Info You Need Before You Apply

Prior to completing the online application:

• Gather the following information so that you can complete the application without interruption. Once you submit your online application, you cannot go back and modify your application for the current opening.

Personal Data

• Name, address, phone number, and email address.

Education/Training

• Institution Name, location, major/minor, and degree received.
• Number of credits earned if you have not received your degree.

Work Experience

• Employers
• Dates of employment
• Location, position
• Reason for leaving
• Supervisor’s name
• Supervisor’s phone number

• Allow enough time to complete your application in one sitting as you cannot save and finish later.  Have resume, education, licenses and certificate information at your fingertips.  The system is time-sensitive and delays in entering information may end the session if the process takes too long.  The system will sign you off automatically after 60 minutes of inactivity.

• Use the drop down menus (or the magnifying glass icon to the right of the field to search) BEFORE entering text in the field 

• Do not use the Back button when you are in the application or it will end the application session.

• Communications from the City of Mesa regarding your application and/or status will be sent to you via e-mail from hrstatus@cityofmesa.org; you may need to adjust your spam blocker to ensure that you receive these e-mails.

• Although it is not required, you will have the ability to "copy and paste" a resume into the online application during the application process. There is no spelling or grammar check feature on our website, so be sure to check your resume for sentence structure and spelling errors (i.e., spell-check) prior to including the information in the online application.
   
• Do not use Bullet Points or other special characters (Bullet Point, * Asterisk, = Equal sign, - Minus sign, # Pound sign, ` back quote, etc.) since they will not cut and paste correctly.

• Your on-line application may take an hour or more to complete.
   

• You must have cookies, pop-ups and JavaScript enabled on your browser for this system to work.
   
• Until you click on the Submit button at the end of the application process, your information is not in our system.
   
• Once you submit the on-line application you will not be able to edit/revise your application for the same position opening. Therefore, please allow ample uninterrupted time for the completion of the application.
   
• You will not be able to download the application onto your system for completion.
   
• When typing or "copying/pasting" into text boxes inside the on-line application, you may notice that the text continues over to the right hand side of the document. This information is formatted appropriately to single page viewing once the application is submitted to the City of Mesa. Therefore, no additional formatting is necessary on your part.
   
• Text is not limited to the size of the text box, therefore you can include as much or as little information as you wish in these fields.
   
• Date fields located in the online application must be entered in the same format as listed in each of the fields (Example. – DD/MM/YYYY – 08/30/2007 for August 30, 2007).
   
• Once you have submitted an on-line application with the City of Mesa, it will remain in the system for three years and you can review and modify the information previously submitted to apply for other position openings.
   
• If you have questions, you may contact our office at 480-644-2758 or click the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of our main City of Mesa web page to send us an e-mail message. We will reply as soon as possible to your inquiry.
   
• The system may be down at times for maintenance and/or other technical support issues. If you are unable to access the on-line system, please try again at another time, or you can click on the main City of Mesa jobs page to use the PDF file to print your application on paper and submit to the Human Resources Office during business hours.

• If you forget your password, sign in using your e-mail address and select the “I Forgot My Password” link. The system will then e-mail you a new password that you can use to complete the login process.

Job Basket

• The Job Basket allows the user to apply for one or multiple positions at a time. If applying for multiple positions, the system will include additional supplemental questions as applicable.
   
• To apply for a position, click the position title first, then click the “Add Job to Basket” button.
   
• Click the “Return to Job Postings” link to apply for additional jobs.
   
• View the “Job Basket” to verify the job(s) you have selected.
   
• You may delete any job from the basket by clicking on the Delete button.
   
• When you have selected and see the position titles you wish to apply for in the Job Basket, select “Apply for Jobs in Basket”, this will take you to “Your Online Application”.
   

If you apply on paper
 

All job applications are available in Portable Document Format (PDF) that is readable/printable using the free reader software that you can download from Adobe Acrobat.

• Type or print neatly in ink.
• Provide accurate information.
• Complete your employment record in detail and list all employers on supplement that are not listed on the application.
• Provide a complete work history -attach additional pages if more space is needed.
• Complete the supplemental application in its entirety. Be sure to include a detailed explanation of work experience, duties, skills, training, etc.
• Refer to the qualifications section of the job announcement.
• Ensure that your application is received on or before the closing date.
• Proofread your application before your submit it to the City for processing.

DONT:

• Use pink, purple, or red pen or write illegibly.
• Write “See Resume”
• Apply for positions for which you do not qualify.
• Wait for the closing date to prepare your application and hope to be able to submit the application after the closing date or depend on the U.S. mail to get your application in on time.
   

Other Helpful Hints

• If the person reviewing or screening your application cannot read your writing and is not able to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications, your application could be screened out of the process.
   
• Verify the accuracy of the information listed in your application before submitting to Human Resources. For example, if the wrong year is given for a previous employer, your application could be screened out due to not meeting the required years of experience.
   
• The unwillingness to complete an application can be perceived negatively, that you may not be that interested in the opening. Often times, employees think they don’t need to include their work history because “Human Resources has all my information in their files.” In order to keep the process fair and consistent for all applicants, both internal and external, Human Resources can only screen applications based on the information provided. If pertinent information is omitted from the application, you run the risk of having your application pulled from the process. For example, don’t assume that the person screening your application will know the details of your job responsibilities based on job title alone.
   
• Be sure to include all past employers on your application. If you do not have enough room to list a complete record of your employment, just ask Human Resources for an Employment Record Addendum, which can be attached to your application.
   
• Remember, the amount of experience, and the way you describe it as it relates to the position for which you apply, is very important.
   
• A supplemental questionnaire is often attached to the application which requires you to more fully explain your specific qualifications and experiences. For example, if a position requires a typing speed of 55 net wpm, your specific typing speed must be indicated on the supplement. If you fail to provide this information, Human Resources will not be able to determine if you meet this minimum qualification and your application will be screened out of the process.
   
• Do not include an employer’s name on the supplemental questionnaire without first having listed that employer under the work history section of the application. Without the details (supervisor’s name, date of employment, reason for leaving, etc.), Human Resources would not be able to verify your information.
   
• Refer to the job announcement when completing the job application. Compare your education and experience against the listed qualifications. If you have performed similar duties to those on the job announcement, make sure your application indicates the duties you have performed which match those listed on the job announcement.
   
• An original application must be submitted to Human Resources by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. The majority of job openings have a closing date which ensures that every applicant is given the same opportunity and time frame to submit an application.