Referral and Placement Program – Orientation for Program Participants

In order to assist employees during the difficult times of work force reductions and layoffs, the Executive Office developed the County’s Referral and Placement Program. The Program is managed by Career Support Services and provides participants with a variety of services in order to help employees find jobs. King County places a high value on employee service.

The purpose of the Referral and Placement Program Orientation is to inform employees about program protocol and services available to participants. It provides an overall guide to the Referral and Placement process and provides specific information for departments and affected employees. Provided below is summary information about the Program and its processes in the following order:

• Career Support Services
• Program Protocol and Related County Policies
• Expectations – Program Participant Responsibilities
• Referral Process
• Interview and Selection Process
• Types of Referrals
• Contact Information

Career Support Services

The Career Support Services (CSS) office is located in the King Street Center Building on the 8th Floor (MS KSC-EX-0819) at 201 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104. The general phone number is 206-263-6009 and the email address is CareerSupportPrograms@kingcounty.gov. Services provided by CSS through the Referral and Placement program are outlined below:

1. Referrals are made for job openings in the King County Executive Branch ONLY:

2. Written assessments of skills and experience are conducted and documented.
3. Assistance is provided for preparation of job application materials (i.e., cover letters of interest, King County job application forms, resumes, supplemental questionnaires for positions).
4. Pre-posted job announcements are reviewed daily and sent to program participants for review and response.
5. Pre-referral information meetings with hiring authorities are arranged on an as-needed basis; and CSS staff may attend with the potential referral candidate.
6. Official referrals are made directly to the hiring departments by Career Support Services.
7. Interview coaching sessions are conducted (one-on-one sessions and group workshops).
8. When an employee is placed into a position, CSS provides post-placement follow-up during the probationary period.
9. Access to computer tutorials and other materials is provided via the Career Center or the CSS office training room. One-on-one or group training and coaching sessions are provided for Microsoft applications (e.g., Word, Excel and Outlook). The Career Center is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; and is located in the King Street Center Building with an entrance located about mid-block along South Jackson Street.

Program Protocol and Related County Policies

• Program Goal: to refer and place employees into a comparable career service position, at the same pay range from which the employee was laid off and performing a body of work for which the employee is qualified. When referral opportunities arise that fit such conditions, the employee is obligated to interview for the position and accept the job offer, unless justifiable, work-related reasons are provided to CSS.
• Length of Eligibility: Employees are eligible for Program services for two years after the effective date of layoff, unless a different duration is stated in the union contract covering the employee’s current position.
• Referral and Hiring Preference: Program participants have a referral and hiring preference for all career service and term-limited-temporary (TLT) positions that are at the same pay range or lower, provided the participant meets the minimum qualifications for the position. Participants can only access this preference by official referral through the Referral and Placement Program. Departments must adhere to the order of hiring preference, which is, from first to last order of consideration, the following: Job Reassignment Program, lateral moves per union contract(s), Referral and Placement Program referrals, King County employees and the general public. Departments must determine whether or not referred candidates are qualified for the position before any other candidates are considered in accordance with the order of hiring preference.
• Removal from Referral and Placement Program: Participants are removed from the Program if they:
  1. Refuse a referral, an interview or a job offer for a comparable career service position for which they are qualified;
  2. Accept a comparable or promotional career service position;
  3. Accept a position outside of King County before the effective date of layoff, in which case the employee is considered to have resigned;
  4. Resign from a career service position in which they were placed their layoff date;
  5. Are terminated for cause from the position in which they were placed;
  6. Have reached the end date of their two-year Program eligibility.
• Salary Upon Placement
  1. Collective bargaining agreements, where applicable, determine the rate of pay.
  2. FLSA exempt employees (not overtime eligible) placed in a comparable or lower level position will be paid at the step closest to their current annual salary (without exceeding the salary level).
  3. FLSA nonexempt employees (overtime eligible) placed in a comparable or lower level position will be paid at the step closest to their current hourly rate (without exceeding the hourly rate amount) going over.
• Merit Pay Over the Top Upon Placement
  1. Collective bargaining agreements, where applicable, determine merit pay continuation.
  2. Typically, merit over-the-top pay continues for the remaining time for which it was earned.
  3. Annual merit step increases earned, but not effective until January 1 of the following year, are applied once the employee is hired into a new position.
• Probation: Employees referred and hired into career service positions will serve a probationary period, which typically lasts six months. Upon completion of probation, the employee is eligible for a step increase at the discretion of the hiring manager (or based on union contract guidelines).
• Sick Leave and Vacation
  1. Sick leave accrued at time of layoff is restored if the employee returns to employment within two years of the layoff date. Sick leave cannot be cashed out once the employee leaves county employment.
  2. Vacation leave may be used prior to layoff or cashed out at time of layoff. The rate in which vacation time was accrued at the time of layoff will be restored if the employee returns to employment within two years of the date of layoff.
• Inactive Status: An employee has the option to temporarily discontinue referral opportunities and remain in the Referral and Placement Program. It is the responsibility of the employee to contact Career Support Services to change the status back to “active.”
• Medically Related Work Restrictions: If an employee has any medically related work restrictions that prevent him or her from being referred to some positions for which they are qualified, the employee needs to contact the Disability Services Program as soon as possible to verify the need for accommodation. Since the verification process takes a couple of weeks, it is best to address this issue early. If verification is delayed, referral opportunities may be missed.

Expectations – Program Participant Responsibilities

Just as the CSS and departments have time-critical protocol and procedures, Program participants also have responsibilities in order to successfully proceed through the Program: Participants need to work closely with Referral and Placement Program staff. It is recommended that participants:

• Meet with Referral and Placement Program staff, as requested;
• Meet stated deadlines; complete paperwork and assignments within the noted timelines;
• Return Referral and Placement Program staff emails and phone calls within 24 hours or sooner;
• Take an active part in their own job search and regularly review County and other job listings;
• Notify Career Support Services of any changes in status, e.g., addition of new skills, finding work outside of King County, new contact information (phone/address/email), etc.
• Contact Career Support Services first and immediately (before contacting the hiring manager) if there is a change in the desire to pursue a referral or a change of mind about attending an interview. CSS will consult directly with the Program participant about any issues;
• Be proactive by communicating often with Referral and Placement Program staff in order to advise staff of any issues or problems so staff can best address the situation; and,
• Notify Career Support Services in writing (via email or US mail) if services are no longer needed or wanted.
• Additional Program participant responsibilities are described within the Referral Process below.

Referral Process

1. When a position for which a Program participant may qualify is found, the participant receives an email from Program staff. The email will include the attached job announcement for review and response back to Program staff within 24 hours. The job description and qualifications should be very carefully reviewed. The response back to Program staff should include the identification of any qualifications the Program participant believes he/she does not possess; and/or a list of any qualifications that raise concerns or questions. If the Program participant is not interested in the position, the response to Program staff must include the specific reasons why.
2. The determination of whether or not a job is a match for the Program participant skills and experience is conducted jointly between the participant and Program staff. Once the determination is made, Program staff work collaboratively with the participant to refine and finalize job application materials (e.g., cover letter of interest, King County job application form, resume, supplemental questionnaire).
3. Prior to an official referral being made, the Program staff and participant may agree that an informal meeting with the hiring authority should be scheduled. The informal meeting provides the opportunity for the hiring authority and candidate to discuss the position in detail and ask questions of each other. It is not a formal interview process. Program staff frequently attends the informal meetings with the referral candidate. At the meeting and based on the mutual discussion, it is mutually agreed to either (a) proceed with formal referral or (b) release the position for external job posting because the mutual parties agree it is not a good “match.”
4. The referral process is time-critical for all participating parties. When Career Support Services places a “hold” on a position to make a referral, the clock begins and there are only 5 business days in which to formally submit the job application materials to the hiring manager. It is critical to have the King County job application form and resume completed ahead of time so that time and effort can directed to the cover letter of interest and supplemental questionnaire, if required.
5. When the official referral email is sent, the Program participant also receives a copy. In that way, the participant has a record of when the referral was sent and what documents were submitted.
6. Prior to any referral, or as part of the referral process, the Program participant may be required to complete a skills test. Program participants will be alerted to requirements of this type by Referral and Placement staff.

Interview/Selection Process

1. Once the referral has been made, hiring managers have 10 business days in which to schedule the interview with the referral candidate. The referral candidate should contact Program staff to alert them to the date and time of interview.
2. Referral and Placement Program staff can help referral candidates prepare for interviews. It is preferable to obtain the interview coaching about two days prior to the scheduled interview date.
3. A skills test may be part of the interview process.
4. The references and personnel file of the referred candidate will be checked either before or after the interview.
5. A pre-employment physical may be required; or the referral candidate may be required to complete a background security check, depending on the requirements of the hiring department.
6. If the referral candidate is successful in the interview process, the hiring authority will make the job offer directly to the candidate. At this time, the selected candidate will coordinate with the hiring authority about the start date. Program participants may enlist the help of Program staff, as needed.
7. If the position to which the participant was referred and hired is not a comparable position at a comparable rate, the participant remains “active” in the Referral and Placement Program within the two-year eligibility time frame. As such, the participant continues to be referred to positions as outlined in protocol above.
8. If the department determines not to select the referral candidate following its interview process, the department contacts the Referral and Placement Program. The hiring authority is required to provide interview documentation to Program staff that justifies and explains the hiring decision.
9. Referral and Placement staff review the documentation provided by the hiring authority and confirm input provided by the references contacted. Findings are discussed with the CSS Manager, who makes the ultimate determination as to whether or not CSS agrees with the hiring authority determination. If there is agreement, the referral candidate will be contacted to explain the assessment. If CSS disagrees with the hiring decision, a phone conference is typically scheduled. If agreement is not reached between the hiring authority and CSS, the matter is referred to the County Executive Office.

Types of Referrals

The following are the types of positions for which referrals are made:

• Lateral/Comparable Career Service: A position in the same job classification or a different job classification that is at the same pay range for which the Program participant is qualified.
  • Only this type of referral is considered one that brings the employee back to pre-layoff conditions.
  • The employee is required to accept the referral, if qualified.
  • The employee is required to accept the job, if offered.
  • Employees must have job-related reasons to refuse a referral or a job offer.
  • Once the employee passes the probationary period, the employee is no longer eligible for Referral and Placement Program services.
• Lower Career Service: A job classification at a lower pay range, for which the Program participant is qualified.
  • There is no requirement to accept the job offer.
  • If the job offer is accepted, the employee remains an active Program participant; thereafter, however, the employee can only be referred to lateral career service positions.
• Term-Limited Temporary (TLT): A temporary position (minimum of 6 months) with benefits, either in the same job classification or a different classification; and at the same or lower pay range.
  • There is no requirement to accept the job offer.
  • If the job offer is accepted, the employee remains an active Program participant and can be referred to either lateral or lower level career service positions. If the TLT ends during the time of employee program eligibility, CSS can the participant to another TLT position.
• True Temporary: A position that lasts less than six months and has no benefits.

Promotional: This is not an actual referral. If CSS determines that the Program participant meets the qualifications of a promotional position, then CSS will contact the hiring authority on behalf of the candidate. This contact is not a referral and is made to simply to guarantee that the candidate will be interviewed. The candidate must apply on his/her own and submit the required job application materials by the closing date noted in the posted job announcement. Program staff is available to assist candidates with the preparation of job application materials.

Contact Information

Career Support Services
Office of the King County Executive
King Street Center Bldg., 8th Floor
MS: KSC-EX-0819
201 South Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104-3854

CareerSupportPrograms@kingcounty.gov
Main phone number: 206-263-6009
Fax number: 206-263-4750
TTY Relay: 711