State changes the way it advertises jobs

Iowa’s largest employer is changing the way it hires new workers in an effort to make the process easier for everyone involved. The State of Iowa got about 16-thousand applications last year for one or more positions for a total of 60-thousand requests. Only 2,800 people were actually hired.Mollie Anderson, director of the Iowa Department of Personnel, says many people had applied for jobs that weren’t vacant. The old process also forced people to submit applications, get on a state register, take a test and other requirements. Under the new process, Anderson says state jobs will be posted statewide only when there’s a vacancy. She says they will post jobs as they occur.Anderson says by advertising jobs only when they are vacant, the state can better help people in their job search. She hopes the move cuts down on paperwork and people won’t be left wondering if the jobs they applied for even exist.Anderson says the Department of Personnel aims to look less like a government entity and more like a private employment agency. Job openings will be posted at “www.state.ia.us/idop”, on the Job Line at (515) 281-5820 or at any of the offices of Iowa Workforce Development.