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. 

There are five current vacancies in the Town of Tonawanda and the starting annual salary is $29,615. Salaries vary among other municipalities and districts.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill these vacancies and other appropriate vacancies which may occur in municipalities or districts under the jurisdiction of Erie County Civil Service while this list is active.

Examples of Duties:

A Telephone Operator operates a telephone switchboard or console for a county department, municipality or school district; 

Operates a telephone switchboard or console;

Relays incoming, outgoing and inter-office telephone calls;

Makes local and long distance calls, records toll charges, maintains records of telegrams sent and received; distributes reports to supervisors and may check monthly telephone bills;

Operates public address system, paging system or other communication systems;

Assist with providing information and documentation to the public;

Greets callers and directs them to the appropriate staff member, section or department, initiating a routing slip when required;

Maintains a current directory of personnel, patients or frequently used numbers;

Stamps, sorts and post out-going and incoming mail and assists with routine clerical duties when volume of calls permit.

Qualifications:

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

A) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and one (1) year of office clerical experience involving responsibility for answering a telephone, taking messages and similar duties; or:

B) Three (3) years experience as a telephone operator, switchboard operator or office clerical experience involving responsibility for answering a telephone, taking messages and similar duties; or:

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

Notes:

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

2. 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.

A Guide to the Written Test for Entry-Level Clerical Series is available at the New York State website: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm and the Erie County website under Civil Service Study Guides ( http://www2.erie.gov/employment/index.php?q=civil-service-study-guides.)  Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.

Subjects of Examination:

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

ALPHABETIZING: These questions test your ability to file material in alphabetical order.

CLERICAL OPERATIONS WITH LETTERS AND NUMBERS: These questions test your skills and abilities in clerical operations involving, 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.

USING A DIRECTORY: These questions test your ability to keep directory records and to supply accurate information to callers.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator. Devith 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.