Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:  CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING December 13, 2017 AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. 

Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment.  Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states.  *Candidates who reside in a school district which, for civil service purposes is administered by the Erie County Personnel Commissioner, but who are not legal residents of Erie County may apply for examination.  However they will be certified for appointment only in the school district in which they are legal residents. 

There is one vacancy in the Town of Amherst and the annual salary is $39,037 - $53,685. The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill this vacancy and other appropriate vacancies which may occur in municipalities or districts under the jurisdiction of Erie County Civil Service while this list is active.

Examples of Duties:

A Computer Support Technician is responsible for installing, customizing and maintaining local area network operating software and supporting client PC hardware and software applications;

Provides support and implementation of local area networks by customizing vendor supplied operating software and assisting in the installation of the operating hardware;

Assists in the training and instruction of local area network users and local area network coordinators;

Implements the upgrading of work station software on local area networks;

Evaluates systems software and hardware and provides reports;

Provides support of PC hardware and assists clients in utilizing application software;

May install and maintain network cabling systems.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before December 13, 2017:

A.    Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two or four year college or university with an Associate's degree or completion of at least sixty-four credit hours in Data Processing, Computer Science or closely related program and one year of experience in local area network installation, maintenance, training or programming; or:

B.     Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three years of experience in local area network installation, maintenance, training or programming; or:

C.     An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

Under current New York State Law, candidates seeking employment with school districts in New York State will be required to undergo fingerprinting and a criminal history background check prior to appointment.  A processing fee may be required. 

Notes:

NOTES: 1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.  2. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.

All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination.

Subjects of Examination:

The examination will consist of two parts: a rated evaluation of training and experience and a qualifying PC-administered test. You must pass the evaluation of training and experience in order to take the qualifying PC-administered test. You must pass both tests in order to be considered for appointment. Only your rating on the evaluation of training and experience will be considered when computing final scores.

Rated Evaluation of Training and Experience

You will complete a questionnaire that asks for specific information on your information technology education (formal degrees, IT-related training courses, certifications) and experience. You will also be asked to briefly describe a significant achievement in each of the job's areas and to provide the name and contact information for someone who can verify your information. The information you provide about your experience will be rated against the following areas:

Help Desk

User Support

Network Administration

Data Communications

Microcomputer Repair

Qualifying Tests:

Only a sufficient number of candidates needed to fill the present vacancy will be called to take part in this qualifying portion of the examination. As additional vacancies occur, other candidates who pass the evaluation of training and experience will be invited to take the qualifying tests. 

Qualifying Multiple-Choice Test of Logical Reasoning and Interpreting Instructions for Computer-Related Positions

These questions test for ability to reason logically and interpret instructions in a computer-related context. They cover verbal and quantitative reasoning, flowchart interpretation and applying written directions. The verbal and quantitative reasoning questions include logical implications (e.g., if A and B, then C) and relations (e.g., greater than). Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is necessary, but neither mathematical sophistication nor computational speed is needed. The flowchart interpretation questions require prior knowledge of flowchart conventions. The interpreting instructions questions provide the instructions and specific rules for applying them. All the information needed to answer the questions is presented with the questions.

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Qualifying Simulation Test on Working Effectively with Others to Solve Job-Related Problems

This test requires candidates to assume the role of a staff member in an Information Technology work group who is working with colleagues during a time of change in policy or procedure, in a particular agency. During the test, candidates will be required to deal with obstacles within the working environment, which includes peer relations and the demands of handling multiple tasks. Candidates will be required to demonstrate the ability to be flexible, creative and persistent as a team player. They will also need to demonstrate the ability to cooperate, show initiative, and establish positive working relationships with peers and administrators.

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Qualifying Simulation Test of User Support and Training

The test requires candidates to assume the role of a staff member in a Help Desk support unit. Candidates will be presented with a users problem. During the course of handling the problem, candidates will be required to: demonstrate communication skills, apply troubleshooting practices and tools, determine the appropriate level of training needed by the user, and educate the user on the proper use of computers.

Qualifying test scores may be banked and applied to future examinations for titles that require the same test plan.

WAIVER POLICY FOR QUALIFYING TEST: If a candidate has previously passed an IT qualifying Test prepared by the New York State Department of Civil Service within the last two years and using the same test plan as announced, the qualifying test may be waived. A candidate requesting such a waiver must submit verifiable evidence of passing the qualifying test, including the name of the Civil Service agency that administered the test and the test date.

Retest Policy:  Candidates who fail the qualifying PC-administered test may request one retest by writing to the Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Personnel.  A waiting period of 6 months is required before the retest is administered; scheduling for retests is based on needs to fill a present vacancy.  

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**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.