Frequently Asked Questions

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• Who should I address my cover letter to?

  Although not required, you may upload a cover letter at the end of the online application process.  A number of individuals are involved in each recruitment process so we request that you address your cover letter to: Human Resources Personnel.

• What is the hiring process?

  After a job vacancy closes, resumes are shortlisted based on knowledge, skills and abilities.  When a vacancy falls within the collective bargaining unit, first consideration is given to permanent, qualified employees.

  Short listed candidates are contacted by telephone and/or email for job related testing.  Individuals who meet or exceed the minimum pass score are invited to return for a panel interview.  Candidates are contacted for testing approximately one to three weeks after the competition closing date.  Further details regarding the Application Process are available.

• How can I find out about the status of the position I applied for?

  Resumes are usually short listed within two to three weeks after the close of the competition.  Candidates who have been short listed are contacted by telephone and/or email.  Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, only those candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.

  You may view the status of a particular competition by looking at the “View Jobs” tab under Career Opportunities.

• What are the ​benefits of ​registering with ​us and ​creating a ​profile?

  By registering with us and keeping your information up-to-date, you can apply for job vacancies quickly and easily.  You then only need to sign in, click on the job you are interested in and complete the application.

  Although we do not generally source applicant information provided as part of the on-line registration process where no particular job has been selected, in the case where we're not able to find a suitable applicant from those candidates who directly respond to the job posting(s), we may scan the entire database for the skills and knowledge we require and contact you to see if you are interested.

• What does the City offer its employees in terms of ongoing professional development?

  Learning is part of everyday life at Coquitlam. Throughout the year, the City offers a variety of in-house development opportunities, including training for software skill upgrades, media relations, supervisory skills, business writing, presentation skills and teambuilding. There are also opportunities for external training for technical skill upgrades. In addition, the City has been nationally recognized for its ‘Leading with Purpose’ keadership development program, which includes the Leading With Purpose Speaker Series – quarterly sessions that feature outside speakers – and the Reading with Purpose series that introduces employees to various leadership and business effectiveness topics.

• What career opportunities are available at the City?

  Current career opportunities are listed under ​Career Opportunities, and posted on our job board beside the Human Resources counter on the 2^nd floor of City Hall.

  You can also subscribe to our “Job Notification” service on the “Register with Us” tab, which will alert you to vacancies of interest.

• Can I volunteer to work to gain experience?

  Volunteer experiences are not offered for work that is currently being done by staff. However, a wide variety of volunteering opportunities exist. Please visit our Volunteer Opportunities Section.

• I am a student looking for spring and/or summer work. Does the City hire students during this time?

  We do have job opportunities in the spring and/or summer that are ideal for students.  These positions are listed on our website and posted on our job board beside the Human Resources counter on the 2^nd floor of City Hall. Recruitment for spring/summer work will be visible on our website as early as February. To ensure you are informed of all advertised opportunities, we suggest you frequently visit the job opportunity section of our website.

• Do I have to fill out an application form?

  You will need to submit an online application for each job that you are interested in.

• Can I ​email or ​fax in my ​application?

  No. The City of Coquitlam uses an online application system for all posted/advertised vacancies. Resumes will not be accepted by fax or email. To ensure that your information is in our database, please use click on the Register with Us tab to submit your resume and/or set up your profile if you are not applying for any of our current job openings or apply online to a specific job. If you are uploading your resume to pre-populate the information, Image PDFs cannot be extracted. Please submit a WORD, Wordpad, Notepad, text PDF or other text document.

• Do I have to take any tests as part of the recruitment process?

  The components of each recruitment process vary.  However, as a general rule we conduct skill and knowledge based testing.   Candidates who are successful in meeting the minimum pass score of knowledge based exams are invited to a panel interview.  Personal electronic devices are not allowed in the testing room.

• What can I expect during the interview?

  We frequently ask behavioural based questions when conducting our interviews.  We also allow candidates to bring pen and paper into the interview as well as any prepared notes to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome.

• Does the City of Coquitlam require potential candidates to go through a criminal record search?

  As part of our recruitment process, all positions in Parks, Recreation and Culture, and various other positions in a number of departments require a satisfactory criminal record search prior to an offer of employment being made.   Civilian positions located at the RCMP detachment require an enhanced search prior to an offer of employment being made.  When required, criminal record searches are conducted at no-cost to the candidate and are one of several components of the overall recruitment process.

• Do employees of the City get preference over outside applicants in a recruitment competition?

  In accordance with our Collective Agreements, permanent employees of the City are given first consideration for unionized vacancies.  If there are no qualified internal applicants, we will consider applicants external to the City.

• Does the City accept resumes for firefighter positions?

  We do not accept resumes for the positions of career or auxiliary firefighters.  Firefighter application will be accepted through our online process when an active career or auxiliary firefighter recruitment is in progress.