A Brief Guide to Civil Service Jobs

What does Civil Service Mean?

Civil Service carries the following definitions:

• A branch of governmental service where individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations

• Any organization in any government agency other than the armed force public or civil servant refers to any individual in the public sector who is employed for a government agency or department.

As stated above, the term “civil service” excludes all members of the military; however, public servants may be employed in various defense branches as civilian aides. Public service employees always include individuals employed by the state; the term encompasses all government workers, including sub-state, regional or municipal employees. A number of people consider the study of civil service to be placed within the field of public administration—employees in a non-departmental public body may also be grouped as civil servants for the purpose of statistics.

How do I apply for Civil Service Jobs?

Because government bodies offer civil service jobs, an applicant must apply at their local government office. Before the application process can begin, the individual must take and subsequently pass a civil service examination. The civil service exam is a test given to those individuals who wish to become a civil servant—a term used to describe a professional job in government. To assume a role within a government (local, state or Federal) the applicant must pass the exam as a prerequisite. Although the civil service exam is a necessary step in the application process, the questions and nature of the examination will waver depending on the type of civil service job in question. That being said, questions are typically split between those related to general knowledge and academics, as well as pertinent inquiries attached to the prospective job.

Types of Civil Service Jobs:

As stated above, civil service jobs are positions held by civilians in a government agency. Because of the plethora of government agencies and departments there are numerous forms of civil service jobs. The following list will provide some examples of common civil service jobs:

o Police Officers

o Firemen

o Librarians

o Public Professionals

o The majority of teachers

o Any individual employed by a government agency, municipality or state government

o Politicians