4.01 STATEMENT OF POLICY:
(1) Applicants will apply for positions through Personnel, unless approval is obtained
from the Head of Personnel by a department or agency head for specialized recruit-
ing and selection procedures.
(2) Application and referral procedures for noncompetitive classes will be determined
by the Head of Personnel.
(3) Application and examination procedures to be utilized for competitive classes will be
determined by the Head of Personnel in consultation with representatives from the
affected department or agency.
(4) All selection procedures shall comply with principles outlined in the Federal Uniform
Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures and all other applicable laws and
ordinances and in accordance with the non-discrimination policy enunciated in the
Statement of Policy of the General Provisions of these Rules.
(5) The Head of Personnel shall establish written procedures to safeguard the integrity
and security of selection procedures, and it shall be his/her responsibility to insure
compliance with such procedures. Failure to comply with the established security
procedures shall constitute a violation of Civil Service and Personnel Rules and
Regulations.
(6) Any delegation of authority made by the Head of Personnel to any department,
division or agency, pursuant to these rules, and the application of such authority,
shall comply with the applicable provisions of these Civil Service and Personnel
Rules and Regulations.
(7) Each department or agency head shall insure that positions are filled in a manner
consistent with the intent of these rules.
4.02 APPLICATION:
(1) Application for Examinations:
(a) External Examinations - The Head of Personnel shall give public notice of
all external examinations at least five (5) working days in advance of the
closing date for receiving applications for the examination. Applications for
examinations may be accepted on a periodic or continuous basis.
(b) Internal Examinations - It shall be the responsibility of the department or
agency head to insure that each individual in the line of promotion [Priority
1] is notified of a scheduled internal examination at least ten (10) working
days prior to the closing date for that examination.
(c) There shall be at least five (5) working days between the closing date and
the date of the examination for all examinations except for unassembled
examinations which may have a closing date at any point prior to or including
the examination date.
(d) A Department wishing to fill a vacancy will initiate a Personnel Requisition
with Personnel. This requisition may be for one or more positions and shall
indicate the title of the class, the number of positions to be filled, and shall
specify all other information deemed necessary by the Head of Personnel.
The department will post the requirements for the position and accept
applications from qualified City employees for ten (10) working days.
(e) A City employee must have at least twelve (12) months' satisfactory service
in his/her present position immediately prior to the examination date to apply,
unless otherwise mutually agreed upon between the department head and
the employee, and with the approval of the Head of Personnel.
Qualifications for Internal Recruitment shall be determined as follows:
1. Priority 1 - Permanent employees in the promotionally
eligible class(es) within the department.
2. Priority 2 - All other City Employees within the department
who meet the open requirements.
(f) If the Head of Personnel determines that internal recruitment may not
generate a sufficient pool of qualified candidates, he/she may direct an
external recruitment simultaneous with, or following, the internal
advertisement. Such external recruitment shall include public notice of the
position(s) to be filled for a minimum of five (5) working days during which
time applications will be accepted.
(g) The Head of Personnel may direct continuous recruitment for specified
positions when he/she determines it is in the best interest of the service.
Such decisions shall be reviewed annually.
(2) Filling Vacancies:
(a) By External Recruitment:
1. When a position is advertised to the public, applications will be
accepted by the Recruiting Section of Personnel for a minimum of
five (5) working days. Eligibility will be determined based on the
eligibility requirements identified in the class specification.
2. Pre-employment screenings may be utilized to assist in determining
qualified applicants.
3. In addition to the pre-employment screenings, qualified applicants
may be further evaluated utilizing a Civil Service examination and/or
the City's matrix evaluation procedure, which includes the interview
process.
4. Veterans' Preference and EEO/AA goals shall be applied in
accordance with applicable laws.
5. When the aforementioned steps have been completed, prior to
making a final decision, a post-offer physical must be given to
employees entering a Civil Service classification.
6. When deemed appropriate by the Head of Personnel, additional
recruitment avenues may be utilized.
(b) By Internal Recruitment:
1. Temporary employees may be automatically appointed to Civil
Service positions on the basis of seniority, qualification, and perfor-
mance for those entry level classes authorized by the Head of
Personnel and identified in the class specification as non-competitive.
2. A vacant position will be advertised internally for ten (10) working
days. Qualified permanent City employees seeking promotion may
apply for the position during the ten-day advertisement period.
3. City employees may not apply under Priority 2 for positions requiring
a Certification from an outside agency.
4. Examinations of Priority 2 candidates shall be sealed and shall be
opened and graded only when the Priority 1 eligibility list has been
exhausted or depleted. Priority 2 examinations that remain sealed
and ungraded at the end of 90 days will be voided.
5. Veterans' Preference and EEO/AA goals shall be applied in
accordance with applicable laws.
6. Once the aforementioned steps have been completed, an
appointment may be made to the Civil Service position. Where
warranted, a physical may be required.
7. If the vacancy can not be filled by internal means, the position will be
advertised to the public in a manner deemed appropriate by the Head
of Personnel.
(3) Qualification of Applicants:
(a) Applicants must furnish acceptable evidence of meeting requirements (i.e.,
copies of college transcripts, certificates, diplomas, etc.) upon application for
each position, unless an extension is granted by the Head of Personnel.
An employment application must be signed by the applicant and the truth of
all statements contained therein shall be certified by the applicant's
signature. Age requirements shall apply to the applicant's age as of the date
of the examination. Upon request by the applicant, the Head of Personnel
may determine that an applicant's qualifications are equivalent to the training
and experience required for a class.
(b) Applicants who can show evidence of completion of education or license
requirements but who are awaiting a formal degree, certificate, or diploma,
shall have their applications accepted. Such documentation (formal degree,
certification, diploma, etc.) must be produced prior to employment in the
class.
(c) Internal examinations shall be administered only to City Employees who
meet the requirements listed in the class specifications in accordance with
provisions established in Rule 4.02(1)(e) 1 and 2.
(d) Internal applicants with Civil Service Status who have been reassigned
without change in status may receive credit for time served in the former
class, for the purpose of determining eligibility to participate in the internal
examination, if determined by the Head of Personnel at the time of reassign-
ment in accordance with Section 6.02(5)(c). For cases in which no determi-
nation was made at the time of reassignment, the Head of Personnel will
make such determination at the time of determining the candidate's eligibil-
ity.
(e) Employees will only be eligible to participate in internal examinations for
classes having higher salary ranges than that of their present class, unless
approval is obtained from the Head of Personnel, and with the recommen-
dation of the affected department head, to participate in an internal
examination which would provide an opportunity for reassignment within their
internal unit. The employee's name shall be placed on the internal eligibility
list in rank order along with the names of the other examinees. Appoint-
ments of such employees shall be made in accordance with Rule 5.
(4) Disqualification of Applicants:
(a) The Head of Personnel may reject the application of a person, may refuse
to grade the test paper of an examinee, or may remove or refuse to certify
a candidate's name from an eligibility list if it is found by the Head of
Personnel that the person:
1. Lacks any of the established requirements as listed in the class
specifications;
2. Has made a false statement of material fact in the employment
application or on the medical certificate;
3. Is physically unable to perform the required duties of the class as
evidenced by:
a. not being able to adequately describe or demonstrate how
he/she will perform the duties, and/or
b. a physical agility test, or
c. a statement from the applicant's physician that the applicant
cannot safely perform the agility test;5
4. Is addicted to the use of alcohol or other drugs to the extent that
performance of job duties is impaired;
5. Has been convicted of a felony or first degree misdemeanor directly
related to the position sought;
6. Has been dismissed within the previous year from a position in the
City service for cause or has resigned while charges for dismissal for
cause were pending;
7. Has received information regarding the examination to which appli-
cants are not entitled;
8. Has used or attempted to use political influence or bribery to gain an
advantage in securing employment.
9. Is an employee whose conduct at any time during the previous 12
months has been unsatisfactory and has resulted in written discipline
(not including oral or written counseling) which was accepted by the
employee or confirmed by the Civil Service Board or the collective
bargaining process.
(b) Applications will not be accepted after the closing date, unless approval is
obtained from the Head of Personnel.
(c) Applications may be disapproved by the candidate's department or agency
head for the reasons stated below:
1. If the employee has documented unsatisfactory service during the
12 months immediately prior to the examination date, his/her internal
application may be disapproved. If such an employee is
recommended for participation in the internal examination, the
department head shall furnish written justification with the
recommendation.
2. If an applicant was promoted to the class for which the internal
examination is being held and subsequently demoted to his/her
present classification, his/her internal application may be
disapproved. Such demotion must have been within the twelve-
month period prior to the closing date of the examination.
It shall be the responsibility of the department or agency head to notify the
applicant of this disapproval and the applicant's right to file a grievance in
accordance with (d) below.
An applicant may be granted approval by the Head of Personnel to partici-
pate in the examination, pending final decision on such grievance by the Civil
Service Board. The examination paper of such applicant shall be sealed and
shall not be graded, unless approved by the Civil Service Board.
(d) A permanent Civil Service Employee who alleges that the Civil Service and
Personnel Rules and Regulations have been violated in the rejection of an
application may file such grievance with the Civil Service Board.
4.03 EXAMINATION:
(1) Types of Examination:
(a) Competitive examinations may be assembled or unassembled or a
combination of the two.
1. Competitive, unassembled examinations will be evaluations of
education, training and experience.
2. Competitive, assembled examinations may include, but are not
limited to, written examinations, performance examinations, assess-
ment centers, physical agility tests, or performance tests.
3. The Head of Personnel may authorize the automatic establishment
of an eligibility list when the number of internal eligibles is equal to
or less than the number of vacancies in a particular class. Under this
provision, the names of eligibles will appear on the register with a
score of 70. Employees who waive their rights to an internal exami-
nation will not be counted as eligibles for the purpose of determining
whether this provision is applicable. Under this provision, Subsection
4.02(1)(b) shall not apply.
(2) Examination Administration:
(a) The Head of Personnel shall determine the date, time, and location for the
administration of examinations. The Head of Personnel may request that
the affected department or agency provide monitors for assistance in
examination administration.
(b) For examinations involving subjective scoring procedures, steps shall be
taken to conceal the identity of examinees from persons scoring the exami-
nations.
(c) For examinations involving the administration of typing and/or dictation
performance examinations, the performance examination(s) will not be
required if one the following criteria is met by applicants: (1) the present
classification possesses the same proficiency requirement as the exam-
ination; (2) a satisfactory or above evaluation for the proficiency area re-
quired is certified by the recommending department at the time of application;
(3) a certification of satisfactory completion of requirements from an
authorized agency.
(d) Once an examination has been held, no applicant shall be given a special
examination, except when needed as a reasonable accommodation for an
applicant with a disability or when an employee's military leave has prevented
participation in an examination.
(e) Candidates may be given information concerning the subjects and/or reading
material upon which examinations are to be based, provided that all
candidates are furnished this information in the same manner.
(f) The Head of Personnel may void or declare invalid an examination or any
part of an examination if it is found by the Head of Personnel that the exami-
nation is not job-related, that established security procedures were violated
during the examination process, that an examinee or examinees received an
unfair advantage on the examination, or for any other cause determined by
the Head of Personnel to be in accordance with these rules or any applicable
law.
(3) Examination Scoring:
The Head of Personnel shall determine a score for each examinee computed in accordance
with the weights assigned the various parts of the examination. Failure on one part of an
examination may be considered sufficient for failure of the entire examination or disqualifica-
tion of the applicant for subsequent parts of the examination. The passing grade for exami-
nations shall be seventy (70%) percent except when the Head of Personnel certifies that
the 70% passing score results in an adverse impact (as defined by the Federal Uniform
Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures) on any federally-protected class. A new,
validated passing score shall be established using psychometrically sound procedures that
are in accordance with the Federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures.
(a) Seniority Credit - to the passing scores of examinees on an internal examination,
except for Priority 2 candidates and employees covered by the International Asso-
ciation of Firefighters, an additional:
1. One (1) point shall be added for each year of continuous service in the
class/es immediately below the class within the class series for which the
examination has been held, up to a maximum of five (5) points; and
2. One half (1/2) point shall be added for each year of continuous service in
classes identified in the class series of the class for which the internal
examination has been held, up to a maximum of five (5) points:
3. And for employees covered by the International Association of Firefighters
only:
a. To the passing scores of candidates on internal examinations, one
half (1/2) point shall be added for each year of continuous service in
the Fire/Rescue Department, up to a maximum of five (5) points.
b. To the passing scores of candidates on internal examinations, an
additional one half (1/2) point shall be added for each continuous
year in the class or position immediately below the class for which the
promotional exam is given, up to a maximum of five (5) points.
1) Provided, however, no such credit will be given when an
internal examination is held for any class of employment
which is directly above the entrance level.
2) The entrance level shall be construed as the lowest entrance
level at which the employees or any portion thereof
participating in such internal examination entered the service
of the Fire and Rescue Department.
4. Civil Service examinees who have been reassigned without a change in
status to their present class or to a class in line of promotion to their present
class, may receive seniority credit for time in the former class(es), if
stipulated by the Head of Personnel at the time of reassignment. For cases
in which no determination was made at the time of reassignment, the Head
of Personnel will make such determination at the time of determining the
examinee's seniority credit, using the same criteria that would have been
used at the time of reassignment.
5. Seniority Credit will not be given for:
a. Broken service connected by the Civil Service Board.
b. Service of Priority 2 candidates participating in an internal
examination.
(b) Veterans' Preference:
1. Where all other selection criteria are equal, the City shall give preference in
appointment and retention in positions, in accordance with these rules,
to veterans who have been honorably discharged from a branch of the
Armed Forces of the United States and who have:
a. Served on active duty for a minimum of one (1) day. A part of such
service must be during a wartime era as identified by law. Active duty
for the purpose of training shall not count toward the 1 (one) day re-
quirement (GROUP I) or;
b. Established the present existence of a service-connected disability
which is compensable under public laws administered by the U.
S. Veterans Administration, or who are receiving compensation,
disability retirement benefits, or pension by reason of public laws
administered by the U. S. Veterans Administration and the
Department of Defense (GROUP II).
2. Veterans' Preference shall also be awarded to the following persons:
a. The spouse of any person who has a total disability, permanent in
nature, resulting from a service-connected disability and who,
because of this disability, cannot qualify for employment, and the
spouse of any person missing in action, captured in the line of duty
by a foreign government or power (GROUP III).
b. The unremarried widow or widower of a veteran who died of a
service-connected disability (GROUP IV).
3. The war time eras are as follows:
Beginning End
World War II December 7, 1941 December 31, 1946
Korean Conflict June 27, 1950 January 31, 1955
Vietnam Era August 5, 1964 May 7, 1975
Persian Gulf War August 2, 1990 To be determined
4. Veterans' Preference on examinations shall be awarded according to the
following schedule:
Groups: Types of Preference:
Stars are used for external examinations when scoring is not used for
placement of eligibles on a list.
Percentages (of total points available) are used when scoring is
used for placement of eligibles on a list.
No. of Stars Percentage
GROUP I * 5%
GROUP II
(a) 29% or less ** 10%
disability
(b) 30% or more *** 10%
disability
GROUP III ** 10%
GROUP IV * 5%
5. A veteran must obtain a passing score on an examination in order to receive
Veterans' Preference. Veterans' Preference shall not be awarded on an
examination except in compliance with the following:
a. For original appointments:
Qualified veterans shall be given preference through priority con-
sideration for filling vacancies in accordance with the following:
1) When making original appointments, the hiring agency shall:
a) Consider all qualified veterans for each vacancy;
b) Hire veterans before non-veterans when the veterans
are as qualified as, or more qualified than, other
eligibles in the following order of priority:
1- Veterans with disabilities of 30% or more (who
are identified by three (3) asterisks beside
their names on the certified eligibility list.)
2- Veterans with disabilities of less than 30%
(who are identified by two (2) asterisks beside
their names on the certified eligibility list and
members of Group III - Spouses of totally
disabled Veterans or MIA/POW's.)
3- Non-disabled veterans (who are identified by
one (1) asterisk beside their names on the
certified eligibility list and Group IV -
Unremarried widows/widowers.)
2) A memorandum shall be sent to Personnel to be filed for
information in all cases where a qualified non-veteran is hired
rather than a qualified veteran, stating how the selected
non-veteran's qualifications exceed those of each veteran on
the list.
b. For returning veterans:
Only employees who have returned from military leave and have been
reinstated or reemployed shall receive Veterans' Preference points in
compliance with these rules:
1) On each examination which the employee passes until the employee
receives his/her first promotion within the meaning of Florida Statute
295.09, after such reinstatement or reemployment.
2) Employees qualifying as returning veterans shall be selected ahead
of all others who appear in an equal or lower rank order on the
certified eligibility list.
c. All applicants claiming Veterans' Preference shall be required to show
evidence of their eligibility at the time of application to receive the preference
provided for in this section.
d. Except when an employee has served on active military duty during a war-time
era and is reinstated, a veteran's employment preference shall be
deemed to have expired after the veteran has applied for and been em-
ployed by any state or any agency of a political subdivision of the state.
e. Failure by a hiring agency to comply with the provisions of these rules may result in
penalties as prescribed by law.
(c) Notice of Examination Results:
After an examination, the Head of Personnel shall notify examinees of their examina-
tion results.
(4) Examination Review and Grading:
(a) The internal examination's review/protest process is as follows:
1. Immediately prior to internal examination administration, the examinees will
be permitted to: (1) vote by majority to waive the examination review protest
hearing process or (2) select two (2) Examination Review/Grading
Committee representatives. These representatives shall be permanent
employees of the City, should be familiar with the duties of the position for
which the examination is being conducted, shall be at or above the level of
the position for which the examination is being conducted, and shall not be
members of the immediate family of an examinee as defined in these rules.
2. Examinees will be permitted to review examination items and responses
during the following time periods as follows:
a. for examinations with fifty or fewer examinees, for five (5) working
days immediately following examination administration.
b. for examinations with more than fifty examinees, for ten (10) working
days immediately following examination administration.
Examinees must file, in writing, any protests concerning examination items
and responses, during this time period.
Prior to conducting assessment center-type examinations, written rules
governing their administration shall be issued by the Head of Personnel in
conformance with Civil Service and Personnel Rules and Regulations.
3. Following the review period, the Examination Review/Grading Committee
shall review any contested items. The Examination Review/Grading
Committee shall consist of the Personnel Examiner who administered the
examination, two (2) members of the Examination Development Committee,
and the two (2) Examination Review/Grading Committee representatives
selected by the examinees. The Examiner shall not vote, except in case of
a tie. The decision of the Examination Review/Grading Committee
concerning the contested questions, shall be final. Internal examination
papers may be graded following the decision by the Examination
Review/Grading Committee.
(b) Examinees may review a copy of their completed (graded) examination papers,
along with the examination questions and answer sheets, by appointment. A
manifest error in the scoring of an examination shall be corrected, but such
correction shall not invalidate any certification or appointment previously made,
unless the employee appointed from the eligibility list established by the examination
is still serving in the probationary period for that promotion. Disputes concerning
examination items shall be reviewed in accordance with procedures established by
the Head of Personnel.
(c) In the event that a written examination is part of a selection process, and used as a
pass/fail screening device for inclusion in an additional selection process, the
examinees may review a copy of their completed (graded) examination papers,
along with the examination questions and answer sheet, by appointment. On the
date of the written exam, Examining will notify the examinees as to the starting and
ending date of this special review process. There shall be no remedy for any error
found on the written examination after this review period.
(d) When an examination is used to screen examinees eligible for the final phase of a
selection process, the period during which the examination papers can be reviewed
shall be limited to a time specified by the Head of Personnel. This special review will
be done by appointment and sufficient time will be allotted for all candidates to have
the opportunity to review the graded papers. This special review period shall
constitute the only opportunity to challenge manifest errors on the written
examination; and when used, the remedies described in Rule 4.03(4)(a) do not
apply.
6
5
Note: If the test is administered prior to making a job offer to assure that the test
will not harm the applicants, the employer can request each applicant's
physician to respond to a very restricted inquiry which describes the specific
agility test and asks "Can this person safely perform this test?"
6
Authority: Sections 17.01, 17.03, 17.04, 17.05, 17.06 City Charter; : Chapters 119, F.S.
History: Revised 7/1/82, 3/8/84, 1/17/85, 7/16/87, 12/8/88, 4/23/90, 3/1/95