Senior Clerk

Modified: March 10, 2021 12:22pm

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

Senior Clerk

#42-258 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

Salary: Salaries Vary
Opening Date: March 10, 2021
Closing Date: March 31, 2021
Application fee: $15.00

Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST 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.

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.

The eligible list resulting from this examination will supersede Eligible List #42-222, held April 27, 2019.

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. The salary range for Erie County Departments is $30,955 - $37,409 annually. Salaries vary among the other jurisdictions.

Examples of Duties:

Senior Clerk  performs a variety of clerical duties of average difficulty;

Examines and verifies records, compiles reports, maintains files, posts, performs simple mathematical computations, maintains payroll and attendance records and acts as a receptionist;

Sorts, distributes, codes and files department records and correspondence;

Acts as receptionist directing callers, securing form data required such as medical histories, making appointments;

Answers telephone and gives out information from office records;

Examines maps to determine location and other data;

Verifies payments and receipts with records, inventories and compiles report data from office records;

Maintains office supplies, supply inventory records, prepares discrepancy reports;

Searches files;

Prepares patient records;

Maintains file and record controls;

Collects and verifies readily obtainable statistical data;

Posts to, and keeps, local medical, legal and like files and records;

Maintains payroll, attendance and other personnel records for department;

Computes prices and extensions on bills and receipts;

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

Maintains records of petty cash fund;

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

Qualifications:

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

Graduation from a standard senior high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and one year of office clerical experience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

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. Completion of a post high school secretarial course, which included typing and had a duration of at least one school year, may be substituted for the required experience. Additional office clerical experience which included typing, may be substituted for the required experience. Additional office clerical experience which included typing, beyond the one year requirement, may be substituted for high school on a year for year basis;

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.

Examination date:

May 1, 2021

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

March 31, 2021

The New York State Department of Civil Service is making a copy of A Guide to the Written Test for the Senior Stenographer/Senior Typist 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:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

SPELLING – These questions test for the ability to spell words that are used in written business communications.

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.

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 proofreadingmarks. In addition, you will be given a passage to proofread and asked questions about how to correct the errors in the passage.

OFFICE RECORD KEEPING – These questions evaluate 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.

OFFICE PRACTICES – These questions test for a knowledge of generally agreed-upon practices governing the handling of situations which stenographers, typists, and secretaries encounter in their work, as well as a knowledge of efficient and effective methods used to accomplish office tasks. The questions will 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.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. 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 $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.