State of California Office of Statewide Health Planning Interview Questions
& Process

First, there was a 30-minute written exam to test your skills. I can't share details about it. After that, a panel interview with one or two managers and the region manager. Just a heads up, you might ace the interview and exam, but like many state jobs, they already have a candidate in mind. They have to interview others to appear fair. Also, studies show people tend to hire others who look like them, so depending on who you are, it might be harder to get hired.

I sent in my application and heard back about an interview within a week. The interview was the following week with two people on the panel. The people there seemed nice. I got about 15 minutes to look over the questions and write down some notes before we started, which was helpful because it's easy to forget things when you're nervous. They asked some general questions about my experience, like dealing with tough projects and difficult coworkers. The interview itself lasted about 30 minutes and they took notes the whole time. It's always a good idea to research the company and the department, and to have some questions ready to ask at the end.

I got a call Friday asking for an interview Monday morning. When I got there, they were running about an hour behind. They gave me a list of about 20 in-depth questions specific to the job, like about my coordinating experience and how I handle difficult coworkers. I had an hour to prep. It was all about having concrete examples, not just saying 'I'm a hard worker.' For instance, they wanted to hear about a time last week when I helped keep the unit on track because multiple people called in sick. The interview itself was with two people (a third was supposed to be there but couldn't make it) and lasted about 30 minutes. They asked all the questions. Then, they had me do an 'inbox exercise' at a computer, which is pretty common with CCHCS. They just want to see if you can actually do the job. The task was to create a report in Word using Excel charts about liver transplant numbers. I was given the data: 50 requested, 20 awaiting approval, 40 rejected, and 2 completed. I made charts showing the data in different ways and wrote a report explaining the numbers. I concluded that since only 2 had completed, the process needed to be faster. They said I aced it. After I accepted, they kept telling me how amazing the job was and I had to go in several times to complete hiring paperwork because they kept needing more documents. It was a bit much, but since I'd worked as a hiring coordinator for them before, I mostly handled it myself.

I sent in my application and resume via email. About three weeks after the deadline, I got a call to set up an in-person interview. They said if you couldn't make it in person, a phone interview was also an option. They told me there would be 5 questions, mixing behavioral and situational. It was a panel interview with two people. They had me sit in a small room first with a paper listing the 5 questions they'd ask. Then, about 10 minutes later, they took me to another room for the actual interview. One interviewer read the questions, giving me time to answer. I could revisit earlier questions to add more detail. They took notes on my answers. The behavioral questions were about a poorly functioning team and working on an unfamiliar topic. The other two were case studies about auditing government agencies, asking how I'd approach it. After the interview, I got to ask them questions. They were friendly and chatted about the weather before starting. You just need to be ready with your stories. They don't interrupt when you're answering. It felt very competitive, with over 15,000 applications according to an interviewer. The interview included a presentation of my answers.