All state agencies are dedicated to procedures to achieve equal employment opportunity for everyone, especially People of Color, Persons over 40 Years of Age, Persons with Disabilities, Women, and Disabled and Vietnam-Era Veterans.

Washington State's Workforce Diversity Unit provides a variety of services to state agencies, employees covered by the state civil service system, and to the general public.

The Workforce Diversity Program includes . . .

• Outreach to organizations serving groups who are under-represented in state government, including informational workshops about state employment, participation in job fairs and conferences, etc. Additionally, most state agencies have personnel staff who play a key role in Washington State's Workforce Diversity Program.
  
• Orientations that provide information about the state's recruitment procedures in general and the Workforce Diversity Program in particular. Call us for the date, place and time of our next orientation.
  
• Special testing for individuals with language barriers and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.
  
• Recruitment and testing after a job announcement has closed, under certain circumstances, for Persons with Disabilities, Vietnam-Era and Disabled Veterans, and Persons over 40.
  
• Job counseling with guidance on job search techniques and referrals to agencies for improvement in skills.
  
• Assistance to state agencies in the development of Affirmative Action Plans and guidance regarding policy.
  
• Financial loans to state agencies through the Disability Accommodation Revolving Fund (DARF) to provide accommodation for persons with disabilities.
  
• Information regarding local recruiting by certain state agencies.

Frequently asked questions:

If I fail a test, can I take it again? How can I find out what questions I missed? What happens after I pass a test?

Under certain conditions, you may re-test after a period of 30 days--up to a total of three times within a 12-month period.

To ensure fairness, the tests must not be compromised. Accordingly, the Department of Personnel no longer releases specific test information.

The names of those who pass a test are placed on a register. The top seven individuals on a register are referred to an agency when a position needs to be filled. For Persons with Disabilities, Vietnam-Era and Disabled Veterans, and Persons over 40, up to three additional names may be referred.

Will the state provide a sign language interpreter for my job interview(s)?

Yes. As a matter of reasonable accommodation, state agencies provide sign language interpreters. There are other accommodations available to persons with disabilities. Call the Workforce Diversity office.

I'm a "+3" and I want to apply for a job with the state. What Affirmative Action jobs do you have available now?

"Affirmative Action" refers to Washington State's commitment to equal employment opportunity in filling the jobs that become available within the state system. Jobs are not specifically "set aside" for Affirmative Action purposes.

The term "+3" refers to the process of supplemental certification. If a state agency is under-represented in Persons with Disabilities, Vietnam-Era and Disabled Veterans, or Persons over 40, it may request that the seven names normally given in the referral of applicants for a job interview be supplemented by up to three additional names--hence, the term "+3".

They tell me my great-grandfather was Cherokee. Do I qualify as a Native American? Also, I've had back problems for some time now and wondered if that qualifies me as disabled?

The term Native American relates to an individual's origins and to the maintenance of cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition. Disability refers to impairments that are material rather than slight; impairments that are permanent in that they are unlikely to be fully correctable by medical replacements, therapy, or surgical means. All of the categories of under-representation refer to an individual's heritage and to life-styles of substance--they must not be treated lightly.

Please call the Workforce Diversity office if you have additional questions.

Location:

521 Capitol Way South
Olympia, WA

Mailing address:

Workforce Diversity Unit
PO Box 47500
Olympia, WA 98504-7500

Telephone:

(360) 664-1985
TDD: (360) 664-6228