Secretarial Stenographer

Modified: January 30, 2020 12:42pm

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Secretarial Stenographer

#66-734 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

Salary: $38,863 – $48,936 Annually
Opening Date: January 30, 2020
Closing Date: February 19, 2020
Application fee: $20.00

Residence Requirements:

THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation. 

Examples of Duties:

Secretarial Stenographer performs advanced stenographic and clerical tasks involving material of a confidential or semi-confidential nature; 

Takes and transcribes confidential dictation, correspondence and reports, for supervisor, including legal, medical and other technical terminology;

Maintains confidential files, records and accounts;

Assists in compiling budget data;

Collects and verifies data;

Compiles reports for review by supervisor;

Receives and directs callers; makes appointments;

Prepares and maintains records of the office such as purchase specifications, contracts, requisitions, etc.;

Secures requested information on departmental matters from other departments, general public and agencies for supervisor by phone, personal contact, file searches, etc.;

Takes minutes of meetings and transcribes same;

Composes routine letters;

Opens and distributes departmental mail;

Maintains personnel and payroll records for department;

Exercises supervision or partial supervision over one or more clericals or typists;

Operates electronic software applications for transcribing and entering data;

Utilizes enhances computer systems and equipment in the completion of assigned clerical tasks.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A.) Completion of one (1) year of study at a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or business school supplemented by courses in stenography and typing and three (3) years of office experience including stenography and typing; or:

B.) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma supplemented by courses in stenography and typing, and four (4) years of office experience, including stenography and typing; or:

C.) Six (6) years of office experience, including stenography and typing; or:

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

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.

Examination date:

March 28, 2020

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

February 19, 2020

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 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

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

Grammar/Usage/Punctuation The grammar and usage questions test for the ability to apply the basic rules of grammar and usage. The punctuation questions test for a knowledge of the correct placement of punctuation marks in sentences. You will be presented with sets of four sentences from each of which you must choose the sentence that contains a grammatical, usage, or punctuation error. Keyboarding practices These questions test for a knowledge of preferred practices in such areas as letter format, capitalization, hyphenation, plurals, possessives, word division, word and figure style for numbers, and common proofreading marks. In addition, there will be a passage to proofread followed by questions on how to correct the errors in the passage. Office practices These questions test for a knowledge of generally agreed-upon practices governing the handling of situations which typists, stenographers, secretaries, and office assistants encounter in their work, as well as a knowledge of efficient and effective methods used to accomplish office tasks. The questions cover such topics as planning work flow; setting priorities; dealing effectively with staff, visitors, and callers; filing and retrieving information; safeguarding confidentiality; using office equipment; and making procedural decisions and recommendations which contribute to a well-managed office. Spelling These questions test for the ability to spell words that are used in written business communications. 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. Working with office records These questions test your ability to work with office records. 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 numerical data from several sources; 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.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

 

 

**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.