Emergency Communication Officer

Hays County Sheriff's Office Employment Information

The purpose of this "Information Sheet" is to inform you of the Hays County Sheriff's Office procedures for employment and the function of our Human Resources (HR). Our HR Department screens applicants ensuring minimum job qualifications are met and then places the applications in the first step of our employment process.

The application must be in the Hays County Sheriff's Office Human Resources Department by the deadline. Deadlines may be shortened or extended at the discretion of the Elected Officials or Department Heads of Hays County Sheriff's Office. Applications will be accepted only for posted positions. Some postings are "open until filled" or are considered permanent postings allowing the department to maintain a pool of applicants for future vacancies.

To be accepted, applications must be complete. They will only be accepted for positions that are posted. Incomplete applications submitted will not be moved forward in the hiring process.

Step 1 – Request Application

Before you request your application, please read through this information sheet entirely. To request an application you must click on the green "APPLY" button at the top right corner of the job posting page. This link will take you to a form which must be completed and submitted. When this form is received by the Hays County Human Resources Department, you will receive an email from Guardian Alliance Technologies (usually within 1 to 3 business days). Follow the instructions in the email to access this software to complete the application process.

Step 2 – Completion of Personal History Questionnaire (Application)

Once you have created an account for the Guardian Software and successfully logged in you will be able to choose to "Proceed to Application" or "Withdraw Application." (At the top of the page you will see a "Help" link which will take you to a series of video tutorials which applicants are encouraged to watch.) Next you will follow the link to "Proceed to Questionnaire". The questionnaire must be completed in its entirety before you continue in the process. If the questionnaire is not completed it will be assumed that you will have withdrawn your application. (For positions with no closing date, applicants may receive email notification of anticipated testing dates and must have completed the questionnaire prior to receiving an invitation to testing).

Note: You may also upload a resume into the "Miscellaneous Documents" section in Guardian. This resume will not take the place of the questionnaire, but may be used to list other skills, qualifications, etc. that pertain to the position for which you are applying. No other documents are required to be completed or uploaded at this time for the preliminary screening.

If you are in need of reasonable accommodations for the application or interview process please call View phone number on click.appcast.io during normal office hours (Monday- Friday 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.) to request your accommodation and we will be happy to assist you with the request.

Your information MUST be accurate and complete with all questions being answered. Your application will be reviewed for completion.

Step 3 – Preliminary Background Check

All applications will be reviewed to identify the best qualified applicants. A preliminary background check will be conducted on these applicants.

Step 4– Testing

When you have passed the preliminary background check, you will be scheduled for testing. Depending upon what position you are applying for, you will be scheduled for any required tests, such as: written, typing, CritiCall, and/or physical agility.

Physical agility tests are only required of Correction Officer, Peace Officer and Animal Control applicants. If you are interested in practicing the Physical Fitness exams before your official exam date, please contact the Training Academy at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io to set up a date and time with a Training Academy Instructor. The Training Academy staff is available during normal business hours.

Correction Officer Applicants:

Not timed:

Load 5 (five) rounds into a magazine

Rack slide on a Glock one (1) time

Timed:

Applicants will run approximately 100 yards around the parking lot, carry a 30lb airpack weaving through 6 cones, drag a 175lb dummy approximately 10 yards, sprint approximately 30 yards carrying a 25lb weight, perform five (5) trigger pulls with each hand (revolver- 10-12lb trigger pull). Maximum time is one minute and thirty seconds (1:30).

Peace Officer Applicants :

Exam will begin with the Applicant sitting in a patrol car with seatbelt on and both hands on the wheel. Time will start once the participant releases the seatbelt. Participant will exit the patrol vehicle and sprint approximately 300 yards and then begin the O-Course. Applicant will be required to navigate the Over/Unders, climb a chain link fence, jump thru 3 windows, drag a 175lb dummy approximately 10 yards, weave thru the poles, sprint approximately 30 yards, perform five (5) trigger pulls with each hand (revolver- 10-12lb trigger pull). Maximum time is Three minutes and fifty seconds (3:50).

Additional Notes:

• Applicants will be given three attempts at each obstacle, if they cannot complete an obstacle then they will be required to go around the obstacle and receive a 30 second penalty.
• While navigating the obstacle course the applicant will receive a 30 second penalty if any of the marked red areas are touched during the course. The red areas will be defined prior to the testing along with other instructions.

Flesch-Kincaid:

As part of the employment process for Deputy positions, applicants are required to complete a Flesch-Kincaid test to ensure that candidates can effectively process spoken information and accurately document it in a clear, professional written format.

During the test:

• A proctor will read a report aloud.
• Applicants are expected to take notes during the reading.
• After the reading, applicants will have 45 minutes to write their own report based on the information provided.

Typing Test:

Below are the positions and the minimum words-per-minute (WPM) typing speeds required:

• Corrections Officers, Corrections Specialists, and Animal Control Officers – Minimum 15 WPM
• Deputy / School Resource Officers – Minimum 21 WPM
• Emergency Communications Officers – Minimum 35 WPM
• All Other Positions – Minimum 25 WPM

Written Test:

Peace Officer candidates are required to complete a written exam consisting of four timed sections, with a total testing time of approximately 1.5 hours. A minimum passing score of 70 is required to advance in the hiring process.

All other applicants will take a written test lasting 45 minutes, which includes sections on general knowledge, writing, and mathematics. A minimum score of 70 is also required to move forward in the selection process.

Emergency Communication Officer Testing:

Applicants are required to take the CritiCall exam, which will be administered in the Human Resources Office.

• Candidates will have up to 3 hours to complete the exam.
• A minimum score of 80 is required to advance in the hiring process.

This exam is designed to assess multitasking, data entry, decision-making, and communication skills essential for success in emergency dispatch roles.

Step 5 - Interview

Applicants successfully passing the pre-employment testing will then go before the Interview Board who will identify the final candidate(s).

Step 6 – Full Background Check

Failure to provide accurate and truthful information, or any misrepresentation of the truth, on the application could result in you being disqualified from our employment process. ***All documents required for your position must be uploaded in Guardian before full background check can be completed.

Step 7 – Contingent Employment Offer

After successfully completing the full background check, you will either be placed on our employment list or if a position is available, you will be scheduled for any pre-employment medical testing and exams such as a drug screen, physical, and/or psychological test. You may be required to take a medical exam (physical and/or psychological) as part of the conditional offer for the position you are applying for. If required, it will be done at the expense of the county prior to making you an offer of employment.