Consolidated hiring process for state job applicants passes first test

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) announced Tuesday that it completed its first pooled hiring pilot, a recruitment model that aims to speed up the hiring process for state jobs.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority (CalCTRA), the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) participated in the pilot. The new system allowed applicants to send one application package to jobs across these departments, rather than filling out separate applications for each role.

The pilot program resulted in a 75% reduction in duplicative screening and interview work, completion of the hiring cycle under the 90-day average, 23 hires of student assistants and three full-time hires, per the press release. Hiring managers and program architects characterized the pooled hiring model as a success.

The program supports Gov. Gavin Newsom’s July 2025 executive order establishing the California Breakthrough Project, an initiative to streamline government operations.

A July 15, 2025, press release from Newsom’s office states that the order will “transform…state government by ending slow and complicated bureaucratic processes and moving to an efficient, collaborative, and more productive model.”

In June, the Government Operations Agency announced the project’s newest phase: reforms that reduce the number of exams applicants need to take and make it easier to find positions that fit their skill set. According to reporting by The Sacramento Bee, the new hiring protocol will allow managers to outline criteria for their ideal candidate and sort applications based on those measures.

As part of the initiative, the state merged 67 job titles into eight classifications. The consolidation affects up to 32,000 state workers previously classified under the “clerical, analyst and manager series” and facilitates the pooled hiring program’s more streamlined application system.

The new process marks an improvement over the current hiring protocol, according to Steven Gonzales, an analyst at California High-Speed Rail Authority. Gonzales started at his job in March after a lateral transition from a different department, though it took him several months to complete the process.

State job postings are typically open for two to three weeks, according to Gonzales. While searching for a new job, Gonzales said he filled out 35 applications. Because each job requires a targeted resume, it took Gonzales about three hours to complete one application.

In the current system, it usually takes five to six weeks after a posting closes for applicants to learn whether they will interview for the position, according to Gonzales. Following his interview, Gonzales said it took about three weeks to learn that he got the job as an Analyst II and an additional two weeks to be trained and start work.

“There’s just so many bureaucratic steps,” Gonzales said. “And I get it, they want to be fair and equitable…but there’s no reason that it should take four or five months to fill [positions at] my level.”

According to a July 14 press release from CalHR, the recent pilot focused on hiring for Analyst I, Analyst II and Student Assistant positions in the participating departments.

To decide which departments would take part in the pilot program, election Division Chief Chris Dainard said CalHR surveyed various departments to gauge interest. Then, CalHR created a centralized application system to aggregate information from each department that participated. Those creating the pilot program decided to focus on hiring for Analyst I and Analyst II roles because they exist in departments across state agencies, according to Dainard.

“We knew we were going to be able to find a breadth of candidates eligible for these positions, but also that would span different organizational impacts at the departments that were participating,” Dainard said.

The CDTFA utilized the pilot program in June to select student assistants for its inaugural NextGen cohort, marking the state’s first department-specific pooled hiring model. The program aims to “introduce college students to state service through meaningful project work, exposure to tax administration, and professional development opportunities,” according to CalHR’s press release.

Rebecca Perez, a personnel officer at CDTFA, said the pooled hiring pilot “condensed the timeline” of the department’s normal hiring process. First, personnel staff worked with hiring managers to create screening criteria and interview questions. Hiring managers then set aside dates to screen applications, conduct interviews and oversee live scan fingerprinting.

“This is the first time we’ve had a pooled hiring event for student assistants, and typically we hire a handful of students every year,” Perez said. “With the success of this pooled hiring event, we were able to hire 23 students, and we were able to create a great cohort.”

Dainard said he believes CDTFA’s internal pooled hiring process was successful, and he hopes the protocol expands to other departments.

“Personally, I was very impressed with what (CDTFA) did,” Dainard said. “When they launched, they did a lot of really successful things that feed into what CalHR is launching in our playbook. I’m very hopeful that departments launch similar initiatives.”

According to Dainard, CalHR is working on a “playbook” that will provide departments with resources to adopt pooled hiring programs. At the statewide HR policy forum this August, CalHR will demonstrate the new program to state departments.

“CalHR is handing off the reins to the departments to launch these [pooled hiring programs] on their own,” Dainard said.

This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 2:55 PM.

Sofia Williams

The Sacramento Bee