Frequently Asked Questions

Additional FAQs are added as questions are submitted.

• 1. What career counseling services are offered at CMS?
• 2. Where do I create my online profile?
• 3. Is volunteer experience credited towards Minimum Qualifications or Preferred Qualifications evaluation?
• 4. Do you still offer civil service exams?
• 5. What is automated testing?
• 6. Do you make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities?
• 7. What is the status of my application?
• 8. What is the next step after receiving my BU Numerical Score Notice?
• 9. How am I notified for an interview?
• 10. I am having problems logging into my profile. Who should I contact?
• 11. How do I transfer data from one application to another?
• 12. How do I get my foreign university or college degree credentials converted into American University terms?

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)

3. Is volunteer experience credited towards Minimum Qualifications or Preferred Qualifications evaluation?

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.

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.

Information from an old CMS100 application can be transferred to a new application using the copy (or cut) and paste functionality. All fields on the CMS100 application can be filled using the cut / copy functions found on the Edit menu.

12. How do I get my foreign university or college degree credentials converted into American University terms?

Degrees from foreign countries must be converted into American University terms to be credited when applications for state employment are being evaluated. View the list of recommended credentialing services.