Frequently Asked Questions

Career counseling services are offered to anyone seeking employment with the State of Illinois, seeking a promotion and/or seeking guidance on the employment process.

We offer career counseling services via email or virtually. To participate in career counseling, please email your resume to CMS.CounselingByEmail@lllinois.gov. In the subject line indicate if you would prefer counseling via email or virtually. Please be sure to indicate your employment preferences, geographic preferences and salary requirements in the body of the email. A career counselor will review your information and respond with potential job title matches based on your credentials and preferences.

If you are NOT a current State of Illinois Employee, please click here: Career Opportunities: Sign In (ns2cloud.com). For assistance with setting up your profile as well as instructions on how to set up job alerts, please click here: (insert applicant job aid).

If you ARE a current state of Illinois Employee please click here: State of Illinois - Workforce - Sign In (okta.com). For assistance with setting up your profile though Success Factors, please click here: (insert internal guide)

RELATED professional volunteer experience, if quantified, will be considered and credited accordingly. Be sure to describe the hours worked per week or month, any supervisory responsibilities, etc. Non-related volunteer experience is not credited for the position for which you are applying.

Testing is done by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please apply for all positions online. If the position title in which you applied requires an exam, you will receive an email with instructions on how to set up your appointment.

Automated testing is offered at all test sites. Automated testing refers to the manner in which a test is administered. There is no paper involved. The entire test is presented on a computer screen. Multiple choice questions are displayed on the computer screen, up to four possible answers are listed, and you merely touch your selected answer. It is not necessary to be proficient in the use of a computer to perform well on an automated test. This type of testing offers many advantages to the applicant. Most tests are graded immediately upon finishing the examination and you receive your grade notice before you leave the test center. After the test is scored, you have 15 minutes to see your scored results and you receive a breakdown of how well you did in each section. Certain regularly tested job titles require the applicant to possess a certain level of education and/or experience as a prerequisite.

Yes. CMS has an Accommodated Testing Program for persons with disabilities. Applicants who have a certified disability may request a reasonable accommodation. To request accommodation, please contact the Disabilities Coordinator at 217/524-7514 (voice) or Illinois Relay Center at (800) 526-0844. View the memorandum here

• Application Received – A position has been applied for, but it has yet to be reviewed. 
• In Process – The candidate is still under consideration. The status will likely show this for most of the time.  This starts with validation of qualifications and will not update until an applicant is hired, and the requisition has closed.
• Process Complete – The candidate has either been auto-disqualified, disqualified at validation, or withdrawn from consideration for reasons such as not scheduling/showing up to scheduled interviews.
• Requisition Closed – The requisition has completed, could be the result of a hire being made, if there are no qualified candidates, or if the agency has cancelled the requisition.

Once you receive your BU Numerical Score Notice, it is a waiting process. If you are selected for interview, instructions on how to set up your interview will be emailed to you. If your application status has changed to “requisition closed”, then another candidate was selected.  

The below applies to BU postings only, and does not apply to Merit Comp, Non-code, and Exempt positions.

If you feel that your Minimum Qualification numerical ranking above doesn’t match your background, experience, and qualifications compared to those required for this position as noted in the job description; you may appeal this decision and provide additional documentation by submitting an email to CMS.SFAppeals@illinois.gov.  Your appeal email should contain the following.

• The subject line must contain the following: Job Requisition ID, 18313, and the candidate’s last name followed by first name.  Any email without the accurate requisition number in the subject line of the email will not be considered as a valid appeal request.
• The body of the email must provide a statement requesting an appeal accompanied by any supporting documents.  
• Please provide as much supporting detail for why you feel that your qualifications for this position meet a higher numerical ranking threshold than you were assigned.  Also, provide any additional contact information if not included in your application.

Appeals will be considered received on the date received by the CMS Appeals email account.
You have 90 days from the date of this email to appeal the decision.  Untimely appeals will not be considered.  Please note that the hiring process is not put on hold due to pending appeals.

If you are selected for interview, you will receive an email with further instructions on how to schedule.

Please email ilacts@illinois.gov for assistance.