SOLAR 2.0 Applicant’s Guide

The following is a general overview of the features and use of SOLAR. Additional information may be found by consulting SOLAR’s FAQs .

SOLAR features:

• User-friendly ODOT Job Search features:
• Search by:  Job Title, Classification, Category, Location or Key-word.
• On-line job application.
• Establish your own SOLAR user logon and save your applications in progress, return to SOLAR, complete your application and submit.
• Instant email notification that your application has been received.
• Applicants can use their saved application again, or adapt it to a different ODOT job opening.
• Applicants have more choices:  Can apply on-line, or print application and submit by mail or fax.
• The new PDF application (for hard copy submission) can be either handwritten or completed and saved on your computer.
• Instantly print your completed application for your records.
• Subscribers receive automatic email announcements of new ODOT job openings.
• Every page contains links to information of value for the job seeker (benefits, additional opportunities).
• FAQS help users navigate both SOLAR and the ODOT Job seeking process.

What’s on a Page?

1. Left bar
• Search by key-word
• Search by Job Title, Class, Category or Location
• Retrieve your “Applications In Progress”
•  “Quick Tips”
• Applicant's Guide
• Hiring Manager's Guide
• Hiring Manager's Logon
• Links to State and ODOT Web Sites
• Print Blank Application
• Frequently Asked Questions

2. Top drop-down menus for quick access
• SOLAR’s Home Page
• Job Categories:  (View job postings by category.)
• Contact ODOT (Submit a question or comment.)
• Subscribe (Receive email notification of new job postings in the categories you select on the day the posting goes live.)
3. Right Announcement Bar
• Features links to news of new opportunities at ODOT.
4. Center Column
• Summary list of job postings beginning with most recent postings.

Applying for an ODOT Job:

1)      Go to SOLAR Home Page www.odotjobs.com 

2)      Search for desired job posting (search tools at top of left menu bar):

·         Key word search box.  Enter key word (title, posting #, location).  Pulls all job postings that have your search word anywhere within the job posting.

·         Search By: Job Title, Class, Category, Location.  Clicking on any of these takes you to a search page with all these search tools.

·         Control (+) F Search Box:  Depress control and F keys.  Type a key word in the search box that opens, click “Find Next”, and you will be taken to the first instance of that word on that internet page.  The word will be highlighted.  Click “Find Next” again, and you will be taken to the next instance of your search word. 

3)      View desired job posting:  Click on the brown colored job title or “read more” links on the home page job summaries to go to the complete job posting.  Note:  You may preview any Additional Information by following the links at the very bottom of the job posting.

4)      If applying by mail or fax, follow the instructions in the final section of the job posting.  The new dynamic PDF application form can be hand-written or completed on your computer, printed, and saved to a flash drive or to your computer’s hard disk drive.  Full instructions are on the title page of the PDF application form.

·         If you are updating a PDF application you submitted previously, verify that you are using the application format (Full Application, TMS Application, Personal Data Sheet) that fits the job posting to which you are responding.  The orange box near the bottom of each job posting identifies the Required PDF Format for that job posting.

5)      If applying on-line:

·         Select the large black “ON LINE APPLICATION” button at the bottom of the job posting.  This opens a user Logon window. 

·         If you are a new user, establish your initial logon information in the “New User” window.  Press Submit. 

·         If you are a returning user, sign in using the “Existing User” window.  Press “Login”.  The application form will appear.

·         Before selecting On Line Application button, verify that you have added www.odotjobs.com to your computer’s trusted sites. Here's how.  (If SOLAR is not on your computer’s trusted sites list the submit button on the application form may be blocked.  You may only discover this after you have completed the application, press “next” and the application goes blank indicating you have lost all the text you entered onto the form.)

·         Note the features on the application form:

§         Session Time Remaining 120-min count down timer shows on the top of the page and immediately before the work history section. 

§         Clicking on the “Save My Application In Progress icon takes you to the bottom of the page where you can save your application in progress and reset the timer at any time. 

§         If you leave SOLAR and later return, you can recall your “Applications in Progress” from the left menu of the home page. 

§         You can finish and submit your Applications in Progress until the closing date of the job announcement for each application. 

§         Retrieve Data From Last Application button appears near the top of each application form provided you have earlier submitted an application to ODOT.  Clicking this button automatically populates the fields of the application form with the data from your last submitted ODOT application form.  You may then update the data on your application and submit it for the current job posting.

§         Click on the Brown Information Links throughout the application to receive application instructions and information about various items on the application form.

§         Complete the application form and select the “Next” button.  If Supplemental Questions are included, these will appear at this time.

·         As you work on the Supplemental Questions, note that you can save all your work at any time by selecting the “Save My Application in Progress button.  You may also go back to the application form and update any of its fields as additional information comes to mind. 

§         Complete the Supplemental Questions and select the Next button to move to the optional Equal Opportunity/Affirmation Action form.  Note that once you select the Next button from this page your application you may not return to further update your application documents.

·         On the final page, print, save and submit your completed application documents.  Your data is now saved to your personal profile.  You can retrieve it by selecting the Retrieve Data From Last Application button at the top of your next ODOT on-line application form.

After you select “Save and Submit”

You will immediately receive the following autoresponse email at the email address you entered on your on-line application form:

 

“Thank you for your interest in working for the Oregon Department of Transportation! We have received your message regarding job announcement OCDT5968 and appreciate the opportunity to consider you for this position.  Any materials you provided will be forwarded to the hiring manager for review and evaluation based upon the minimum and special requirements of the position.  Candidates who most closely meet the criteria and needs of the position will be invited to interview.  You will be notified of your status in the selection process after the close date listed on the announcement. Best wishes, ODOT Human Resources Career opportunities with the Oregon Department of Transportation, please visit: http://www.odot.state.or.us/jobs ODOT Job Line - 866-ODOTJOBS [866-636-8562] (toll-free), TTY 503-986-3854”

If you do not receive this email confirmation, your application may not have successfully submitted.  Either:

• Try again on-line (You should be able to call up your “saved” application using the instructions above.)
• Print the PDFs and submit by mail or fax
• Call ODOT for help (503) 378-6202

Subscribing to SOLAR