Senior Clerk PROMOTIONAL

Modified: March 10, 2021 3:44pm

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

Senior Clerk PROMOTIONAL

#31-281 - Promotional (for current employees only)

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

**********************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:

A written test will be held to fill vacancies as they occur in the above title in Erie County Departments, Towns, Villages, School Districts and Special Districts. The salary listed above pertains to Erie County Departments. Salaries vary among jurisdictions. ***Successful candidates will be considered for appointment only in the jurisdiction in which they were employed at the time of the written test.***

The duration of all promotional eligible lists is four years from date of establishment unless otherwise indicated. The eligible list resulting from this examination *WILL NOT* supersede Eligible List #31-270, held on 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:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST  FOR EMPLOYEES OF ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS ONLY:

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 clerical position in Job Group I or II.

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.

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST FOR ALL OTHER AGENCIES:

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.

Persons who are currently employed under Section 55a, New York State Civil Service Law, and who meet all the above eligibility requirements in the non-competitive rather than competitive class may compete in this examination.

Notes:

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:

SUBJECT 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 proofreading marks. 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.

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 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.