants they interviewed who were not selected to let them know the position has been filled. The Recruiter will email all applicants who applied and were not interviewed to let them know the position has been filled. In the case of positions that are run continuously, such as Bus Driver, School Crossing Guard, some Grounds & Facilities Maintenance positions, part time and seasonal positions, etc., applicants may not always be contacted to let them know positions have been filed. This is due to the ongoing nature of those recruitments. If it has been more than ninety days since an applicant has applied for such a position, we would encourage qualified applicants to then reapply.

Please understand, sometimes we literally have hundreds of applications for one open position and not everyone who is qualified for the position will receive an interview. It may be a natural inclination for the applicant to reach out to the Recruiter to ask what the applicant did wrong or could do better. We ask that you understand, in fairness to all, the Recruiter is not going to provide individual feedback to any applicant. The best advice the Recruiters can give applicants is to ALWAYS thoroughly read the job description, paying particular attention to the education, experience, and licensing requirements and highlighting those areas that match those requirements within the application and/or resume. Any time you see additional information given and highlighted within a posting, be SURE to thoroughly read the information as well.

DO’S

• Please make sure to ALWAYS complete the education section. Almost all regular fulltime positions require at least a high school diploma or GED. If there is no indication of meeting that minimum qualification, the application will not be considered any further.
• Do review your profile and make sure it is always up to date when you apply for a position. It is imperative that your profile accurately reflects the length of time you worked for each employer. Having multiple positions that show an end date of “Present” is confusing and may not allow a Recruiter to accurately tell how much work experience you have in a particular area.
• When a job description requires a specific number of years of experience, please make sure to show that your work experience matches those minimum qualifications. When a degree is required, please make sure your application shows you have the required degree OR an equivalent amount of experience equal to the degree OR a combination of both. (Typically an Associate’s degree is the equivalent of at least two years of experience, a Bachelor’s degree at least 4 years of experience, a Master’s degree at least 5 years of experience, etc.)
• Always be sure to answer any Supplemental Questions attached to the posting. Supplemental Questions should be answered in ADDITION to and not in place of a completed application!
• Be sure to always include an email address as well as a phone number on your application. More often than not, if the Recruiter needs to contact an applicant, it will be via email.
• Job Interest Cards are available for completion and are located in the same section as our alphabetical list of open positions. Completing a Job Interest Card for any category of position you are interested in will ensure you are notified via email whenever a position in that category is posted. Job Interest Cards are good for a year and can be renewed shortly before they expire.

DON’TS

• Please refrain from attaching any documents that contain a full birthdate or a full social security number. These documents will not be forwarded to the hiring department. NEVER attach a DD-214 to the application. On any rare occasion that a DD-214 form may be required, the hiring department will ask the applicant for it directly.
• Please do not submit multiple applications for the same position! It DOES NOT increase your chances of being hired for that position. Only submit a second application if information from the first application has been updated. In all instances you must wait at least 24 hours from your previous submission to submit a second application for the same position.
• Please refrain from calling the Recruiters to “check on the status” of your application. The Recruiter does not receive feedback about applications from the hiring department until a hiring decision is made.
• If you are not initially selected for a position for which you have applied and are qualified for, do not be discouraged. Apply again when the position opens the next time! Each applicant pool will be made up of different applicants and how your application compares to each will change.

We hope this overview assists you in your job search with the City of Clarksville.

Best Wishes and enjoy our first Virtual Job Fair. We look forward to receiving your application!