Job Application – Tips and Techniques
Submitting a complete and accurate job application to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission (CSC) is key to your success in
applying for a job.
A review and evaluation of your application may be the sole basis for determining your eligibility and ranking on an eligible list.
Completing it the right way may take a bit more time, but it will ensure the reviewer has the best and most complete
information by which to evaluate your application.
Remember, you must meet all requirements, including residency, as of the announced closing date. Carefully review all
requirements before submitting your application and fee. You will not receive a refund of your application fee if you do not
meet the requirements.
Pay attention to the application filing deadline, both date and time. You will not be able to access the online application after
that date and time. Please leave yourself enough time to create your user account (if you are a new user) and to complete your
application. This process can take between 30 and 45 minutes so start early!
Here are some tips for effectively completing an application:
• Have any reference materials prepared and handy prior to starting the online application process.
• If you happen to time out, return to the announcement and restart the process.
• Please provide accurate information regarding your email address and your mailing address. The CSC may send you
information to one or both of these addresses.
• If specific course work is required, you will need to submit a transcript which includes the specific courses. If you
uploaded your transcript when you completed your profile or submitted it within the past 5 years with a prior online
application, you do not need to upload or submit a new transcript unless you have completed additional coursework.
• The CSC does not need an official transcript. It’s better to have your official transcript sent directly to you. You can
then scan the transcript and upload it or send a copy.
• Be sure to indicate the “to” and “from” month and year for each experience you list, for each title you have held.
Check past records to ensure dates and duties listed are accurate.
• If indicating part-time experience, list the number of hours worked per week.
• If you are uploading or submitting a resume in addition to completing the application, make sure the dates match. If
the CSC sees conflicting dates between your application and resume, all of your experience may not be credited.
• Provide a complete and accurate description of your duties. If your description is not clear, the CSC may not be able
to determine if you meet the requirements, or you may receive less credit than you deserve.
• If you have supervised anyone (now or in the past), you must indicate that you have supervisory experience. Please
note that in order to qualify for CSC supervisory experience, you must have performed duties relating to hiring, firing
and completion of performance evaluations. Describe your supervisory duties and include the number of people you
have supervised. In your description, do not assume the CSC reviewers will know what you have done – this could
make you leave out important information. Clearly list your supervisory duties.
• Be careful when using “jargon,” “buzzwords” and lingo familiar only to people in the field. These words/phrases
should be clearly defined so that anyone reading your application can understand them. You may want to ask a friend
or family member to read your application and tell you if there are things in it they do not understand.
• Don’t attach a job specification to your application with the note “see attached.” Instead, describe your duties in
detail.
• Don’t include letters of reference or commendation with your application – save these for the interview.
• Don’t include every license, certification, training course, etc. you have earned unless it is required or relevant to the
position for which you are applying. If it is required or relevant to the specific job announcement, you can upload or
send a clean, clear copy. If you uploaded your documents when you completed your profile or submitted your
documents within the past 5 years with a prior application, you do not need to upload or submit them again.
• If you are submitting supporting documentation, please be sure to include your name, symbol number of the
announcement, and the application submission confirmation number on each document. Do not submit double-sided
copies, and please do not send original documents.
• If you have experience with specific equipment, systems or programs that are required for a position, be sure to
include that on your application.
• Once you successfully submit your online application and complete the payment process, you will receive a
confirmation page which you should print for your records. This confirmation page will also be sent to the email
address you provide in your User Account.
Remember:
If the job is important to you, then take the time needed to prepare and submit a complete and accurate application. If you
don’t have the qualifications required for the job, it would be a waste of the nonrefundable application processing fee to
submit even the best intentioned application. False information on an application is grounds for a “no hire” decision or
dismissal.
A NOTE ON YOUR ADDRESS (N.J.A.C. 4A:4-3.2(e))
Every year, the Civil Service Commission processes numerous job applications and issues thousands of certifications for open
competitive, promotional, and special reemployment lists. However, we understand that, from the time when you first file an
application until the examination is scheduled or when your name appears on an eligible list to the time a certification is issued
from the list for appointment consideration, certain particulars like your address or phone number may change. In accordance
with N.J.A.C. 4A:3-3.2(e), “[i]t shall be the responsibility of an eligible to keep a current address on file with the Civil Service
Commission.” This means that if your address changes at any time during the application and selection process or during the
life of an eligible or special reemployment list, you are responsible to update your current mailing address directly with the CSC.
If you fail to do so, you may not receive notifications to appear for examinations or notifications that your name has been
certified for appointment consideration. Filling out a change-of-address form from the post office is not enough; your
information must be updated directly with the CSC. If you are removed from an eligible list because we are unable to contact
you due to a change in your address that you do not report to us, it will not be considered a valid basis in an appeal to restore
your name to the list. Use this link to access an official CSC change of address form.
Please note: You must also update any address change with your Human Resources office. The CSC address change form only
covers correspondence between the CSC and you regarding your applications, eligibility status, and certification lists. Also,
changing your address after the closing date of a symbol does not change your residency status or rank on an existing eligibility
list.
