**********************Application Fee Waiver**********************

Employees of Erie County CSEA collective bargaining unit shall have all fees associated with County provided promotional civil service examinations waived.

Residence Requirements:

The eligible list resulting from this examination will also be used to fill present and future vacancies in Erie County Departments, Towns, Villages, School Districts and Special Districts. In each case, certification may be limited to legal residents of the jurisdiction in which the vacancy exists. **Successful candidates will be considered for appointment only in the jurisdiction in which they were employed at the time of the written test. The salary range for Erie County Departments is $32,159 - $38,990 annually. Salaries vary among other jurisdictions.

The eligible list resulting from this examination WILL NOT  supersede currently existing promotional eligible lists for this title, if any. The duration of all promotional eligible lists is four years from date of establishment unless otherwise indicated.

Examples of Duties:

An Account Clerk performs performing clerical operations of average difficulty in connection with fiscal, budgetary and accounting records and may involve public contact and communication;

Maintains registers of account distribution, warrants, vouchers, purchase orders and requisitions;

Posts to subsidiary ledgers;

Totals registers and subsidiary ledgers;

Checks extensions and totals;

Maintains simple account files;

Checks reimbursement claims for accuracy and completeness and to determine if they are in order;

Maintains records of petty cash fund; Reconciles totals against individual accounts;

Examines State charge approvals for status of claim;

Maintains records and controls of accounts handled;

Maintains receiving reports; reconciles bank statements;

Assists in compiling fiscal data and preparing reports;

May assist in the maintenance of payroll records;

Pre-audits vouchers for accuracy and conformity before presentation for payment;

Encumbers departmental funds; Receives cash and check payments tendered in person by individuals and by mail;

Makes out receipts;

Develops and maintains inventory control and distributes supplies;

Operates an alpha-numeric keyboard to transcribe data directly to a computer;

Utilizes enhanced computer systems and equipment in the completion of assigned clerical tasks;

Balances amount received against journal entries and receipts;

May schedule appointments and works with the public regarding account issues, delinquencies and arrangement of repayment plans;

Assists the public, gives information and answers inquiries either personally or by telephone;

Follows up on correspondences with the public as well as with the necessary personnel at the department, agency or authority.

Qualifications:

Candidates must be permanently employed in the competitive class and must be serving and have served continuously on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class for 12 months immediately preceding the date of the written test in a lower level clerical position (JG I, II or III) plus the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two (2) year college or university with an Associate's degree in Accounting; or:

B) Completion of a minimum of 60 semester credit hours at a regionally accredited or New York State registered two (2) or four (4) year college or university, which included sixteen (16) semester credit hours in Accounting; or:

C) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and one (1) year of experience in the maintenance of financial records and accounts; or:

D) Five (5) years of business or office experience, one (1) year of which must have involved the maintenance of financial records and accounts; or:

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

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
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.

Applicants for designated positions in the Department of Social Services that may have access to federal tax information to perform his/her job duties shall be subject to a suitability background check investigation, including FBI fingerprinting, local law enforcement check, and verification check of citizenship/residency. A criminal record does not necessarily disqualify applicants from employment, rather an individualized determination will be made. The cost of the background check will be assumed by the Department of Social Services

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 is making a copy of A Guide to the Written Test for the Entry-Level Account / Audit Clerical Series available on its web site at www.cs.state.ny.us/testing/localtestguides.cfm. In addition, a copy of this test guide can also be obtained at our local civil service office. You may obtain a copy by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope (size required to accommodate the guide – manila 10" x 13") to the Erie County Personnel Department, 95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 or by picking one up in person at Room 604.

Subjects of Examination:

Subject of Examination Written test designed to test for knowledge, skills and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. OPERATIONS WITH LETTERS AND NUMBERS: These questions test your skills and abilities in operations involving alphabetizing, comparing, checking and counting. The questions require you to follow the specific directions given for each question which may involve alphabetizing, comparing, checking and counting given groups of letters and/or numbers.

2. ARITHMETIC COMPUTATION WITH CALCULATOR: These questions test for the ability to use a calculator to do basic computations. Questions will involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You may also be asked to calculate averages, to use percents, and to round an answer to the nearest whole number. 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.

3. ARITHMETIC REASONING: These questions test your ability to solve an arithmetic problem presented in sentence or short paragraph form. You must read the problem, understand the situation presented, decide what must be done to solve it, and apply the appropriate arithmetic operation(s) in the appropriate order in order to determine the correct solution. Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is necessary. Questions may also involve the use of percents, decimals, and fractions. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solarpowered 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.

INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES

 Unless otherwise indicated, the eligible list resulting from this examination will have a duration of four years and will not supersede existing promotional lists, if any.

RATINGS REQUIRED:  Test is rated on a scale of 100 with a passing mark at 70.  Test instructions may further divide the tests into parts and set minimum standards for each part.

Points will be added to scores of candidates who achieve a passing mark as follows: Seniority:  For each year of service in the classified service:

Less than 1 year……………………..................…0 points

1 year up to 6 years…………….…........................1 point

Over 6 years up to 11 years.....………......….........2 points

Over 11 years up to 16 years….…........….........…3 points

Over 16 years up to 21 years………..................…4 points

Over 21 years………………………..................…5 points

VETERANS:  Disabled and non-disabled veterans as defined in Section 85, New York State Civil Service Law, will have 5 and 2.5 points, respectively added to their earned scores if successful in the PROMOTIONAL examination.  You must claim these credits when you file application but you have an option to waive them any time prior to appointment.  If you have already used these credits for a permanent position in NYS, you may not claim them again.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $15.00 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.