EXAMINATION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

COMPUTER SPECIALIST
EXAM
#11-383 (OC)

        APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED CONTINUOUSLY

Click Here for Required Fees and General Information

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EXAM DATES:  THIS EXAM WILL BE SCHEDULED PERIODICALLY.  CANDIDATES WITH APPROVED APPLICATIONS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY MAIL OF THE NEXT SCHEDULED EXAM DATE. 

STARTING SALARY/RANGE:           $28,000 Madison-Oneida BOCES       (2008)
                                                            Other Civil Divisions May Vary

VACANCIES:  The eligible list, established as a result of this examination, will be used to fill existing vacancies, and all other vacancies as they occur in this title, under the jurisdiction of the Oneida County Commissioner of Personnel.

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT:  NONE

When preference in certification is given to residents of a municipality pursuant to subdivision 4-a of Section 23 of the Civil Service Law, an eligible must have been a resident of such municipality for at least one month prior to the date of certification in order to be included in a certification as a resident of such municipality and must be a resident of such municipality at the time of appointment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Either:

(A)       Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information resource management, microcomputer technology or related field; OR

(B)       Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two-year college with an Associate’s Degree in one of the areas mentioned in (A) above AND two (2) years of experience in the operation and maintenance of microcomputer equipment, which shall have involved assisting in local area network administration and the installation, maintenance, and use of software; OR

(C)        Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and four (4) years of experience as outlined in (B) above.

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

               2.   Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications on or before the date of the examination.

               3.   Further verification may be requested from candidates to verify their academic qualifications.

               4.   Must submit copies of transcripts if qualifying under (A) or (B) above.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:   Possession of a valid New York State driver’s license at time of application.  License must remain valid throughout appointment, to meet the transportation requirements of the job.

DUTIES: This position involves responsibility for coordinating microcomputer activities, services and functions in a department or among departments.  The incumbent is responsible for providing a variety of staff support services, including equipment installation, maintenance of local area networks and mainframe links. The incumbent does related work as required.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION:  The examination will consist of two parts: a rated evaluation of training and experience and a qualifying pc-administered test.  You must pass the evaluation of training and experience in order to take the qualifying pc-administered test.  You must pass both tests in order to be considered for appointment.  Only your rating on the evaluation of training and experience will be considered when computing final scores.

Rated Evaluation of Training and Experience: 

You will complete a questionnaire that asks for specific information on your information technology education (formal degrees, IT-related training courses, certifications) and experience.  You will also be asked to briefly describe a significant achievement in each of the job's areas and to provide the name and contact information for someone who can verify your information.  The information you provide about your experience will be rated against the following areas:  Computer Programming, Help Desk, User Support, Network Administration, Data Communications, Telecommunications, Business/Systems Analysis, Web Site Development, and Microcomputer Repair.

Qualifying pc-administered written test will be designed to test for knowledge, skills and/or abilities in such areas as:

1.  Logical reasoning and interpreting instructions for computer-related positions -These questions test for ability to reason logically and interpret instructions in a computer-related context. They cover verbal and quantitative reasoning, flowchart interpretation and applying written directions. The verbal and quantitative reasoning questions include logical implications (e.g., if A and B, then C) and relations (e.g., greater than). Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is necessary, but neither mathematical sophistication nor computational speed is needed. The flowchart interpretation questions require prior knowledge of flowchart conventions. The interpreting instructions questions provide the instructions and specific rules for applying them. All the information needed to answer the questions is presented with the questions.

 

2.  Working effectively with others to solve job-related problems-This test requires candidates to assume the role of a staff member in an Information Technology work group who is working with colleagues during a time of change in policy or procedure, in a particular agency. During the test, candidates will be required to deal with obstacles within the working environment, which includes peer relations and the demands of handling multiple tasks. Candidates will be required to demonstrate the ability to be flexible, creative and persistent as a team player. They will also need to demonstrate the ability to cooperate, show initiative, and establish positive working relationships with peers and administrators.

 

3.  User support and training-The test requires candidates to assume the role of a staff member in a Help Desk support unit. Candidates will be presented with a users problem. During the course of handling the problem, candidates will be required to: demonstrate communication skills, apply troubleshooting practices and tools, determine the appropriate level of training needed by the user, and educate the user on the proper use of computers.

CALCULATORS ARE PERMITTED:  Unless specifically prohibited, candidates are permitted to use QUIET, hand-held, solar- or battery-powered calculators ONLY.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, such as cell phones, computers or devices which can be hooked up to a computer, spell-checkers, personal digital assistants, address books, language translators, dictionaries and any similar devices are PROHIBITED.

RETEST POLICY: Candidates must wait six months before being allowed a retest.

WAIVER:  If a candidate has previously passed an IT Qualifying Test prepared by the New York State Department of Civil Service that is the same test plan as announced, the qualifying test may be waived.  A candidate requesting such a waiver must submit, at time of application, verifiable evidence of passing the qualifying test, including the name of the New York State Civil Service agency that administered the test and the test date.

ELIGIBLE LISTS:  Candidates who meet the qualifications, and pass this examination, will have their names placed on the Eligible List, in the order of final scores, regardless of the date on which they filed or took the test.  The names of qualified candidates will remain on the Eligible List for one year.  Appeal of ratings will not be allowed, as the opportunity for re-test exists.

TERMINATION OF THE PROGRAM:  Oneida County Department of Personnel reserves the right to terminate this special recruitment program at any time, and re-establish a program of periodic testing for this title.


ONEIDA COUNTY EXAM ANNOUNCEMENTS CAN BE ACCESSED 
ON OUR WEBSITE: www.ocgov.net .

** ONEIDA COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER **

Issued:  05/21/08

Paulette Z. Nickerson, LMSW
Commissioner of Personnel

Oneida County Personnel Department
Oneida County Office Building
800 Park Avenue
Utica, New York  13501
(315) 798-5726
(315) 798-6490 Fax
Email: personnel@ocgov.net

© 2003 Oneida County, New York, USA