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Personnel & Civil Service Frequently Asked Questions
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Civil Service Exam Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I have to be a Schoharie County resident to take a civil service examination? A. Most examinations do not require that you be a Schoharie County resident, however some do. Residence
information is listed on each examination announcement. Some municipalities have residence requirements for employment,
so even though you may not need to be a resident to take the examination, you may need to be a resident to be considered
for appointment. Q. How can I tell when a particular test will be given by the County? A. Not all examinations are held on a regular basis. Examinations are prepared and scheduled by the New
York State Civil Service Commission. The Schoharie County Department of Personnel requests examinations to be scheduled
based on the number of positions, the length of the current eligible list, the age of the list and the turnover
of employees within the title. Eligible lists are valid for a minimum period of one year from the date of establishment
and up to four years at the discretion of the Personnel Officer. There are almost three hundred County and local
jurisdiction titles for which examinations can be scheduled. In order to find out if a specific examination is
being offered at the current time, you may check on the schedule of announced examinations on our website or call
our telephone information line at 295-8374. Q. How can I obtain information on particular civil service examinations? A. Announcements for Schoharie County civil service examinations are publicized on this web site. Printed
copies are also available in all County and municipal buildings. Our department of Personnel and Civil Service,
on the third floor of the County Office Building maybe accessed during office hours (8:00am-5:00pm, Monday - Friday).
The Schoharie County Application for Examination/Employment is available at the Schoharie County Civil Service
and Personnel Department or can be downloaded from this web site. Our mailing address is PO Box 675, Schoharie,
New York 12157. Q. Is there an application fee? A. There is a non refundable application processing fee for each examination which must accompany your
application. The amount of the fee depends on the type of examination and is listed on each examination announcement.
Q. Can I take more than one examination on a test date? A. The New York State Civil Service Commission prepares the examinations in such a manner that you can
participate in more than one examination on the same day even if it is for different jurisdictions. All examinations
for which you have been approved must be taken on the same day at the same testing center. An application must
be completed for each examination. It is the candidate's responsibility to notify our department if you are taking
exams in a different municipality. Q. Is the experience required in the minimum qualifications always full-time? A. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the number of years of experience in the minimum qualifications
is based upon the presumption of full-time employment. Full-time employment is defined as 35+ hours per week. Appropriate
part-time experience may be prorated. Q. Are study materials available? A. For some examinations, the New York State Civil Service develops study guides. If a study guide is
provided for an examination, this is listed on the exam announcement. There are some study guides in the Personnel
Office that are for specific examination series such as clerical and Police Officer as well as a guide from the
State "How To Take a Written Examination" that may be helpful. The NYS Department of Civil Service advises
applicants to use the subject of information section of the announcement as a guide for studying and that your
local library may be able to suggest texts that would be helpful. They neither provide nor recommend study materials.
Some materials may be available through public libraries, public employee unions and provide publishers. We can
make no recommendation on the quality or usefulness of such materials. Q. What are "special arrangements"? A. "Special arrangements" refer to requests for examination assistance with regard to scheduling
or specialized testing needs. Candidates who meet the alternate test date criteria should provide the appropriate
documentation with the exam application. Those candidates who require specialized assistance should submit the
appropriate documentation detailing the assistance needed. Candidates who request accommodation for reason of religious
accommodation must file documentation signed by their religious advisor or a sworn affidavit of your own attesting
to your need for religious accommodation. Q. When will I be notified? A. Admission notices for eligible candidates are mailed to candidates five to seven calendar days prior
to the test date. If you do not receive an admission notice by two (2) days prior to the test date, you should
call the Personnel Office at (518) 295-8374 for instructions. It is the candidate's responsibility to call for
these instructions prior to the test date. (If a review of your application indicates that you are not eligible
to take the exam you will receive a notice of ineligibility two to four weeks before the exam date.) Q. Are examinations ever canceled? A. As the New York State Civil Service Commission schedules examinations on a statewide basis, it is
very rare for one to be canceled. In case of weather or other emergency, announcement of cancellation will be
broadcast on radio station 8100 WGY. Q. Do I have to be a United States citizen in order to be employed in civil service? A. Unless otherwise stated on the examination announcement or job specification, you do not have to be
a citizen. You must be legally able to work in the United States. Q. I filed for an examination, but I haven't heard... A. Notices to appear for a written test are typically received in the mail at least three days
before the Saturday on which the test is being held. If you have not received your notice to appear by then, call
us at (518)295-8374. Q. Where are the tests held? A. The Schoharie County Personnel Department uses sites within the County Office Building in Schoharie.
The site for your particular examination will be printed on your admission notice. Q. What is a provisional appointment? A. A provisional appointment is a temporary appointment to a competitive class position for which no
eligible list currently exists or for which an eligible list exists with fewer than three candidates who are willing
to accept the position being offered. In order to become permanent, the employee who is provisionally appointed
must take the next examination for the position in question. The appointment to the position is then made from
among the three highest scoring candidates who indicate their willingness to accept the position. Civil Service
law does not compel the appointing authority to choose the provisional employee should he or she be one of the
three candidates. Types of examinations Q. What are the examinations like? A. State civil service exams may consist of a written, oral and/or performance test, an evaluation of
education, training and experience, or a combination of these. The exam announcement will indicate which type of
test(s) will be given. The majority of written tests use multiple choice questions; and they are usually held on
Saturdays in locations throughout the State. A booklet "How to Take a Written Test" is available here
for individuals applying for entry level jobs. Q. What is the difference between an open-competitive and promotional examination? A. Open-competitive examinations can be taken by individuals who demonstrate that they meet the minimum
educational and experience qualifications cited on the examination announcement. Promotional examinations are restricted
to current employees of the participating appointing authority who meet the service requirement and minimum qualifications
as cited on the announcement. It is possible for current employees to take an examination both open-competitively
and promotionally, and appear on both lists if they pass the examination. Candidates on promotional lists are canvassed
before open competitive lists when both lists exist for a title. Q. What is a training and experience examination? A. A Training and Experience examination is a method of testing whereby a candidate receives a test score
based on the information contained in the submitted application and/or a questionnaire which is sent to eligible
candidates. The score is calculated from weights given to various factors of education (training) and experience.
Q. What is written & performance? A. The examination is done in two phases. First the candidate is required to take a written test. Second
is a performance evaluation. After you take an exam Q. Who uses Schoharie County Civil Service Lists? A. Lists of eligible job candidates established by the Schoharie County Department of Personnel are used
to fill vacancies in competitive class titles in Schoharie County government, Schools, Towns, Villages, and Special
Districts within Schoharie County. Q. What is an appointing authority? A. An Appointing Authority refers to the position in a unit of government that is the hiring authority,
i.e. a department head in the County of Schoharie, the mayor of a village, the supervisor of a town or the superintendent
of a school district within the County. Q. How can I review my test? A. Some exam questions are open to review after the test is held. This is called "pre-rating review"
and you must request this review at the test site when you finish your examination. You will be able to see the
questions and the tentative answers, but not your answer sheet. This is the forum in which to challenge what you
may consider to be an inappropriate question and/or answer. Some exams are not open to review. Q. How long will it take to get my score? A. The New York State Civil Service Commission scores most examinations. Eligible lists are established,
on average, within three months after the examination date. Q. How is my examination scored? What is band scoring? A. The New York State Civil Service Commission designs, prepares and scores the civil service examinations
used by the Schoharie County Personnel Department. Neither seniority nor veteran's credits can be used to bring a failing raw score up to a passing score.
Q. I've received my score, what happens next? How is the eligible list used? A. Agencies request the list and send out "canvass letters" to enough high scoring eligibles
to fill their jobs. A canvass letter is an inquiry into your interest in the job and its location, and your availability.
Canvass letters are not job offers. If you receive a canvass letter, do not leave your present employment. Return
the canvass letter by the return date if you are interested in the job. If you return the canvass letter late,
the agency is not required to consider you for that job. However, your name will remain active for future canvasses.
While the law does not require agencies to canvass or conduct interviews, in most cases they do. However, agencies
are required to hire from the eligible list according to the rule of three. (see next question) Q. What is the "rule of three?" A. All candidates at the highest score are immediately eligible for consideration for appointment. Candidates at lower scores can only be considered when there are fewer than 3 candidates at the highest score. Any candidate's eligibility for appointment depends not only on his or her rank, but also how many other candidates are tied at that and higher level ranks. The following two examples illustrate how this might work: Example One:
In this case all three candidates at all three scores and ranks are equally eligible to be appointed. Example Two:
In this case, only the ten candidates at score 100 and rank 1 - 10 are eligible for appointment. If, however,
through hiring or declinations the number of interested candidates at 100 is reduced to 2, then all 10 candidates
at the score 95 (rank 11 - 20) can also be considered. Only if there were only 2 or fewer candidates at the scores
of 100 and 95 (ranks 1 - 20) can any of the 10 candidates at the 90 score be considered. Q. How long does an eligible list stay in existence? A. In accordance with the New York State Civil Service Law, an eligible list must remain in existence
for one year from the date of its establishment or until there are no candidates left who are willing to accept
appointment, whichever occurs first. The Personnel Officer may extend the list beyond one year to a maximum of
four years. A new examination in the title may be requested and held at any time during the life of an existing
eligible list. It is the responsibility of the candidate on the existing list to keep abreast of the examination
schedule and to apply for and participate in the new examination. At the time of establishment of the new list,
a decision is made on whether or not to allow the existing list (over one year of age) to continue or to replace
it with the new list. Generally, the "old" list is discontinued upon the establishment of the new list.
In the event the old list is continued, the new list "supplements" the old list until a predetermined
date. The old list is used first. Q. What happens if I change my address? A. Candidates are responsible for notifying this office, in writing, of a change of address. Q. Will I get the job if I get the highest score? A. If you are the top scorer you might be considered for the job, but having a high score does not guarantee
that you will be hired. (See the "rule of three".) The canvass and interview are equally important parts
of the selection process. If you are interested return your canvass letter promptly and do your best to make a
good impression during the interview. The interview is also an opportunity for you to learn if this is the job
for you. Q. What is a probationary appointment? A. The probationary period is a time when new employees must prove themselves capable of doing the job
for which they were hired. The probationary term is a period of not less than eight (8) weeks, or more than fifty
two (52) weeks for most open-competitive positions. Promotion appointments and transfers have different probationary
periods. Veterans and seniority credits
Q. What are seniority points? A. Civil Service Law requires that due consideration be given to seniority on promotion examinations
for candidates who are permanent employees of the participating appointing authority. Seniority points are added
to passing scores only. The formula for awarding seniority points is listed on the examination announcement. Q. What are veterans credits? A. In accordance with the New York State Constitution, veterans of the armed forces, as defined by New
York State Law, are entitled to additional points to be added to a passing score. The Application for Veterans
Credits may be found in the Forms section on the Home Page Q. What is the Role of Civil Service? A. The Department of Personnel and Civil Service was created in Schoharie County to provide for a departmental
branch charged specifically with the responsibility for the administration of New York State Civil Service Law,
Rules, and Regulations for all political sub-divisions within the boundaries of Schoharie County. The Department
of Civil Service plays a key role in local government human resource management by describing the nature of work
to be performed in each job, the skills, abilities and responsibilities they encompass and the minimum abilities
needed to perform the work. Civil Service Law empowers the Personnel Department to classify all local positions,
prepare job specifications and create and maintain a classification plan. The Schoharie County classification plan
consists of 278 separate job classifications which cover a broad range from physical therapists and department
heads to office workers and laborers. |