By Becky Holland
Residents seeking employment with the City of Cochran now have additional information about where to find job openings after questions about the city’s hiring process were followed by clarification from city officials this week.
The discussion began after the City of Cochran announced a Customer Service Representative opening on its official Facebook page. Residents questioned why the position was not listed on the city’s website and whether applicants who do not use Facebook would know the position was available.
Responding to questions in the comments Tuesday night, Mayor Carla Coley wrote, “It is posted in the following places: Indeed, glgpa.org, and glga.org. The last two sites are geared for anyone looking for government personnel jobs. Indeed is geared for any type of job. The reality is that those three sites get more traffic than the City’s Facebook page.”
On Wednesday morning, Interim City Manager Angela Redding responded by email to The Ledger, explaining that job openings are posted on the city’s homepage under the City News section and labeled “Public Notice – Job Opening.” She said employment applications are available through the website’s Employment tab and that, moving forward, job openings will also be posted there.
Redding said the city’s current openings include City Clerk, Community Development Director, Customer Service Representative and Human Resources Manager.
She acknowledged the Human Resources Manager position was not listed on the city’s website and said it would be added. She also said the Customer Service Representative position, which had been posted on Facebook, would be added to the website.
After receiving Redding’s response, The Ledger reviewed the city’s website and the employment websites referenced by Coley.
The review found job postings for the City Clerk, Community Development Director and Part-Time Laborer in the rotating City News section on the city’s homepage.
The website’s Employment Opportunities page included employment application links but did not list current openings under its Current Positions heading.
The Ledger also reviewed the Georgia Local Government Personnel Association (GLGPA) and Georgia Local Government Association (GLGA) websites.
The City Clerk and Community Development Director positions were found on GLGPA.
However, the Customer Service Representative position was not located there.
No City of Cochran job postings were found on the GLGA website during The Ledger’s review.
In addition, The Ledger searched Indeed Wednesday morning using the search terms “City of Cochran” and “Customer Service Representative” but did not locate the position. The Ledger could not determine whether the position may have been listed under different search terms, another employer name or through features available to Indeed account holders.
Following The Ledger’s review, Coley responded Wednesday afternoon to a follow-up email seeking clarification.
She said the Customer Service Representative position had been announced Thursday or Friday, but the original announcement was pulled because it did not include all of the necessary information.
Coley also wrote, “Today is Angela’s first day back in the office, but I don’t believe an entry-level CSR position would be advertised on those websites — only more specialized positions warrant postings in those locations.”
Redding said the city plans to begin posting job openings in the website’s Employment section in addition to the rotating City News section on the homepage. The Employment section already includes employment application links, and the additional postings would provide applicants with another location on the city’s website to view current openings.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Customer Service Representative position remained posted on the City of Cochran’s official Facebook page.
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