A Message from Executive Director . . .
The State Board of Equalization values you as an individual and is committed to helping you succeed. Working Your Way Up at BOE was written to provide you with information on the opportunities available to BOE employees. I hope you will find it useful in developing a plan for your career and in learning about options available to you as you seek to achieve your professional potential.

The Board supports equal opportunity for all employees and commits to helping you as you climb your career ladder. I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities for different assignments as well as any training opportunities available here at BOE and to work closely with your supervisor to get more information and guidance that may assist you in refining and achieving your career goals.

Most of all, though, I urge you to take the lead in planning and advancing your own career. Working Your Way Up at BOE should be a useful addition to your toolbox as you build your future. I encourage you to start today, and I wish you success!

April 2002

Working Your Way Up
Many employees have found their niche at the Board of Equalization (BOE) or in other departments throughout California's state civil service system. If you're one of those employees who has found a position where you're happy and working successfully-congratulations! You may wish to remain in that rewarding job or set new career goals for yourself. If you choose to set your sights in a new direction, we hope you will find the information in this handbook helpful.

The State of California system has more than 260,000 permanent, full-time employees and up to 10,000 additional intermittent, temporary, and seasonal employees in more than 150 state departments. The Board employs approximately 3,700 employees on a permanent full-time basis and another 250-plus in permanent part-time, intermittent, or temporary appointments.

Each state department is its own hiring authority and usually conducts most of its own examinations. In addition, the State Personnel Board (SPB) assists most departments with those exams that are centrally administered. Throughout this handbook you will find helpful references to SPB webpages and other valuable resources. You'll want to use these outside sources to be sure to get the most up-to-date information.

Since most of you reading this handbook are currently state employees, you probably already know something about state civil service. Our objective in this publication is to review that system and--if you choose--to help you navigate through it. We'll help you take stock of your present career situation, offer some ways of preparing for a change, and outline some paths you can follow. Here at the Board, your supervisor, the Personnel Management Division, Transactions Office, the Training Section, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEO) can provide assistance where necessary. You may contact staff in the EEO Office or Personnel Management Division directly to set up an individual career counseling session. The rest is up to you. After all, you are the person most interested in your career.