GRADUATE STUDENT ASSISTANT

About the role

The Office of Human Resources, Testing and Selection Unit (TSU) is seeking a highly motivated Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) with an interest in Human Resources, Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology, or closely related fields, focusing on selection methods in pre-employment hiring.

The selected candidate will gain hands-on experience in pre-employment hiring and examination processes by assisting with the development and validation of various selection tools, including structured interviews, practical exercises, work sample exercises, multiple-choice tests, and minimum qualifications reviews.

The GSA will be assigned to one of two teams:

• Examinations Team: Responsible for administering examinations for the Department of Justice (DOJ). Duties include conducting job analyses, facilitating stakeholder meetings, developing examination content (interviews, presentations, in-basket exercises, multiple-choice written examinations, training and experience assessments, and Statement of Qualifications), administering examinations, reviewing minimum qualifications, and establishing eligibility lists for hire. This team also completes minimum qualifications reviews for non-DOJ examinations and collaborates on special projects.
• Assessment Consultation Team (ACT): Supports department hiring managers by providing consultation and creating hiring assessments to evaluate applicant knowledge, skills, and abilities. ACT develops structured interviews, writing exercises, work sample and performance tests, and multiple-choice tests, and conducts psychometric evaluations of test performance. This role offers experience in a wide range of assessment modalities, item and test analysis, and consultative practices.

Responsibilities

• Assist in developing and validating selection tools such as structured interviews, practical exercises, work samples, and multiple-choice tests.
• Learn skills related to test development, interview question creation, and other assessments.
• Support TSU consultants and develop consulting skills through meetings with hiring managers and subject matter experts.
• Participate in job analyses, stakeholder meetings, and examination content development (if assigned to the Examinations Team).
• Create and evaluate hiring assessments, applying best practices in selection and I-O psychology (if assigned to the Assessment Consultation Team).
• Conduct psychometric evaluations of test performance where applicable.

Working Conditions

This position is eligible for telework and is currently remote-centered, but requires in-person attendance on a recurring basis. The selected candidate may need to report to DOJ headquarters in Sacramento for job functions, in-person meetings, or trainings. Travel expenses for required office attendance are the responsibility of the employee. Telework schedules are subject to change and may be reevaluated at any time.

Pay

• Graduate Student Assistant:
  • $3,724.00 - $4,141.00 (Range A)
  • $4,021.00 - $4,471.00 (Range B)
  • $4,167.00 - $4,679.00 (Range C)
  • $4,340.00 - $4,873.00 (Range D)
• Student Assistant (Shall Consider):
  • $3,167.00 - $3,480.00 (Range A)
  • $3,389.00 - $3,724.00 (Range B)
  • $3,623.00 - $3,988.00 (Range C)
  • $3,878.00 - $4,268.00 (Range D)

New to State candidates will be hired into the minimum salary of the classification or minimum of alternate range when applicable.

Benefits

• Work-life balance
• 11 paid holidays
• Flexible paid leave options
• Consistent wage increases
• Pension retirement
• Job stability
• Health/Dental/Vision Insurance
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Department Information

This position is located in the Division of Administrative Services, Office of Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Testing and Selection Unit. It will be filled as a Temporary Appointment Authorization (TAU), intermittent appointment.

Number of Positions: 2

Work Location: Sacramento County