State Civil Service

State civil service jobs are all the jobs that come under the government sector except for uniformed jobs such as the army, navy, and air force. The jobs include the executive, judicial and legislative sections of the government. Most of the state civil service jobs are merit based and earned after extremely competitive examinations. This is practiced for the lower post in the state civil service. The senior posts such as important agencies and executive positions are given to politically appointed persons. However, at the beginning of the 1800s the state civil service jobs were awarded by the president and could be taken away at any time.

The state civil service is divided into two main categories; the competitive service and the excepted service. The competitive service is where job candidates need to go through rigorous testing in order to be accepted. Almost all state civil service jobs in the executive branch. Except for jobs that are specially exempted from the competitive service by statute, jobs that are nominated by the United Sates Senate, and jobs in the Senior Executive Service. People employed through the competitive service are given a significant amount of rights to protect their positions, while the government maintains its control over the employees.

The excepted service mainly consists of the national security and intelligence areas of the state civil service. The most popular divisions of the excepted service are the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Security Agency (NSA). The main difference between jobs in the excepted service and those in the competitive service is the lack of the employee’s rights under the excepted service. When it comes to being fired or being disciplined on the job, members of the excepted service are no given letter thirty days ahead and the right to a trial.

The salaries of the state civil service workers tend to be higher than those of the private sector. In addition to their base pay, members of the state civil service receive additional benefits depending on the state they live in. The General Schedule is the pay scale that is used by the executive members of the civil service, whereas the lower positions use a Wage Grade pay scale. Other agencies such as the Federal Reserve System have developed their own pay scale.

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created three agencies to monitor the State civil service. Each agency is responsible for different areas. Together they make sure that employees are not treated unfairly, guiding the various agencies within the state civil service, and overlooks the rights of employees of the state civil service. The main cause behind this act was to make sure the state civil service does not encourage incompetency.

Police Civil Service Exam

Police service falls under the category of law enforcement jobs in U.S. civil service. Homeland Security, the Justice, Defense and Treasury departments all fall under the umbrella of law enforcement, which house a host of state employment opportunities. All police officer applicants must take the police civil service exam as the first step to be qualified for police service.

Prior to taking the police civil service exam, applicants have to satisfy the minimum qualifications as specified by the state, such as age, citizenship, education received, and also physical and mental fitness. Applicants who satisfy the minimum requirements become eligible to sit for the examination. The police civil service exam comprises of a written component and an oral component. The exams are offered by municipal civil service agencies in each state in the U.S. Therefore, the examination criteria, subject areas, scores, and expected performance levels may vary from state to state. Candidates who successfully pass the police civil service exam in his/her state are included in the eligibility list, which brings them closer to be instated in a prestigious position as a police officer.

The written section of the police civil service exam basically tests the applicant's competency in spelling, grammar, punctuation, mathematics, logical thinking and reasoning, situational awareness, processing information using charts and graphs and reading comprehension. The oral examination focuses mainly on assessing the candidate's reasoning and judgment skills through scenario based questions.

A candidate is retained in the eligibility list for a period of months, after which he/she has to repeat the process from start. The retention period is again a decision made by the respective state. In addition to police civil service exam scores, candidates who have served full time active duty can be eligible for veterans credit. These extra points add up to the final tally, which determine the candidate's position in the eligibility list. Some states may enforce additional assessments for those who successfully pass the police civil service exam. These additional assessments may include background checks of the candidate, polygraph tests, credit histories and similar aspects.

As in all examination preparation work, the more practice a candidate has, the better his/her chances are in passing the police civil service exam with high scores. Local book stores, as well as online resources have exam practice kits and other study materials available for applicants to prepare well for the police civil service exam. Additionally, it is important for candidates to be vigilant about unorthodox learning avenues. The police civil service exam, tests practical applications of law enforcement in depth. A tactful method of obtaining plenty of practical knowledge is to befriend police officers and making them share knowledge and experience with you. Some police departments allow civilians to ride along with the officers on duty. Making use of opportunities such as these ensures the applicant getting through the police civil service exam with exceptional results.

Louisiana Civil Service

Louisiana civil service is made up of the civil servants employed in the state public service. Louisiana civil service offers career opportunities in the metropolitan and rural area. The state civil servants are entitled to attractive pay, various benefits and professional development.

Louisiana civil service includes state departments, agencies, colleges and universities. Some state departments under the Louisiana civil service are department of public safety, department of economic development, department of social services and department of agriculture and forestry. Louisiana state university, University of Louisiana and Louisiana community and technical college are some colleges and universities under the state civil service.

 Since they are the largest employer in Lousing, they offer a wide variety of employment opportunities. Some of the career opportunities offered in the state service includes jobs in public safety and security, information technology, administration and engineering. There are both permanent and temporary employments in the Louisiana civil service. They also offer part time employment opportunities.

The state civil service benefits include retirement benefits, health and life insurance and deferred compensation program.

The department of civil service is the main personnel agency for Louisiana. They are responsible for the management of human resources in the Louisiana civil service. The civil service commission is a member body that has authority over the administration of the civil service system in Louisiana. They enact civil service rules and regulate civil service activities. Six members of the civil service commission are appointed by the governor while one member is an employee who is elected by the state employees.

Louisiana civil service is governed by the state civil service rules adopted and amended by the state civil service commission. Many Louisiana civil service job s do not require written exams. The number of written civil service exams in Louisiana has been reduced recently. The state service continues to streamline the testing procedures. Some of the state civil service exams include accounting paraprofessional test, engineering aide test, enforcement and protective services test, professional supervisor test and clerical, office and administrative support test. There are study guides available for most of the civil service exams in Louisiana.  For non competitive or shortage jobs, Louisiana state agencies are allowed to hire directly. The hiring is not done through the state civil service in such cases. The state agency may hold their separate tests when hiring directly.


Louisiana civil service has a majority of female employees.  The number of civil service employees in Louisiana was reduced in the 2006 due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The number of classified states employees has increased since then but is still below at 2005 level. The average salaries of both classified and unclassified employees of the Louisiana civil service have continued to increase over the years.

Civil Service Work

An individual employed and doing work for a government agency is known as civil service work. An example of this would be public school employees, postal service employees, librarians and much more. A person who chooses to do civil service work will receive every benefit the government has to provide for people in the public sector. Such as a brilliant retirement plan, health benefits and other similar perks.

Individuals doing civil service work are notorious for being lethargic; however the situation has changed in the recent years. A person doing civil service work will have competitive salaries with those working in the private sector. Wages would generally increase for those working in the government agency as time passes.  Civil service employees would in general receive an average benefits package of $40,785 per employee. Federal employees would receive a benefit that is four times greater than a worker in the private sector.

Doing civil service work would mean that the people employed would get every public holiday, this is an advantage over working in a private agency. Civil service work would mean (depending on the type of job) that a worker is entitled to get a number of benefits such as caregiver support, credit union membership and child care subsidies. Civil service work has become more competitive as it now gives employees an incentive to work. Individuals might be given alternative work schedules and awards in order to keep them motivated and challenged.

In order to apply for civil service work one has to keep in mind that every applicant is judged on performance and nothing else. Civil service jobs are in plenty and listed on the internet. Each position available has a list of requirements and you should for the least meet the minimum. When applying for a number of jobs, one will need to complete different applications for each job. A limit is not placed upon the number of jobs one can apply for. Hence an applicant can apply for a number of jobs they might be interested in. After the individual has applied for the job there will be a time gap of when you can sit for a test. You can repetitively take different tests, so if you don't earn the job on your first try, there will be other opportunities. If you have fared well in the test you will be scheduled for an interview.

The U.S department of state puts in a colossal amount of effort in order to ensure a balanced quality of life for its civil service employees. One can consider themselves fortunate if they have obtained a job as it would mean that they are entitled to a number of benefits including an excellent retirement plan.

Civil Service Exam Books

Any individual searching for a government job can benefit from civil service exam books no matter if you work in the postal service, military, teaching or law enforcement. Civil service exam books act as guideline for your assessment. You are able to save time with every test because it enables you to be meticulous and well prepared. The candidate is well aware of the subject matter and will not misuse precious time in pondering.

A civil service exam book will assist you in what you study.  It will mainly test your knowledge in grammar, math, reading comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary. A number of civil service examinations are DANTES, CLEP, SAT, AP, CN, PRAXIS, GRE, LSAT. An individual sitting for one of these exams can order civil service exam books online.

The candidate must be well aware that, his/her score on a civil service exam will determine the odds of him/her getting a job. Hence civil service exam books will also provide you with advice on approaching the questions in the best possible manner. The books will also supply you with practice tests and answers along with free access to online practice tests with instant scoring and individualized feedback.

Civil service exam books will help people who are in the process of planning a career in the civil service sector to be sure of the line of work. Civil service exam books, in addition, provide candidates with contact information and job hunting tips to help you land on your desired career path.

There have been a number of reviews on civil service exam books. Some individuals find it enlightening and a perfect method of studying. Some comment that it has assisted them to remember facts that they may have forgotten, whereas other candidates discover that various civil service exam books to be filled with errors making their learning experience more frustrating.

Civil service exam books might cost candidates a lot of money especially if they plan on buying more than one book to enhance their studying experience and to also get a better perspective of the awaiting exam. It is possible to download some civil service exam books as e-books and to find second hand books on the internet. This might be a cost effective method as one can save up on shipping costs.

If one is searching for civil service exam books make sure that you research and order the one with the best reviews and feedbacks. However, keep in mind that though some civil service exam books help certain individuals, it might not necessarily help you. This might make the task of finding a good exam book to be a strenuous process.  Yet a number of websites will aid you to make the best decision.

Civil Service Vacancies

Many people would still probably prefer government sector jobs over private sector ones. However, not everyone is able to get such jobs as demand for jobs in the public sector tends to be very high. Therefore, civil service vacancies don’t usually last for a long time. If you want to be a public servant and if you see such a job vacancy, apply as soon as possible.

What are civil service vacancies? Generally all public servants excluding those employed by the armed forces would fall under this category. You might not be aware that civil service vacancies are not just job vacancies in the federal government structure. Even vacancies at state and local level would fall under this category.

Why is there so much demand for these jobs? There are several reasons for this. Many who want stable, secure jobs always look out for civil service vacancies. In addition you are will receive many benefits even after your retirement. Various health benefits are also available to public servants. In most cases, salaries are not inferior either when compared to the salaries in the private sector. People seek out civil service vacancies due to all these factors. The workload of an average private sector worker could be greater than that of government worker in a similar capacity.

There might be certain disadvantages of being employed by the government as well. Some apply for civil service vacancies with the notion that it is easier to work in the public sector since you won’t be penalized for being inefficient. This idea is completely wrong and many civil servants are quite skilled and are as efficient as private sector workers. Before applying for civil service vacancies you should also be aware that though your job would be more secure than if you were in the private sector, there is no guarantee that you won’t be fired. During certain periods civil servants have been retrenched due to various reasons. Inefficiency, corrupt and illegal practices and deterioration of government finances could lead to contraction in civil service.

You can find civil service vacancies that suit your interests whatever they might be. Whether you are interested in law enforcement, forest conservation, foreign affairs or education, you can find jobs that match with your field of interest, in the public sector. If you apply for civil service vacancies you would have to go through a screening process and would have to sit for an exam. Based on the results and your qualifications, you might or might not be chosen to fill the vacancy in question.

You won’t be able to find all civil service vacancies in one place but there are many websites that could be helpful. You could also get the contact numbers from the ‘blue pages.’ The websites of various government departments could provide information on the civil service vacancies pertaining to the particular department. Keep your eyes and ears open for such opportunities.             

Civil service tests

The Civil service tests are mandatory for some professions and sectors such as Foreign Service, postal service, law enforcement air traffic control, customs, and some secretarial and clerical jobs; however in most government sector jobs civil service tests are not necessary.  A competitive assessment of the applicants back ground, education, and work experience is what is required in 80% of the job vacancies available in the civil service.

Most administrative and secretarial exams have been replaced with what is called “Occupational questionnaires” The Office of Personal Management and various other job posting sites such as  USA jobs announce their vacancies online. Interested candidates may apply to the positions directly. They have to complete the application, a federal style resume- which is a  standardize resume expected of candidates applying for jobs in the US Government, and a questionnaire, all these nay be submitted online with the respective job  agency. When or if the civil service tests are required of the applicant the agency will notify the time and the venue.

Most of these civil service tests pertain to jobs in the clerical and administrative area, Samples of the clerical and other civil service tests are available in The Book of U.S. Government Jobs, there is also in this books examples of tests of reading, vocabulary, arithmetic reasoning etc, however most such exams are now being replaced by the Occupational Questionnaire which measure ones educational and professional experience for the job at hand. Clerical job announcements are usually found in The Admintrative & Clerical GS-300 Job series, you have to identify the clerical job announcements available in your state, city or town before applying online. If civil service tests are required the agency will alert the applicant and you have to bring with you to the test center the following items of a three median No.2 led pencils, eraser, a pen and the forms and documents required of you.

The clerical civil service tests consists of two sections, the civil service tests usually measures clerical aptitude and verbal ability, to pass the test the candidate has to score a minimum of 33 in the verbal ability section and have a combined score of 80 on both sections of verbal clerical aptitude. The score is then converted to a numerical rating which will be the final score of the test. Other than sitting for the exam applicants also have to complete the Occupational Supplement for Clerical Positions (OPM form 1203- A1). With this application the reviewer will have an insight in to the academic and professional qualifications along with ones performance at the exam. A final result will be arrived to with the test and the supplements and notification will be given within five to ten working days.