Hiring Practices of the City and County of San Francisco Civil Grand Jury City and County of San Francisco

Under the traditional CBT, an applicant has the right to appeal to the Commission at almost every point during the examination process. Applicants taking a PBT can appeal at only three points in the process. These differences can be confusing to applicants.

DHR is not always informing appellants of their right to appeal decisions of the DHR to the Commission.

T&E testing relies too heavily on training and experience factors listed on an application form in evaluating whether an applicant is eligible for a position. This is an ineffective method for evaluating job applicants. T&E testing does not verify whether an applicant actually possesses the training/education and experience claimed on the application form. The DHR has indicated that is in the process of reducing its reliance on T&E examinations.

Besides a job description, PBT job announcements sometimes advise applicants that the eligibility list from this examination could be used by other City departments for hiring staff. However, the advisory does not identify those departments. This process can deny applicants the information required to become aware of and apply for a position with the City government.

As the hiring process in the City becomes increasingly decentralized and PBT testing becomes more prevalent, there is growing doubt among some City workers that the Commission as currently staffed is able to protect their rights.