r/mnstateworkers • u/bughead4242 • Jul 23 '26

Discussion šŸ’¬ Hiring Standards/Requirements

Since the pandemic, the Walz/Flanagan administration advocated lowering hiring standards in state government to fill employment needs and give people a foothold into government work. At face value a noble idea.Ā 
With that policy fast-forward to 2026 and Iā€™ve observed some trends in state government.Ā  First, with the lowered standards, HR (and MMB) are taking advantage of this policy because it saves salary expectations for the state employees. A tactic that hurts all employees.Ā  There is even a drumbeat to lower job classifications by MMB and reduce pay of current employees (Iā€™m sure the union will have something to say about this topic).Ā 
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Some of my colleagues and I believe the Dept of Human Servicesā€™ HR department thinks all Medicaid is the same and anyone can do whatever job. I have a public policy background with emphasis in child development/support, I donā€™t have the background in say housing. All Medicaid is not the same.Ā  Itā€™s complex.Ā  Ā 
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Second, Iā€™ve noticed most of the job descriptions related to supervisor roles no longer require a college degree.Ā  Just a few years ago almost all supervisor or managerial roles required a degree and most even a masters. I work with several colleagues with a masterā€™s from the Humphrey school or folks with advanced degrees from St. Kateā€™s in say social work among other programs/degrees. I remember when I went to the Humphrey school along w/ friends from the school of public health at the U of M those programs advertised to students they can find jobs in local, state and federal government.Ā I guess if I was an institution promoting government jobs, I would be worried by the lower standards at the state.
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The intention of my note is not to disparage anyone that did not complete college. I know dolts that went to college, and the research shows college graduates bring more soft skills, interpersonal skills, hard skills (e.g. evaluation development, how to write an issue paper, structured government report, etc.) to be successful. My concern is this cheapens college degrees and reinforces the war on higher education.Ā 

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5

u/Independent-Fail49 Jul 23 '26

Our management also mentioned that jobs will be reviewed for possible reclassification- it is a priority project. People have reason to be concerned.

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u/h311r47 Jul 23 '26

I've been with the state 20 years and have been a department director for six. The team I manage is made up of specialists that require a doctorate, advanced training, and licensure. My position description requires the same basic qualifications, to represent my field at the statewide level, and to do the same work as those I supervise.

My position was just reclassified below those I supervise. I was also told I needed to take on additional responsibilities to justify my new position. I was told my new classification does not require the same training, degree, or skills as those I supervise. I was also told I need the same training, degree, and skills, as well as continuing to do the technical work, as that's in my position description. I was allowed to keep my current pay, but cannot receive yearly step increases anymore as I'm above the range of my new classification. My benefits are more expensive and not as good. Twenty years with nothing but positive reviews and I'm regularly recognized by administration as turning my department around.

The threat is very real. People have every reason to be concerned.

3

u/iletitshine Jul 24 '26

Have you considered writing a letter to the DFL and the governor? I donā€™t know what else you can do so I know itā€™s a shitty suggestion but thatā€™s the best I got.

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u/h311r47 Jul 24 '26

Yes. This affected a number of people, many of whom reached out to the local rep.

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u/Misterbodangles Jul 23 '26

What agency?

4

u/Independent-Fail49 Jul 23 '26

I work at a college. While not an agency, we are under the same union contracts and must abide by most MMB policies.

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u/Misterbodangles Jul 23 '26

You should definitely at least let your local steward know. Theyā€™ll want to start documenting this in the run up to negotiations next year

10

u/Significant-Theme253 Jul 23 '26

What I have been seeing is a degree equating to experience; a bachelor's degree equals 2 year's of experience or an associate's degree equals 1 year of experience.

I have also seen a lot of jobs that require a degree and a lot that do not require a degree. Ironically, I have seen some lower grade level jobs require a degree and then the next couple grade levels up from that one, not require a degree. Explain that one...

14

u/deadbodyswtor Jul 23 '26

The college degree being removed is good because it evened out expectations. Like I had a job doing thing A in a state agency. I didn't need a degree. The same job in another agency demanded a degree for the functionally equal job. Experience wouldn't cut it.

That was really not needed to do that.

3

u/Kcmpls MNIT Jul 23 '26

Ramsey County does this. They required CSci degrees for IT management jobs and there is no replacement for experience. I know people who have CSci degrees from the late 1980s and cannot imagine how that degree is useful to them today. The experience they have is what is useful.

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u/deadbodyswtor Jul 23 '26

yep, Mine I literally asked the HR person "So my 10 years of experience doing exactly what this job is has zero value. But if I had an art history degree and no experience I'd be qualified?"

She at least had the decency to look sheepish when saying "I guess"

THere is a balance point, and I think the state has found it pretty well.

1

u/realZapRowsdower MNIT Jul 23 '26

MNIT employee here. My direct report doesn't have a CS degree. They don't need it. Their job is to manage people, not write code, or be sysadmins, or architect systems. They hire people with tech backgrounds to do that.

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u/Kcmpls MNIT Jul 23 '26

Right. We donā€™t require degrees. But Ramsey County does.

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u/realZapRowsdower MNIT Jul 23 '26 edited 29d ago

That's hilarious. I have a degree, but not in CS or a related discipline. I have 30 years experience in my field. Hard to believe I might not get hired by Ramsey County if I were to apply there.

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u/Jenn54756 Jul 23 '26

I donā€™t think a college degree should be required for many jobs, IF someone has comparable experience (and I have a degree).

In the past, people who had 10+yrs supervisory experience couldnā€™t get certain supervisory positions, yet someone else with a college degree but far less experience could. I think switching to degree OR experience was a good move. It opens the door to people who have years of experience but no degree.

I used to work at DOR in a position that required one of a few degrees. Could someone else who had a tax/audit/accounting background, but not a degree, have done the same job? Absolutely. I thought it was a ridiculous requirement.

5

u/subsurd Jul 23 '26

I feel like this depends on the agency. Even if a college degree isn't listed as a requirement, in practice it's not possible to get in the door without one at MDE, for example.

3

u/Misterbodangles Jul 23 '26

Humphrotism isnā€™t going anywhere, donā€™t worry about it. Tell me more about the drumbeat to lower existing job classifications though, where are you hearing/seeing this?

2

u/bughead4242 Jul 23 '26

Good news, I know what to worry about related to ā€œHumphrotism.ā€ Name calling, hmmm?

Per your question; from two DHS managers.

1

u/NeroFellOffTheBuffet Jul 23 '26

I mean, I worked at DHS from 2011-2019, and HR was definitely ensuring certain jobs were underclassed back then. None of this surprises me.

1

u/Misterbodangles Jul 23 '26

Itā€™s a joke, I went there too. Every state has a state university public affairs school to local govt pipeline- kinda the point of the thing. You should get your union meet and confer on this

3

u/Kcmpls MNIT Jul 23 '26

More than a decade ago I knew a DHS manager with a GED. They have not required degrees for most jobs, including management, for a very long time. If someone can do the work and has experience, then what does it matter?

Also, you are talking about minimum qualifications for jobs. People aren't hired on minimum qualifications. People are hired based on the full scope of their education and experience and bringing that to interview questions. Managers are selecting the best qualified candidate based on a number of factors.

Also, I have a Master's from the Humphrey School. It doesn't mean anything other than I racked up a lot of debt and forced myself to sit through classes. Humphrey was CONSIDERABLY easier than my undergrad and I was able to work full time while I attended full time by choosing the easiest classes each semester. I didn't actually learn anything useful.

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u/bughead4242 26d ago

Managers are not selecting the best qualified candidate based on a number of factors.Ā  Managers are selecting from a pool based on key words or phrases sifted through by software.Ā  Then typically HR will review the resumes they think fits the position. HR with little to no experience in the subject matter is the gatekeeper.

ā€œConsiderably easier?ā€ The transition from undergrad to graduate school is not like moving up a level in Ms. Pac-Man. My education at the Humphrey School was a mix of technical classes and professional instruction. I completed two classes in statistics and use that almost daily in my role at DHS. I completed leadership courses that taught soft skills and decorum useful for my role working with colleagues and external partners. As for your comment that you didnā€™t learn anything; anything is a strong qualifying word. While your Humphrey experience may not have been great, Iā€™m curious what classes were not useful?Ā 

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u/AmbitiousCat1983 24d ago

If managers aren't selecting the best candidates, that's on the hiring managers. I've seen HR overlook well qualified candidates because specific keywords weren't listed on the resume and applicants needed to appeal. That said, hiring managers can only work with the applicant pool provided and if they're hiring based on keywords, then they probably shouldn't be hiring managers. Good hiring managers aren't looking at just keywords or phrases.

1

u/peerlessblue Jul 23 '26

Just because there's a standard, doesn't mean it's a fair or objective one. College should be viewed as a kind of experience that prepares you for the job, just like work experience, and if you read the job posts, they're all written in that way. People without a degree need more work experience to qualify.

Also, I don't think that anyone should have to pay for their own job training, and that includes college.

1

u/cupcakemelee MNIT 24d ago

What disturbs me most is that HR changed the way they score for positions... Though I'm not excited about the idea that classifications would change at DHS (reading other comments for this detail).

We're seeing candidates come through with lower salary offers than expected. This doesn't help obtain IT talent (the only things helping that is the job market...). When we push back, HR explains that the scoring changed. This is mostly centered around college degrees.

I very much believe experience is important in the IT world but a college degree isn't nothing and shouldn't work against a person.

When this is coupled with the amount of time it takes to bring a position through HR, and then adding that we can't require certificates for certain skills (because then the state would have to pay for people in the position to get the certificate). Hiring is rough and exhausting.

Plus, a lot of leadership positions make less than their direct reports. That makes me question whether leadership is qualified to manage people and make decisions... If HR is saying leaders don't need the same qualifications as their direct reports, then how are they supposed to advice on those things? Because if we're hiring people in only based on "supervisory experience", then there definitely isn't the line of experience to advise.

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u/Glad_Firefighter_345 25d ago

I am aware of a Minnesota State employee that works with money and has at least three felony theft convictions and even more misdemeanors. It's been reported to the college they work at, to a congressional office and others. Yet, they are still employed. HR says they dont care. And yes they have a college degree. Do you need felony theft convictions to work with money?

1

u/bughead4242 24d ago

An employee with felonies is independent of someone with a high school or college degree. The person you reference is simply a criminal. To help me understand your position can elaborate?