Filling a position

The effectiveness of your county in serving its clients largely hinges on the quality of its workforce. A merit-based personnel administration system is designed to ensure that the processes for selecting and retaining employees yield a competent workforce that meets the needs of citizens. Additionally, merit principles communicate a clear message: all individuals have the opportunity to participate in government operations, provided they are qualified and willing.

Options for filling a position

As a county manager or supervisor, you have various options for hiring staff. Positions can be filled through:

Eligible lists (both competitive and promotional)
Reinstatements of former employees not eligible for the reemployment list
Transfers or demotions within your agency
Transfers from other merit systems or political subdivisions
Appointments from higher, related eligible lists
Appointments based on specific unique job-related skills (selective certification)

Steps to take

To assist you in the hiring process, we have outlined several steps informed by input from experienced county managers and supervisors.

Please note that certain steps in the “County Planning Phase” and “County Hiring Processes” may not apply to your specific county.

County planning phase
Accept the employee's resignation letter.
- Assess whether the position should be filled and, if so, determine if it should remain in its current classification.
- Inform the Board and seek permission to replace or reclassify the position if necessary.
- If there have been significant changes to the job or if organizational changes will impact the classification, seek reclassification through the Merit System. For more details, please contact your Merit System Representative.
- If required by the labor contract or county policy, post the job notice and send a copy to the Merit System. Refer to the Vacancy Posting Checklist.
- Contact the Merit System to confirm the testing date for applicants or arrange special testing if needed.
- Complete a Requisition through the Merit System online at NEOGOV Login.
- Determine who should participate in the interview process and develop interview questions. For guidance on setting up and conducting interviews, please refer to "Conducting Effective Interviews."
Merit System testing and referral process
Merit System staff will:
- Review applications to verify that candidates meet minimum qualifications and notify those who do not.
- Provide applicants with instructions on accessing and taking the online exam, if applicable; for job classifications without an online exam, they will process applications and score experience and training ratings or scored supplemental questionnaires.
- Prepare eligible lists and refer the eligible candidates to county hiring managers.
Hiring process overview
- Review Applications: Assess applications and resumes of candidates referred by the Merit System, as well as those eligible through transfer or demotion rights. Select candidates for interviews. For guidance, see Reviewing Applications and Deciding Whom to Interview.
- Conduct Interviews: Interview selected candidates and choose finalists for consideration.
- Request Supplemental Referrals: If there are not enough qualified candidates, request a supplemental referral from the Merit System or explore other hiring options.
- Background Checks: Conduct criminal background checks on finalists (recommended for most positions). Obtain necessary information releases, contact references, and perform any additional checks as required by law (Minn. Stat. § 604.20 – 604.205). For more information, see Background Investigations.
- Make an Offer: Contact the selected finalist to extend an oral offer.
- Formalize the Offer: Send a written offer letter outlining any conditions that differ from the verbal offer.
- Notify Other Candidates: Send rejection letters to other candidates, ensuring that veterans receive specific reasons for their non-selection (see Minn. Stat. § 197.455).
Recording the appointment
- As the online hiring manager, enter the appointment details in the database.
- Generate Personnel Action Form: Complete the hiring information for the selected candidate to generate a personnel action form in the database.