Ulster
County Personnel Department
Civil Service Examination
Announcement
FILING FEE $20.00
ULSTER
COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
#71392 CASEWORKER AIDE
PROMOTION EXAMINATION
LAST DATE FOR FILING
APPLICATIONS: August 22, 2012
EXAMINATION DATE: October 6, 2012
SALARY: The starting salary is currently listed at
$16.81 per hour.
QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST: At the time of examination, candidates must be employed by the Ulster County Department of Social Services with at least twenty-four (24) months permanent, non-competitive class status in the title of Community Service Aide.
Any person otherwise meeting
the requirement(s) for the examination who was laid‑off from an agency
for which the examination is being held, and whose name is presently on a
preferred list, is eligible to compete in the examination. When completing
their applications, such persons should be sure to indicate their present
employment and/or the title and location of their last permanent employment in
the municipality.
APPLICATION
REVIEW TOLERANCE POLICY
For
the purposes of this policy, "tolerance" shall mean the leeway given
regarding work experience when reviewing an application. Applicants lacking a
small amount of work experience when applying for promotional or
open-competitive examinations may qualify under the following conditions:
1) Candidates will be given a maximum tolerance of one (1) month.
2) Tolerance will be given only
when the minimum qualification requires one or more years of work
experience.
3) Tolerance Policy does not
apply to education or licensure/certification requirements. (See particular
examination announcement for "Anticipated Eligibility" information).
4) Tolerance Policy does not
apply where required work experience is set forth by law or rules.
5) Tolerance Policy does not
apply to enable applicants to meet residence requirements.
For
more information regarding Tolerance Policy, please contact our office at (845)
340-3550.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE
CLASS: The work involves the performance of
supportive service functions associated with the implementation and maintenance
of various Social Services Programs. The purpose of the class is to relieve the
professional staff of duties that can be performed at a less-skilled level. The
work is carried out in accordance with well-established guidelines, and use of
independent judgment is allowed only in routine matters. The work is normally
performed under the direct supervision of the Unit Supervisor or Case Manager,
as required. Supervision is not normally a function of this class. Does related work as required.
SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: Written test will cover knowledge, skills,
and/or abilities in such areas as:
1. Applying information
These questions test for the
ability to apply simple information. You will be given a Resource Directory
that describes community agencies, their purposes and the type of client each
serves. Questions describe clients with a variety of problems and situations.
You must determine the appropriate referral for clients based on the services which
each agency provides.
2. Interviewing
These questions test for
knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information
from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you
to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to
hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a
problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most
appropriate course of action to take.
3. Preparing written material
These questions test for the
ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize
paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given
information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the
information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you
will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then
choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
4. Working with people in
human services situations
These questions test for a
knowledge of general techniques used to deal with common client behaviors such
as fear, hostility, shyness, resistance, defensiveness, withdrawal, anxiety and
confusion.
The New York State Department
of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,
candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written
test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on
line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm.
CALCULATORS: "Unless specifically prohibited,
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’ and any similar devices
are prohibited."
*FEES*: Send your check or money order for twenty
dollars ($20.00) (made payable to COUNTY
OF ULSTER) with your application.
Please include the examination number, title, and applicant’s name on
your check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED, therefore,
you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the qualifications
for admission and apply only for those examinations for which you are clearly
qualified.
EXCEPTION TO FEE REQUIREMENT: An exception to the processing fee will be
made for persons receiving Supplemental Social Security payments or public
assistance (Safety Net Assistance or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families),
provided Foster Care or certified Workforce Investment Act of 1998 eligible
through a state or local social service agency, and for those who are currently
unemployed. Individuals wishing to claim
this waiver of fee on the basis of Supplemental Social Security, Safety Net
Assistance or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, must certify on their
application, under number 20 Remarks, that they are
receiving public assistance and must indicate the type of assistance they are
receiving, the agency providing the assistance and their case numbers. Persons
claiming this waiver through Foster Care or Workforce Investment Act of 1998
Certification must specify the program and name of their contact agency.
Persons claiming this waiver, who are currently unemployed must certify on
their application, under number 20 Remarks, that they are currently unemployed
and must provide documentation that they are receiving unemployment benefits or
other unemployment documentation deemed appropriate by the Ulster County
Personnel Officer. Such claims are
subject to later verification and, if not supported by appropriate
documentation, are grounds for barring appointment.
Applications may be obtained
at the Ulster County Office Building, Personnel Department, 244
Fair Street ‑ 5th Floor, P.O. Box 1800, Kingston, NY 12402‑1800 OR
by mail (INCLUDE A STAMPED SELF‑ADDRESSED, LEGAL‑ SIZE ENVELOPE) OR
from our website at: http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/personnel/index.html. Applications must be received by the Ulster
County Personnel Department or postmarked no later than the ‘LAST DATE FOR
FILING APPLICATIONS’ stated on page one of this announcement.
For those applications
submitted in person on the last file date, please submit no later than 4:30 PM.
All applications must be in our office no later than 5:00 PM on the last file
date. Applications postmarked by the last file date will also be accepted.
This
examination is being prepared and rated by the New York State Department of
Civil Service in accordance with Section 23‑2 of the Civil Service
Law. The provisions of the New York
State Civil Service Rules and Regulations dealing with the rating of
examinations will apply to this test.
CRIMINAL
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION POLICY: In accordance with Ulster County Local Law
Number 14 of 2007, a criminal background check (including fingerprinting) will
be initiated by the Ulster County Personnel Department upon initial employment
or re-hire to Ulster County positions, and conducted by the New York State
Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the New York State Office of
Court Administration, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Verification Information System (IMAGE Program), or any law enforcement agency.
SPECIAL NOTE: All public agencies are required by law to
provide full and equal opportunities for minorities, women and to people with
disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to compete without regard
to race, creed or national origin. Applicants requesting special testing
arrangements as a Saturday Sabbath Observer, alternate test date candidate (in
accordance with Alternate Test Date Policy), or an active member of the
military away from the area on the scheduled test date must clearly indicate
this fact on the application. All such requests must be supported by
appropriate documentation.
VETERANS: Non-disabled and disabled
veterans who wish to claim additional credits must request a Veterans Credits
application from our office. This form must be completed and submitted along
with a war service (DD214) form prior to the establishment of the
resulting eligible list. Veterans credits may only be added to a passing score
and may only be used for appointment once. Candidates currently in the
armed forces may apply for and be conditionally granted veteran’s credits. Any candidate who applies for such credits
must provide proof of military status to receive the conditional credits. You
may not claim additional Veterans Credits after the eligible list has been established.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to request the Veterans Credits
application forms and submit these forms and any required supporting paperwork
before the eligible list is established.
ADDITIONAL CREDITS FOR
CHILDREN OF FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY: In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil
Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of
duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive
examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or
her parent has served. If you are
qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter
or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform
this office of this matter when you submit your application for
examination. A candidate claiming such
credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the
necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the
eligible list has been established.
APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE
EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN
EXAMINATIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON SAME DATE: If you have applied for any other Civil
Service examinations for employment with New York State or any other local
government jurisdiction, you must make arrangements to take all the
examinations at one test site.
If you have applied for both State
and Local government examinations, you must make arrangements to take
all your examinations at the State examination center by calling (518)
457‑7022 no later than two weeks before the test date.
If you have applied for other
local government examinations, call or write to each Civil Service Agency to
make arrangements. You must make your
request for these arrangements no later than two weeks before the date
of the examinations. You must notify all
local government civil service agencies with whom you have filed an application
of the test site at which you wish to take your examination(s). For this examination call (845) 340‑
3531 OR write to Ulster County Personnel Department,
*If candidates have not
received notification of this examination within four (4) days of the
examination, they should contact this office immediately.
#71392
ORIGINAL COPY: BLUE
ISSUED: July 23, 2012