Southern California Job Seekers Can Use New State AI Tool

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - Southern California residents looking for state jobs
can use a new artificial intelligence-powered tool today to identify career
opportunities that match their skills and experience.
  

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the Skills Matching tool Monday. The new
feature is available through the state's CalCareers website, allowing job
seekers to upload their resumes and receive recommendations for state
employment classifications that align with their qualifications.
  

Newsom said the technology is intended to simplify California's hiring
process and help applicants identify potential career paths without having
to navigate the state's extensive classification system.
  

``We're taking the search out of finding a state job -- and connecting
people directly to roles that are right for them. There's no reason this
process should be this onerous -- especially when we have the tools and
technology to make accessing state jobs easier,'' Newsom said.
  

The tool was developed through a partnership between the California
Department of Human Resources and the state's Office of Data and Innovation. It
uses generative artificial intelligence to analyze an applicant's resume and
suggest state job classifications based on the person's skills and experience.
  

According to the governor's office, information from uploaded resumes
and conversations is not stored or saved on the website. Each use begins a new
session without retaining data.
  

``I'm proud of the work our teams have done to pioneer the AskCA
engine, a critical feature supporting Californians seeking employment with the
state,'' Monica Erickson, director of the California Department of Human
Resources, said in a statement. ``This tool will help hundreds of thousands of
applicants understand where to begin their search and cut through the
specialized terminology of state classifications.''
  

The tool uses technology developed for AskCA, another state initiative
designed to help residents access government services related to
employment, starting businesses and recovering from disasters.
  

Since its preliminary launch, the Skills Matching prototype has
received approximately 21,500 clicks from people exploring the tool, according
to state officials. Nearly 8,000 users have submitted resumes or other
information to receive job classification recommendations, officials said.
  

The new tool is part of a broader effort to streamline hiring for
state positions, including changes intended to reduce application screening
times and eliminate duplicative recruitment procedures.
  

State officials said an Accelerated Hiring Guide introduced in
partnership with the Government Operations Agency and State Personnel Board is
estimated to save more than 500,000 hours of staff time annually.
  

The guide is designed to reduce applicant screening times by 80% to
85% by allowing departments to defer minimum qualification checks until
candidates are selected for interviews.
  

The state is also simplifying hiring for certain licensed
professionals, including marriage and family therapists and clinical
counselors, by allowing applicants to use existing professional licenses or
certifications instead of completing a full state examination, officials said.
  

Another initiative combines vacancies across multiple departments into
shared job announcements, an approach intended to reduce administrative
work and speed up hiring.
  

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration recently
adopted a similar recruitment model, resulting in 23 student hires during its
first hiring event, according to the governor's office.
  

The new job-matching system follows other state efforts to expand the
use of artificial intelligence in government operations.
  

Those efforts include the state's AskCA initiative and Engaged
California, an online public engagement platform initially tested with people
affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.
  

Job seekers can access the Skills Matching tool through
https://calcareers.ca.gov/.