Why work for the City of Long Beach?

Not sure why you should work for the City of Long Beach? Here are some reasons to consider:

• Great place to work. Great weather, award winning parks, exciting and entertaining downtown, diverse communities, and affordable housing are some of the reasons the City of Long Beach is a great place to work. See for yourself; visit our guide to visitors and residents pages.

• Service to the community. As a City employee, you are making a difference in the Long Beach community. As a municipal government, the City provides public services to Long Beach residents. These public services are available to all residents regardless of income and are generally considered a public good, meaning other agencies don’t provide them. Our business is service and we are committed to providing quality service to our diverse community in ways that are helpful, caring and responsive. Check out the many available opportunties for volunteers.

• Career growth. The City of Long Beach employs over 4,730 employees and has over 500 job positions. Positions range from entry level to professional, high skilled. Given the number of positions, employees have a variety of career paths to choose from. In addition, the City provides career guidance, mentoring and career ladders for planning a career with the City. See a comprehensive list of job classifications.

• Job stability. Residents will always need public services. City employees enjoy the stability of public service through the support of their labor union, the Civil Service classified system, and seniority policy. Employees also receive safety and skills training to ensure success on the job. A Transfer for Training Program also encourages employee retention by enabling employees to consider other career options within the City.

• Comprehensive benefits. City employees won’t get rich but they do get competitive benefits. All permanent full-time and permanent part-time employees receive life, health and dental benefits based on their choice of plans. See the Employee Benefits page for more information.

How do you apply for jobs with the City?

There are jobs with the City that do not require applying through the Civil Service Department. These unclassified positions include management positions; jobs working for elected or appointed officials; confidential clerical positions, or part-time, seasonal or temporary jobs. Generally, the selecting department recruits for unclassified Jobs. The selecting department will advertise for the position, request candidates to submit a resume, and conduct their own interview process. The selecting department handles the initial contact and the final communication on the selection process outcome.

The majority of jobs with the City require that you apply with the Civil Service Department, take an exam and be placed on an eligible list. City departments then interview from an eligible list and select the best candidate that meets their needs.

When applying for a Civil Service job, you must:

• Determine which job is currently open for application.

• Fill out an application and make sure you submit it on or before the deadline.

• You can also sign-up to be notified of new job openings.

• Once you turn in you application, and you qualify to take the exam, you will be notified by mail of the date, time and location of the exam. Depending on the exam for the position, the process can take two to six weeks. Once you complete the testing process, you will be notified as to your score and placement on the eligible list. Eligible lists are ranked A Band, B Band, C Band, etc. and you will be placed in a Band depending on your score.

• Departments that have vacancies for the position will receive an eligible list from Civil Service from which they can begin their selection interviews and select a qualified candidate. Departments always get the eligible list starting with the A Band. As candidates are selected, the next Band is provided.

• Candidates that are offered employment will be required to pass both a background fingerprinting check and an appropriate medical examination. This could take as long as four weeks.