Exam Code: 5TR42
Department: Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
Exam Type: Departmental, Promotional
Bulletin Date: 07/23/2018
Final Filing Date: Continuous (cut-off for 2024: Quarterly - March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31)
Monthly Salary: $6,908.00 - $8,651.00

Exam Location(s): District 1 (Eureka), District 2 (Redding), District 3 (Marysville), District 4 (Oakland), District 5 (San Luis Obispo), District 6 (Fresno), District 7 (Los Angeles), District 8 (San Bernardino), District 9 (Bishop), District 10 (Stockton), District 11 (San Diego), District 12 (Santa Ana), and Sacramento County.

Question Title

Image
INTRODUCTION
Caltrans is pleased to annouce the posting of the Associate Right of Way Agent examination. Employment from this examination may be offered in all Districts and Sacramento.

Testing locations may not be located in all areas. Candidates may be asked to travel to the nearest testing facility at their own expense.

Any information submitted in your examination effort WILL NOT BE FORWARDED or be in the determination of your qualifications for a position.

Question Title

Image
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Caltrans is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Question Title

Image
DRUG FREE STATEMENT
It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. All applicants will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, as the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

Question Title

Image
WHO SHOULD APPLY
This is a Departmental Promotional examination for Caltrans. Applicants must be:

1) A permanent civil service appointment with Caltrans as of the final filing date in order to participate in the examination; or

2) Have been employed with Caltrans within the last three years, without a break in State civil service; or

3) A current or former employee of the Legislature for two or more years as defined in Government Code §18990; or

4) A current or former non-elected exempt employee of the Executive Branch for two or more consecutive years as defined in Government Code §18992; or

5) A person retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty as defined in Government Code §18991. Persons applying who qualify as a Veteran under Government Code Section 18991 must submit a copy of their DD214 with their Examination Application (STD. 678).

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications as stated on this announcement may apply for this examination.   Once you have taken the examination, you may not reapply for 12 months.  Candidates that are unsuccessful in the examination must wait six (6) months from the testing date before reapplying to take the examination.

Question Title

Image
FILING INSTRUCTIONS
Candidates are required to submit: 1) Standard State Application (STD.678) 

Applications (STD 678) must be received or postmarked no later than the cut-off date. Dates printed on Mobile Bar Codes, such as the Quick Response (QR) Codes available at the USPS, are not considered Postmark dates for the purpose of determining timely filing of an application. Faxed or E-mailed applications will NOT be accepted. THE EXAMINATION TITLE MUST BE INDICATED ON THE APPLICATION.

Caltrans does not accept resumes in lieu of the STD.678 State Applications. Please send the required documents listed above in order for your examination to be processed in a timely manner, incomplete submissions may cause your examination to be delayed.

File by Mail

Attention: Caltrans Examination Services (MS 86)
P.O. Box 168036, Sacramento, CA 95816-8036

File in Person

Attention: Caltrans Examination Services (MS 86)
1727 30TH Street, 1st Floor, Sacramento, CA 95816-8036

*Any information submitted in your examination effort WILL NOT BE FORWARDED or be included in the determination of your qualifications for a position.

**Candidates are responsible for obtaining proof of mailing or submission of their application to Exam Services.

Question Title

Image
POSITION STATEMENT
This is the full journey level of the Right of Way Agent series. Under general direction of a higher level Right of Way Agent, has extensive public contact representing the Department in dealings with property owners, tenants, the public and other agencies; acts as a fiduciary representative of property owners; may lead and direct the work of Right of Way Agents; must be capable of determining his/her own work schedule. Typically, activities involve considerable freedom of action. In the appraisal and acquisition processes, is responsible for appraising and/or negotiating for all types of properties including relocation or protection of public and private utility facilities. In the planning and management function, is responsible for capital and support budgeting, project scheduling and monitoring, right of way certification, preparation of route estimates, development and implementation of EDP systems, and developing and coordinating staff training and development activities. The Associate may direct and coordinate several programs, such as Planning and Management, Property Management, Utilities Relocation, Excess Lands, Relocation Assistance or Condemnation. In larger urban districts, is responsible for accomplishment of programs on one or more projects. In the Division of Right of Way, participates in assigned phases of statewide program areas including analysis and recommendations for specific program actions, prepares reports and records and may assist in analysis and development of policy.

Question Title

Image
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMITTANCE TO THE EXAMINATION
All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements for this examination by the cut-off date. By submitting your qualifications in this examination, you indicate that you read, understand, and possess the minimum qualifications required, and that the information provided is true and complete to the best of your knowledge.

NOTE: Qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as “Either I,” “or II,” “or III,” etc. For example, candidates possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern I, and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern II, may be admitted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirements.

Click on the link below to review the California State Personnel Board class specification which contain the requirements for admittance to the exam:
Associate Right of Way Agent Classification Specification

Question Title

Image
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Either I

Two years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Right of Way Agent, Range B. (Persons with eighteen months of experience as a Right of Way Agent, Range B, may be admitted to the examination but they must satisfactorily complete two years of experience at Range B before they can be considered eligible for appointment.

Or II

Experience:  Four years of experience in the acquisition of rights of way for governmental or public utility use, including at least two years of experience negotiating for the donation our purchase of lands, improvements, and rights of way for transportation facilities or other public purposes and the making of appraisals of average difficulty and experience in providing relocation assistance to displaced persons and businesses. (Experience in the California state service applied toward this requirement must include at least two years performing the duties of a class with a level of responsibility not less than Right of Way Agent, Range B.) AND

Education:

Equivalent to graduation from college.  (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.)

Question Title

Image
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of:

1.  Basic appraisal principles, methods, and sources used to prepare and write appraisal reports
2.  Basic arithmetic
3.  Basic algebra
4.  Basic geometry
5.  Organization and procedures o the Department of Transportation and transportation facilities construction and maintenance as related to the functions and principles of the Division of Right of Way
6.  Land development nd investment principles an practices
7.  Federal Highway Administration policies and procedures relative to right of way activities
8.  Laws, policies, and procedures involving the concepts of transportation facilities and their impact on the community and the environment
9.  Common methods of describing real property
10.  State and Federal relocation assistance requirements and the Relocation Assistance Program
11.  The effect on property values of deed and tract restrictions, zoning ordinances, setbacks, tax and improvements assessments, easements, and encroachments

Ability To:

1.  Speak and write English clearly and effectively
2.  Read and understand English including engineering terminology and the quasilegal terminology found, for example, in statutes relating to the California
Department of Transportation and in the laws, policies, rules, and regulations
relating to the appraisal and acquisition of property for public purposes
3.  Assemble and analyze data and be able to understand property appraisal and
the principles underlying the appraisal process
4.  Make accurate mathematical computations and calculations
5.  Reason quickly, logically, and creatively in unique and stressful situations
6.  Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with individuals contacted in
the course of their work
7.  Conduct successful right of way negotiations with the public and with
representatives of other governmental organizations
8.  Follow directions
9.  Prioritize workload and multitask effectively
10.  Lead and mentor the work of others
11.  Make accurate real property appraisals, including the appraisal of complex
parcels involving severance damages and benefits
12.  Manage, operate, maintain, and coordinate clearance of rental properties
acquired by the State
13.  Effectively coordinate and apply community and environmental concepts and
guidelines to the Right of Way Program
14.  Coordinate excess land sales
15.  Conduct complex negotiations
16.  Confer with attorneys
17.  Develop, monitor, and forecast capital and support budgets

Question Title

Image
GENERAL INFORMATION
For an examination without a written feature, it is the candidate's responsibility to contact the testing department three weeks after the cut-off date if he/she has not received his/her notice.

Applications are available at Standard State Application (STD 678), California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) offices, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and the testing department on this job bulletin.

If you meet the requirements stated on this bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirement does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination will be compared with the performance of the others who take this test, and all candidates who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Caltrans reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all competitors will be notified.

Candidates needing special testing arrangements due to a disability must complete an STD679 and submit with the requested examination materials.

General Qualifications: Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and the ability to work cooperatively with others; and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.  Eligibility lists may be abolished at anytime after one year, per Departmental needs.  It is the candidates responsibility to maintain eligibility throughout the hiring process.

If High School Equivalence is Required: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Educational Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the candidate is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Question Title

Image
VETERANS' PREFERENCE
Veterans' Preference will not be granted in the examination as it does not meet the requirements to qualify for Veterans' Preference.

Question Title

Image
CAREER CREDITS
Career Credits will not be added to the final score of this examination.

Question Title

Image
CONTACT INFORMATION
General questions on how to apply?  Click HERE for video tutorials.

For more information regarding this examination, please call the Exam Reception Line at (916) 227-7858 or email the Exam Analyst at Darren.Gee@dot.ca.gov.

Question Title

Image
EXAMINATION INFORMATION
This examination will consist of two (2) phases:
A Written (Multiple – Choice) section weighted at 50%
A Modified Qualifications Appraisal Panel (ModQAP) Section weighted at 50%

In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum combined score of 70% must be attained.

For the ModQAP section of the examination, accepted candidates will participate in the examination using a computer to type their responses. 

The Written and Modified Qualifications Appraisal Panel will be an in-person examination and is anticipated to be administered on a quarterly basis.

Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis and will be processed quarterly. Quarterly cut-off dates are as follows: March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, December 31st. Testing is considered continuous, as new test dates can be set at any time as the departmental needs warrant.

***If reasonable accommodation is required to take the examination, please mark the appropriate box on question #10 on the State Application and complete the STD. 679 form and submit with the STD. 678 State Application.
If Veterans’ Preference is Warranted: Pursuant to Assembly Bill 372, Veterans’ Preference will be awarded as follows, starting January 1, 2014:

1.    Any veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran, who achieves a passing score in an open examination, shall be ranked in the top rank of the resulting eligibility list.
2.    Any veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released is not eligible for Veterans’ Preference.
3.    Veterans’ Preference is not granted once a person achieves permanent civil service status (Permanent State civil service status means the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This includes permanent intermittent, part-time, and full-time appointments. In addition, individuals who at any time achieved permanent State civil service status and subsequently resigned or were dismissed from State civil service are not eligible to receive Veterans’ Preference).

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans’ Preference are on the

Veterans’ Preference Application (CalHR Form 1093) which is also available at CalHR and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

If Career Credits is Warranted: In Open, Non-promotional examinations, Career Credits are granted to: 1) State employees with permanent civil service status, 2) full-time employees of the state who are exempt from State civil service pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution, and who meet all qualification requirement specified by the Board and have 12 consecutive months of service in an exempt position, and 3) individuals who have served one full year in, or are graduates of, the California Conservation Corps (eligibility shall expire 24 months after graduation from the California Conservation Corps). Three points are added to the final test score of those candidates who meet the above criteria, and who are successful in the examination. Such examinations cannot be for managerial positions described in Government Code Section 3513. Competitors not currently employed in State civil service who have mandatory reinstatement rights may also be eligible for career credits, but they must explain their service status in the appropriate section of the application Form 100-678. (Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution is posted at the State Personnel Board, 801 Capitol Mall and Sacramento).
( Privacy & Cookie Notice

T