Civil Service Commission

FAQs

The Office of the Civil Service Commission has a wide range of authority and responsibilities, including accepts and processes applications for all Competitive and Non-Competitive positions for the City of Cleveland. Civil Service establishes entrance, promotions, administers examinations to create eligible lists for hires, and certifies names from eligible lists to fill vacancies.

The Office of the Civil Service Commission monitors for the appointment, promotion, transfer, lay-off, reinstatement, suspension of employees in the classified service. The Civil Service Rules establish fair hiring and employment standards, employees in the classified service can find a copy of the Civil Service Rules in the Forms and Resources section of this webpage.

(Please note: Union contracts may supersede the Civil Service Rules)

There are two types of Jobs you will see posted on the City of Cleveland Job Page, Competitive & Non-Competitive.

Competitive: When a position is posted that has "examination" in the title it means that many people may qualify for this position and in order for Civil Service to maintain fair hiring standards these positions require the applicant to take an examination prior to being considered for the position. If you pass the examination, you will be placed on a ranked eligibility list that will be used by the department when they are ready to hire for the position.

Non-Competitive: When you submit an application to a posting that does not have "examination" in the title this means that you are applying to a Job that requires applicants to have high level education and/or experience.

The qualifications are stated on the Job Announcements published for each Job Posting. When you apply for a Job that is posted on the City job page that does not require an examination, the Civil Service Commission will send your application and documents directly to the Departments to review. The Departments will contact the applicants as vacancies arise.  Timelines for selection may vary depending on the position and the Departments Hiring process.

Please make sure you submit any required documents when you are applying for the position such as Resume, Certifications, Diplomas, Driver's License, etc...

The City of Cleveland is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual preference, religion, age, veteran's status, or disability. All communication with applicants is done via email.

Anyone who meets the minimum qualifications can take a test.  The qualifications are stated on the Job Announcements published for each examination.  Civil Service Commission will review the applications, decide eligibility based on the information and documents provided at the time of submitting the application (Driver's License, Certifications, Resume, etc...).  If you do not provide these documents when you apply it may disqualify you from taking the exam.

If you qualify to take an examination Civil Service will inform applicants at least two weeks in advance with the date and time of the location of the exam.  Once the examination has been completed an Eligible List will be compiled of all passing applicants with their rank and score.

The City of Cleveland is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual preference, religion, age, veteran's status, or disability.  All communication with applicants is done via email.

Each individual announcement states the type of test you will have to take for that position. For most positions the examinations are multiple choice, job simulations, or oral exams. Occasionally the test is a review of your education and experience. Not all examinations require an applicant to test in person.

Examination Types: The civil service examination may include:
Experience-based Assessment 
Written Test
Performance-based Evaluation

All examination announcements can be found on the City of Cleveland's Job Page.

To stay informed about new job openings, we encourage you to subscribe to Job Alerts. Subscribing ensures you receive notifications for jobs matching your preferences.

For in-person assistance, visit our Recruitment Center:
Location: City Hall, 601 Lakeside Ave, Room 30, Cleveland, Ohio
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

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For additional questions or personalized support, please contact:

Veterans can receive five additional points added to their passing score. A copy of the candidate’s DD214 or LES documents must be submitted at the time of filing of the application.

Residents that have lived in the City of Cleveland for at least one year can receive ten additional points added to their passing score.  A notarized copy of the Civil Service Residency Affidavit must be submitted at the time of filing of the application.  The Residency Affidavit can be found in the forms and resources page of this website.

Please note: The Civil Service cannot accept Veteran or Residency documents once the filing period for applications has ended.

If you received the "5-day Rejection Notice" it means you applied to take an examination but do not meet the minimum qualifications to take the test, but Civil Service is giving you 5 days to send in any "missing documents" that would prove that you are qualified.  The type of documents that we will need copies of are Driver's License, Certifications, Resumes, etc..., in the email that you receive will have what qualifications you are missing and what documents you will need to send us to review.

Applicants may submit the documents to CS@clevelandohio.gov in the form of a PDF, Word Doc or JPEG and must include your name and the title of the examination posting that you applied for.

If you qualify to take an examination the Civil Service examiner assigned to the exam will inform applicants at least two weeks in advance with the date, time and location of the exam.  Once the examination has been completed an Eligible List will be compiled of all passing applicants with their rank and score.

Please keep in mind that the Office of Civil Service communicates with applicants via email.

Upon completing the examination, candidates' names and scores are compiled into a list and submitted to the Civil Service Commission for review. Once the Eligible List has been approved, applicants will be notified of their rank and score on the Eligible List. Applicants that do not pass the examination may re-apply 30 days after their original application date and/or wait until the examination is accepting applications again.

Civil Service will then send the Departments the names of all eligible applicants and the Departments will contact the applicants as vacancies arise, applicants will be notified when their name is sent for consideration. Timelines for selection may vary depending on the position and the Departments Hiring process.

The City of Cleveland is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual preference, religion, age, veteran's status, or disability.
 

Eligibility lists last up to two years.  You may remain on the list as a potential job candidate for that long starting from the date the Commission establishes the list.  If there is an exception to this, a note will be included on the test announcement.

Yes, Civil Service Rule 5.30, the Civil Service may remove candidates from an eligibility list for a variety of reasons. If we remove you from the list, then we will notify you via email.  If you feel you were removed in error and want to be restored to the list, a copy of the Civil Service Rules can be found in the Forms and Resources section of this webpage.  You will find complete information on how to request restoration, including important deadlines there. 

When an individual is hired at the City of Cleveland, depending on the position you are hired for will determine if you are a member of the Classified service.  Not all classified positions governed by the Civil Service Rules requires an examination.

The City of Cleveland Charter 126 established the divide of the Unclassified and Classified service of the Civil Service.

If you are unsure if your position is a unclassified or classified please click the below for the complete information of the separation of services.
Cleveland Charter 126 - Division into Classified and Unclassified Service

The Classified service shall comprise all positions not specifically included by this charter in the unclassified service.

There shall be in the classified service to be known as the competitive class and the noncompetitive class:

(a)   The competitive class shall include all positions and employment for which it is practicable to determine the merit and fitness of applicants by competitive tests.
(b)   The noncompetitive class shall include all positions requiring specialized training, or skills requiring certifications or licensure, and qualifications of a scientific, business, managerial, professional or educational character, as may be determined by the Commission. The fitness of applicants in the non- competitive class shall be based on the applicant’s knowledge, skills and abilities relative to the qualifications for the position

Any employee that is hired by the City of Cleveland into a Classified position are governed by the Civil Service Rules. Employees can find a copy of the rules in the Forms and Resources section of this webpage.

(Please note: Union contracts may supersede the Civil Service Rules)

The Civil Service Association is an external Association/Organization. This organization is a separate entity than the Cleveland Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service Employees’ Association was Founded in 1934 with the important mission to provide legal representation to its members that work in governmental agencies within Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

The CSEA provides an attorney representation regarding work related issues affecting workers' job security; i.e. hearings, grievances, disciplinary actions, suspensions, layoffs and terminations.

For more information, please visit the website: https://cseacleveland.com/.