Principal Clerk, PROM #72-705

GENESEE COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES

COUNTY BUILDING I, BATAVIA, NEW YORK

ANNOUNCES

A PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION FOR:

PRINCIPAL CLERK, PROM #72-705

(Genesee County only)

SALARY:  $17.53 - $20.15 per hour (2019) Genesee County.

VACANCY:  This examination is being held to establish an eligible list to fill future vacancies as they occur. An eligible may receive only one permanent appointment from this list. Once appointed, there will be a Probationary Period of 8-26 weeks based on performance of duties. During this probationary period the Department Head has the ability to terminate employment, without cause.

ELIGIBLE LIST: ONLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES EMPLOYED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT WHERE THE VACANCY EXISTS WILL BE CERTIFIED FROM THE ELIGIBLE LIST.

LAST FILING DATE----------APRIL 3, 2019

EXAMINATION DATE----------MAY 11, 2019

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the last filing date:

Applicants must be current employees of Genesee County with two (2) years of full-time, permanent, competitive status in grade 9 or higher, having served continuously in such capacity prior to the date of the written examination, and must continue such employment through the period leading to the date of appointment from this Eligible List, [PLEASE INDICATE ALL RELEVANT EXPERIENCE ON YOUR APPLICATION].

NOTE: PHOTO ID WILL BE REQUIRED ON THE DAY OF THE EXAMINATION.

CANDIDATES, PLEASE NOTE: It is vital that you submit, with your application, all information necessary to show your qualification for examination.  APPLICATIONS WHICH DO NOT SHOW TRAINING AND/OR EXPERIENCE TO MEET MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS WILL BE DISAPPROVED, AND WE WILL NOT REFER TO OTHER APPLICATIONS ON FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

NOTE – FILING FEES: (The acceptance of your application is dependent upon your following these instructions accurately):

A fee of $20.00 is required for each separately-numbered examination for which you apply.  The required fee must accompany your application.  The fee may be submitted in the form of either CASH or CREDIT CARD (if delivered in person), PERSONAL CHECK or MONEY ORDER, (if by mail).  Personal Checks and Money Orders must be payable to the GENESEE COUNTY TREASURER.  Please write the examination number(s) on your personal check or money order.  YOUR APPLICATION FEE WILL NOT BE REFUNDED if you do not meet the requirements for admission to the examination. Compare your qualifications carefully to the requirements stated on the announcement and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified. A waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are receiving unemployment and are primarily responsible for the support of a household.  In addition, a waiver of application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible for Medicaid, or are receiving Supplemental Security Income payments, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Family assistance or Safety Net Assistance, or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency.  All claims for application fee waiver are subject to verification.  In order for us to verify your eligibility for an application fee waiver, you must complete a “Request for Fee Waiver” form and submit it with your application by the close of business on the Last Filing Date as indicated on the Examination Announcement. The “Request for Fee Waiver” form can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020 or from our website, www.co.genesee.ny.us.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

Acts as secretary to an Administrator;

Maintains complex indexing, coding and filing systems;

Maintains complex activity control records, schedules work loads and flow, and coordinates the work with that of other units;

Assists superiors in the preparation of budget information, collection of data, compiling statistics, and solution of personnel problems;

Revises and develops improved work procedures and methods, and implements those approved by superiors;

Plans, assigns and reviews clerical work, and may instruct employees in the details of specialized tasks;

Supervises and participates in the maintenance of routine financial and other control records not requiring specialized account-keeping training;

May act as liaison between other agencies and the department;

Answers correspondence not involving policy decisions, and supervises the preparation of other correspondence;

Assembles material for, and prepares, regular and supplemental calendars;

Operates duplicating, photo-copy, and other office machines including computers;

Prepares a variety of reports in accordance with established procedures.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in the following areas:

1.   Office Management

2.   Office Record Keeping

3.   Preparing Written Material

4.  Supervision

5.   Understanding and Interpreting Written Material

SE OF A CALCULATOR IS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS EXAMINATION.  QUIET, HAND-HELD, SOLAR OR BATTERY POWERED CALCULATORS ARE PERMITTED.  CELL PHONES OR DEVICES WITH TYPEWRITER KEYBOARDS ARE PROHIBITED.

EXPANDED SUB-TEST DESCRIPTION: Office Management-These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices of planning, organizing and controlling the activities of an office and directing those performing office activities so as to achieve predetermined objectives such as accomplishing office work within reasonable limits of time, effort and cost expenditure. Typical activities may include but will not be restricted to: simplifying and improving procedures, increasing office efficiency, improving the office work environment and controlling office supplies.

Office Record Keeping-These questions test your ability to perform common office record keeping tasks. The test consists of two or more sets of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of data from several sources; scheduling; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

Preparing Written Material-These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

Supervision-These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

Understanding and Interpreting Written Material-These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

CROSS-FILING:If you have applied for other local government or state examinations, call or write to each civil service agency to make arrangements no later than two weeks before the date of the examinations.  You must notify all local government civil service agencies with whom you have filed an application of the test site at which you wish to take your examinations.  The “Cross-filer Form” for GeneseeCounty can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main St., Batavia, NY14020 or from our website, www.co.genesee.ny.us.

NOTE: Religious Accommodations, Persons with Disabilities or Active Military: If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on your application. An explanation of your need for special testing accommodations must be attached to your application.  If due to disability – medical documentation must be provided.

ACTIVE MILITARY MEMBERS: Any member of the armed forces of the United States who has duly filed an application to compete in a scheduled competitive examination but was deprived of the opportunity to compete in the examination due to active military duty could be provided with a special military make-up examination. Current members of the Armed Forces may apply for Veteran’s credits by filing an “Application for Veteran’s Credits” (Form VC-1).  The “Application for Veteran’s Credits” can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main St., Batavia, NY 14020 or from our website at, www.co.genesee.ny.us. Proof of military status must also be presented and verified in order for consideration of granting of “conditional” Veteran’s credit.  Acceptable proof may include a military I.D. card, military orders, or other official military document that substantiates active military service at time of exam. This documentation and VC-1 Form must be received prior to the establishment of the Eligible List for this examination.  The “conditional” status of the additional credits will remain until proof is provided indicating that the service was in time of war and that the veteran received an honorable discharge, or was released under honorable circumstances.

VETERANS: Additional credits are available to veterans who meet certain established requirements.  Veterans who have not exhausted their credits should make application for their use, if desired.  A COMPLETED APPLICATION FOR VETERANS CREDITS (FORM VC-1) AND a COPY OF SEPARATION PAPERS (FORM DD-214) MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE THE ELIGIBLE LIST FOR THIS EXAMINATION IS ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO UTILIZE ADDITIONAL CREDITS.  DISABLED VETERANS MUST SUBMIT, IN ADDITION, A COPY OF FORM VC-3 (AUTHORIZATION FOR DISABILITY RECORD). The “Application for Veteran’s Credits” can be obtained at Genesee County Human Resources, 15 Main St., Batavia, NY14020 or from our website at, www.co.genesee.ny.us.

ADDITIONAL CREDIT AUTHORIZED:  Additional credits shall be allowed for children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty, as “child” in this section in competitive examinations for original appointment.  (a) On all eligible lists resulting from competitive examinations, the names of eligible persons shall be entered in the order of their respective final earned ratings on examinations, with the name of the eligible person with the highest final earned ratings at the head of such list, provided, however, that for the purpose of determining final earned ratings, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten (10) points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served.  (b) Such additional credit shall be added to the final earned rating of such child, as the case may be, after he or she has qualified in the competitive examination and shall be granted only at the time of establishment of the resulting eligible list.

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS: College graduates with student loans may be eligible to have part of their loan paid for after being employed in a full-time position at Genesee County. Additional information is available at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/public-service-loan-forgiveness.pdf.

SENIORITY CREDITS: Candidates who pass the written and qualifying tests will have seniority credits added to their scores as follows:

Less than 1 year                                    0 points

1 year up to 6 yrs.                                   1 point

over 6 yrs. up to 11 yrs.                         2 points

over 11 yrs. up to 16 yrs.                       3 points

over 16 yrs. up to 21 yrs.                       4 points

over 21 yrs. up to 26 yrs.                       5 points

PLACE TO FILE: To get an application, come in or send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Genesee County Human Resources, County Building I, 15 Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020 or download from website: www.co.genesee.ny.us. Phone 344-2550, Ext. 2223.

Applications mailed to us must be postmarked with a date no later than the last filing date indicated on this announcement.

All correspondence will be sent only to the address provided on the application for examination. It is your responsibility to inform the Genesee County Human Resources office of any change of address. Correspondence returned for incorrect address will not be forwarded.  All address changes must be submitted to the Genesee County Human Resources office in writing.