promoter

program specialist

senior clerk

accounting specialist

human resources specialist

Alameda County, CA

As with all jobs, your experience is what you make it. The role I was hired for only exists in the department I was hired in during the period I was employed. For that reason, my employment years and title will be similar in nature, but not accurate, as someone could easily figure out who left this review. That being said, if you're looking for upward mobility, you will more than likely need to leave the department. Your probationary year will be one of the most challenging years you ever work, but you'll have a great team - and that's why people stay here for 2 or more decades. It's a small team that does a lot of significant work and the role is highly visible,  which could open you up for new opportunities down the line. Ultimately,  if you stick it out, you'll learn a lot and be highly coveted for other positions you apply for in the future. There is a lot of job security, if you want it, and opportunities to improve upon processes, if you push for them. 

Meeting with potential clients that are requesting county assistance and extracting the information you need in order to see if they qualify for assistance.
I learned that you do not always have clients that are in great moods because they are divulging information to you that is sometimes quite imposing and private, and if they get a bit snarky with you, you cannot take it personal. 
My management team was quite helpful and willing to assist with any and all questions.
The work environment was a typical office with a lot of different personas.
The most difficult part of my job was making sure I passed all four test in order to continue in the job, and I failed on the final test which was quite hurtful, but I learned that I needed to study harder if I decided to reapply.
What I enjoyed most about my job was being able to assist families in qualifying for assistance and being granted the aid.

Experience differs between departments and/or locations. There are too many simply waiting around to retire doing the bare minimum, too many in management who clearly didn't get there based on merit, too much workplace drama, too many dysfunctional departments (auditing in particular is a complete mess of incompetence) and too little emphasis on *quality* training for new hires. Ask the same question to five people in the same department and you may get five different answers. This is my overall assessment based on having worked in four different locations and a total of six departments over the last five years. At this point, I prefer to move on to a more functional environment.  

Pay rates are decent but benefits are lackluster compared to surrounding local government agencies. Hiring process is ridiculously extensive, which results in consistent high turnover rates. Good luck! 

I wish the written exam is not the basis of hiring full time employees in Alameda County. It should be based on experience.

Most of the time newly graduates gets hired because the subject matter of the test is still fresh in their minds. But their lack of experience pose a problem as soon as they start working.

Older employees who did not happen to be on the first 10 list ends up  as a temporary employee… they ended up training the young kids who in turn will take the same position.

I wish there’s a merit system where if the temporary employee last there for at least a year or two in the same position and is doing an excellent job, the manager will be granted an authorization to hire them as a full time employee, whether they pass the exam or not. After all, a year or two of doing the job correctly is enough proof that they are the best person that fits the job.





Absolutely one of my favorite jobs. You have to come in to work with the mind set of helping your community or it's just another job for you. There are many different departments and locations. The benefits are great if you ever had bad benefits you will agree Alameda is a major step up. It is not a given to promote up to supervisor but there are a number of positions that have a pay increase with in the position ladder. You must test when going for a position not with in your current ladder. The test are my least favorite part.

My most current job with Alameda County was an Eligibility Support Clerk. I dealt with a high demand of clients who needed assistance daily with their social services needs; I was there to meet that demand. 
In this enviroment you learn patience and extreme people skills. In life, we all go through some type of hardship at one point or another, and to be able to understand the need of people, and to be of service  to them with grace, goes along way with any position. My management team was able to deligate the appropriate duties to all employees, which allowed our job to run smoothly. 
There was no "hard" part of the job; however, knowing how to multi-task, yet assist the clients in a timely manner efficiently, at times was a challenge-but worth it.

When you apply and get an interview for a support position such as Clerk II, you could end up in any of the departments in any of the agencies - and this is a very large county! My position was not client facing, and I was able to work fairly independently. My supervisors were far from micro-managers, which was great. The culture is what you would expect from a government job - if you know what to expect. I did not, when I first started, but I soon learned it isn't nearly as stuffy and strict as I thought. Overall, everyone is respectful and helpful and my supervisors were generally supportive and understanding. 
You get what you put in: I was always on time, rarely called in, and stayed out of any potential drama - just came in, did my job, and kept to myself. 
I left in 2020, but it's a place of work I would return to.

A typical day at work includes inventory checks, massive e-mails, unloading containers, working as a liason between vendors and imployees. Productive & efficient co-workers help with receiving product and evaluating ergonomic equipment.  Courses and helpful management has helped me become more of a polished employee; i am great under pressure and I love to learn new things and acquire information.  

The hardest part of my job is learning how to pace myself; passionate to get all work done by end of shift.  The most enjoyable part of my day is knowing that I worked as hard and as efficient as possible.  I posess a great amount of ambition to get any job done.  I feel that this mentality is conducive to the quality of work done and speaks as a whole for any established company.

The content of what you learn is invaluable and essential as a Clinician. Definitely keeps you on your toes and brushing up on your clinical skills. My supervisor at the time was very unsupportive and incompetent which eventually my mistakes were not his problem even though there was a lack of training and  inconsistencies in the way he supervised. Hard work and clinical skills go unnoticed and taken for granted. This is NOT a place to accrue hours. Management will not sign off on more than 10 hours a day. I would recommend working here once you are licensed. Great place to gain experience but not great for long-term commitment. 

Pro - interesting work, great opportunity to learn about county government, staff are very responsible and great stewards for using county funds, great benefits for permanent employees.

Con - difficult and long process for the on-boarding a recruitment process for permanent work within the county.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Promoter 5 salaries reported	$60.23 per hour
Program specialist 7 salaries reported	$51.30 per hour
Senior clerk 10 salaries reported	$37.92 per hour
Accounting specialist 3 salaries reported	$38.10 per hour
Human resources specialist 3 salaries reported	$58.73 per hour

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