PD100 Tips

Before applying for any state job, the recruitment must be open and in progress. The State of Oregon Employment Application (PD100) is used by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications of the position for which you are applying. Be sure to include all qualifying experience, education, and training on your application.

CAREFULLY READ THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT! The announcement contains instructions or requirements, including what it takes to qualify and the materials to submit (such as: PD100, College Transcripts, Skill Code Supplement, Cover Letter, Test Answers, License (s), etc.) If the announcement requests a PD100, a resume will not substitute.

WHO CAN APPLY? The “To Qualify” section of the announcement will specify who is eligible to apply. Announcements may be:

• Open Competitive—Open to the general public (or)
• Statewide Promotional—Open only to current state employees
• Agency Promotional—Open only to current employees of the hiring agency

Before you fill out an application, review the job announcement to ensure you meet the requirements for the position. Also, verify the location is somewhere you are willing to work.

ILLUSTRATE HOW YOUR EXPERIENCE MEETS THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS! The “Work History” section of the PD100 is used to show how you meet the requirements listed in the “To Qualify” section of the announcement and is used to determine if you meet the required minimum qualifications. Only applications meeting the minimum qualifications will receive further consideration (such as the test being graded). Test responses, resumes, and cover letters are not used to evaluate if you meet the minimum qualifications.

LIST YOUR WORK EXPEREINCE! Starting with your current or most recent job, list all of your jobs for the last ten years (paid or volunteer). You may wish to include qualifying experience gained more than ten years ago, if it helps you qualify for the job. You can attach extra pages if you run out of room on the PD100 or if more jobs are needed to describe relevant experience. Make additional copies of the “Work History” section and number the additional jobs sequentially, such as 6,7,8, etc.

LIST EACH JOB SEPARATELY! If you have held multiple positions with one employer, please list each position under a separate job number. Do not lump jobs together even if they were for the same agency or organization.

EXCEPTION: For State Employees: If you have worked out of class while in a particular position, include this experience as a part of the duties you performed under the same job for which you were hired. Along with the duties, state the classification for which you worked out of class and the time period.

INDICATE AVERAGE HOURS WORKED PER WEEK. Provide an actual number for the “average hours worked per week”. If it is less than 40, the length of time in the job will be prorated accordingly. DO NOT put “varies”, “on call”, or “it depends”, as the reviewer will not give you credit for that job. Also, do not put a range, such as: 10-20 hrs/week. If you put a range, credit will be based on the least amount provided.

INDICATE THE TOTAL TIME IN CURRENT OR LAST POSITION. In the “total time in current or last position” box, show your time as years and months or months. Don’t leave blank, as the reviewer will not give you enough credit for the time worked in the job.

If qualifying duties were not the main focus of your job, provide the percentage of time you spent performing the qualifications listed in the “To Qualify” section of the announcement, especially if your job title is unrelated to the position for which you are applying. For example, if you were responsible for making presentations occasionally, but it was not the main focus of the job, be sure to list percentages. Another example, if you are trying to qualify for an accounting position and your job title was a cook but you said did the accounting for a restaurant, be sure to list percentages since accounting is not a typical duty for a cook. The percentage of time should not total more than 100% per job listed in the “Work History” section.

CLEARLY DESCRIBE YOUR DUTIES IN THE “WORK HISTORY” SECTION! You must clearly describe your experience according to the minimum qualifications listed in the “To Qualify” section of the recruitment announcement. When determining if you qualify, the grader cannot assume anything; you are graded according to what you describe in writing. When describing your experience use the word “I”. Indicate and make it clear what you did or were responsible for. If you did something yourself, take ownership of it. If someone assisted you or you assisted someone else, state it. Be sure to include you’re your level of responsibility. If your description of work in the “Work History” section is too brief and/or insufficient to determine if you meet the qualifications for the job, your PD100 may not be accepted. Job titles can support what you describe but they are not enough.

Using Action Verbs will give your “Work History” section (duties) power & direction. Below is a list that may be helpful to you.

• Management Skills—analyzed, coordinated, developed, directed, evaluated, improved, managed, and supervised.
• Clerical Skills— arranged, compiled, generated, and processed.
• Creative Skills— conceptualized, created, designed, established, illustrated, invented, and performed.
• Helping Skills— assessed, coached, counseled, facilitated, and represented.
• Financial Skills— analyzed, balanced, budgeted, forecast, marketed, planned, and projected.
• Research Skills— clarified, evaluated, identified, inspected, organized, audited, and summarized.
• Communication Skills— arranged, addressed, drafted, formulated, communicated, and persuaded.
• Other Skills— advised, completed, determined, expanded, implemented, increased, maintained, negotiated, obtained, performed, planned, prepared, provided, researched, reviewed, collaborated, resolved, selected, verified, composed, produced, constructed, operated, coordinated, demonstrated, and generated.

AVOID JARGONS OR ACRONYMS! Explain information in commonly used terms to make the message clear. Keep in mind the person reviewing your PD100 may not be the subject matter expert and may be unfamiliar with specialized terminology, jargon, or acronyms. 

ATTACH COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS. If you want your education to count towards the minimum qualifications of a position for which you apply, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts (not just a listing of courses). Transcripts must be legible and identified with the students names and/or social security by the college/university. The copy does not have to be the “official” (sealed) copy. Online transcripts are acceptable.

If you have obtained a Masters degree that includes work experience from an internship, work/study, or similar program, you can list this experience in the “work History” section to receive credit for the work experience. Both the Master’s degree and applicable work experience will be reviewed separately and both may count towards minimum qualifications.

MAKE IT LEGIBLE! Materials must be legible and signed in pen. Although not required, typed materials are preferred.

PROOFREAD! Check for grammar, spelling, or other types of errors in your application. Reread your application numerous times to catch any mistakes and make sure the information included is accurate and current. Have another person review, proofread, and critique your PD100.

COMPLETE ALL PARTS OF THE PD100! Be sure all sections have been completed.

BE SURE THAT YOU SIGN & DATE YOUR PD100! Be sure to sign and date your PD100. Your PD100 cannot be accepted without a date and your signature. Your signature certifies that all the statements contained in your materials are true and complete. Staple all supplemental materials to your PD100. If submitting your PD100 by email, your email certifies that all statements contained in your materials are true and complete.

DON’T FORGET TO MAKE A COPY OF YOUR PD100! You may be asked to bring a copy of the PD100 to your interviews; you may want to refer to it in an interview; or you may want to use it when preparing applications in the future.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE INFORMATION: Per ORS 408.225, 408.230 and 408.235 relating to Veterans’ Preference for public employment. Applicants eligible to use veterans’ preference points when applying with the State of Oregon.

5 points (Veteran):

To qualify as a veteran eligible to receive 5 points you must have served in the Armed Forces:

• For more than 178 consecutive days; or
• For at least one day in a combat zone (408.225(1)); or
• Received a combat or campaign ribbon for service in the Armed Forces.

To qualify under 1-3 above you must have:

• Been discharged or released from active duty with other than a dishonorable discharge; and
• Make application within 15 years of discharge or release from service in the Armed Forces (408.235).

You must attach the following to your State Application Form (PD100) :

• A copy of your DD214/DD215 form.

10 points (Disabled Veteran):

To qualify as a disabled veteran (ORS 408.225(2)) eligible to receive 10 points you must have served in the Armed Forces:

• For 178 days or less and was discharged or released from active duty with other than a dishonorable discharge because of service connected disability; or
• Entitled to disability compensation under laws administered by the United States Dept. of Veterans Affairs; or
• Awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

You must attach the following to your State Application Form (PD100):

• A copy of your DD214/DD215 form; and
• A copy of your veterans’ disability preference letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Once you have used preference to attain regular employee status with the State of Oregon, you may not use the preference again. This limitation does not apply to certain disabled veterans.

 For additional information on Veterans Preference eligibility, including definition of the terms “veteran” and “disabled veteran”, contact the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs at 1-800-692-9666.

SUBMITTING APPLICATION MATERIALS

Recruiting announcements are typically opened for each specific vacancy. A new PD100 must be submitted for each job for which you are applying, unless otherwise specified on the announcement.

Be sure to read and follow the instructions in the “How To Apply” section that states all of the necessary materials that must be submitted for application. Some positions may require a State of Oregon Employment Application (PD100), cover letter, supplemental, written test, and/or other materials.

Application materials must be received in DPSST Human Resource Division by 5:00 pm on the close date. Don’t assume your application materials will arrive on time by sending them two days in advance. You may fax application materials to (503) 378-3326. However, if you wait until the close date to fax your materials, your fax may not make it through by 5:00 p.m. due to the large volume of materials being faxed on the close date.

Please keep in mind that DPSST is not responsible for material that is illegible or incomplete as a result of transmitting by fax or e-mail or that may be lost, misdirected or delayed through the mail. When at all possible, mail your materials early. Receipt is determined by the date DPSST receives your materials, it is not determined by the postmark date.

    Tips For Completing Written Test Responses:

 Many state announcements include test questions. Experience mentioned in test responses must be listed in the PD100 “Work History” section to be considered. When describing your experience, be sure to include the job from which you gained that experience. When responding to this type of announcement, there are two important things to keep in mind:

•  GRADES ARE BASED ON YOUR TEST RESPONSES ONLY. The only information that graders use when scoring test questions is your test responses. Graders do not refer to the application or other materials when they are scoring test questions except to verify the experience you are describing is listed in the “Work History” section.
• EACH QUESTION IS GRADED INDEPENDENTLY. For example, your grade for question #1 is based on what you provided as a response to question #1. Do not omit an answer to a question because you feel you have already answered it in a previous question. Do not say “see above” or “see question #1”.
  Tips to Remember When Responding!!

 

• NUMBER YOUR ANSWERS AND ANSWER ALL PARTS OF THE QUESTION. Be sure to identify which test question (s) you are responding to. For example, if a question asks you to identify the topic and the audience, be sure you have covered both the topic and the audience in your response. Additionally, if a question has parts a), b), c), etc., be sure to label and answer each part separately. Indicate in which jobs you gained the experience. Each part of the question is important.
• AVOID VAGUE LANGUAGE. Explain information in commonly used terms to make the message clear. Keep in mind the person reviewing your application may not be the subject matter expert and may be unfamiliar with specialized terminology, jargon, or acronyms.
• REPEAT YOURSELF IF NECESSARY. Remember, each question is graded independently. You may need to reiterate information from one response to another. Don’t omit a response to a question because you feel you already answered it in a previous question. Additionally, it is not enough to say “see above” or “see question number 1”.
• BE CONCISE, YET THOROUGH. Many applicants are too brief. Others send in an overabundance of materials. All that is needed is an explanation of how your experience (and/or training) providing you with the knowledge and skills listed in each question as stated on the recruiting announcement. Depth of experience is important, such as tasks providing use of skills at the level of learner, lead worker, or supervisor. All other materials are disregarded, such as references, performance evaluations, and position descriptions.
• Do’s— Use the word “I”, indicate and make clear what you did or were responsible for. If you did something yourself, take ownership of it (e.g., “I wrote recommendations on…) If someone assisted you or you assisted someone else, state it. Be sure to include your level of responsibility. Did you assist? Were you solely responsible?
• Don’ts— Do not describe philosophies or what “experts” say on a subject. Don’t write about a process, what “we” did, or what the business is responsible for. Don’t write simple statements of “involved in budgets” or “coordinated budget information” as they are not descriptive enough and would be difficult to evaluate. Do not include experience you have not yet done, as it will not be considered (e.g., “I will conduct surveys” or “I will complete a report”). Also, do not write “A recommendation was made…” or “The Human Resources Division made a recommendation….”, graders don’t know who actually made the recommendation and it will not be considered.

For more information about Job Placement, contact us by phone 503.399.5026, fax 503.399.7483 or by e-mail at jobplacement@chemeketa.edu. Visit us on the main floor in Bldg. 2, Rm 115.

                                                  

Updated June 2007 by the College Advancement Department.