Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one vacancy at the Erie County Department of Information and Support Services (DISS) and one vacancy at the Department of Social Services.

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Computer Operator provides direction, training and guidance to Information Systems Operators;

Monitors operation of computers, discs, printers, tape units, work stations, microcomputers, communications equipment and other peripheral equipment for both system and hardware errors;

Operates the computer console and oversees the operation and may operate other peripheral and auxiliary equipment;

Analyzes computer operational problems and initiates appropriate action;

Refers technical problems to appropriate software specialist, programmer, systems analyst, supervisor or administrator;

Assures that all work assigned to or for the shift is completed satisfactorily by end of shift, taking into consideration estimated run time, facilities management, etc.;

Records hardware, software and applications status at end of assigned shift;

Receives incoming trouble calls and logs them into the help Desk Tracking system;

Orders emergency service calls from outside vendors to correct any critical hardware problems;

Observes indicators on console and peripheral equipment and takes necessary steps to assure the proper functioning of the machine throughout individual production runs;

Performs specialized work in the processing of prints output from a computer via the operation of a burster and pressure sealer;

Reviews finished products prior to output distribution;

Maintains records necessary for determining maintenance, operating efficiency, shift turnover, assistance calls received and action taken, etc;

Performs routine cleaning and maintenance of assigned equipment.

Qualifications:

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

A. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Associate’s degree in Data Processing, Communications, or related field and one year of data processing experience with a central processing, multi-programming computer system with console operations; or:

B. Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and two years of data processing experience with a central processing, multi-programming computer system with console operations.

Notes:

NOTES: 1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time 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.

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: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

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

1. Operation Of Computer Hardware And Peripheral Equipment: These questions test for technical knowledge and concepts relevant to information technology and the operation of a computer and associated peripheral equipment. Although the questions asked are not specific to any vendor or any model of computer, the questions on storage media and peripheral equipment cover such subjects as characteristics of tape and disk systems as storage media, basic data communications terms, and the operation of peripheral equipment.

2. Reading And Interpreting Instructions Relating To The Execution Of Computer Programs: These questions test for skill in following and applying written directions expressed as generalized operator instructions. You will be presented with generalized operating instructions and specific rules for applying them. All the information needed to answer the questions is presented in the test booklet; training on any particular computer system is not required.

3. 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.

4. Principles Of Providing User Support: These questions test for knowledge and skill in working in a user support situation. They cover such subjects as how to communicate effectively with users requesting help; how to deal with different types of situations; troubleshooting techniques; and how to gather, organize and make available technical information needed to provide support.

5. 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.

**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.