Personnel Department County Office Building 197 Main Street Cooperstown, New York 13326-1129 Phone: (607) 547-4239 Fax: (607) 547-6496 Otsego County Announces An Open Competitive Civil Service Examination For NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR #13391 OTSEGO COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER LAST DATE OF FILING APPLICATIONS: Applications must be postmarked or received in the Civil Service/Personnel office no later than 5 PM on January 24, 2008. FILING FEE: A fee of $7.50 is required for each separately numbered examination for which you apply. The required fee must accompany your application. Make money order payable to County of Otsego and write the examination number(s) and your Social Security Number on the money order. DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE MAIL. Neither personal checks nor cash will be accepted. Applicants who do not submit the required fee will be disqualified from taking the exam. As no refunds 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. No determination of eligibility will be made prior to filing of applications. No exceptions will be made for this fee requirement. CIVIL SERVICE LAW SECTION 50.5(B) Fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state civil service department, a municipal commission or regional commission that they are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household, or are receiving public assistance. Applications for Fee Waiver Request & Certification form(s) are available at the Otsego County Personnel Department, 183 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 SALARY: Varies depending on jurisdiction. VACANCIES: The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies as they occur in Otsego County departments and all the Towns, Villages, School Districts and the Otsego Catskill Northern BOCES under the jurisdiction of the Otsego County Personnel/Civil Service Office. RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT: There are no residency requirements for this examination. However, preference in appointment may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of Otsego County or of a school district within the ONC BOCES for at least one month immediately preceding the scheduled date of the written examination. GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: This is a technical position, which involves
responsibility for administering, and participating in, the maintenance and operation of computer networks to various departments. The work involves analyzing hardware and software network problems, testing and installing networking equipment, building network file servers, researching new products, and coordinating workshops. The employee reports directly to, and works under, the general supervision of a higher-level staff member, with leeway allowed for the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the details of the work. General supervision may be exercised over subordinate personnel. Does related work as required. 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, computer technology, data processing, management information systems, information resource management, or a closely related field AND four (4) years of experience involving the installation of micro-computer hardware and software, and the configuration and administration of local- and wide-area networks; OR (B) (C) (D) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Associate's Degree in computer science, computer technology, data processing, management information systems, information resource management, or a closely related field AND six (6) years of experience, as outlined in (A) above; OR Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma AND eight (8) years of experience, as outlined in (A) above; OR An equivalent combination of training and experience, as defined by the limits of (A) through (C) above. NOTE: Verifiable part-time experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements. NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: It is allowed that candidates use quiet, hand-held, solar battery-operated powered calculators. Devices with Typewriter Keyboards, Spell-Checkers, Personal Digital Assistants, Address Books, Language Translators, Dictionaries and any similar devices are prohibited. 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 Business/Systems Analysis Web Site Development Microcomputer Repair QUALIFYING TESTS: QUALIFYING MUTIPLE-CHOICE TEST OF 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. QUALIFYING SIMULATION TEST ON 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 e 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. QUALIFYING SIMULATION TEST OF 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 user s problem. During the course of 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. RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION-DISABLED PERSONS-MILITARY MEMBERS: Applicants whose religious beliefs or military service prevent their taking examinations on the scheduled date and disabled candidates who require special accommodations to take the test should indicate the need for special arrangements on their application. Candidates who are called to military service after filing an application should send requests for an alternate test date to the Otsego County Civil Service/ Personnel Office as soon as possible before the test date. If you apply for an examination during the filing period, but are on active military duty on the date the examination is scheduled, you may request a military make-up examination. Please contact the Personnel Department for more information. If you are on active duty or discharged after the filing period has begun, you may apply for the examination up to ten (10) days before the test date. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to undergo a State and national criminal history background investigation, which will include a fingerprint check, to determine suitability for appointment. Failure to meet the standards for the background investigation may result in disqualification.
VETERAN S CREDIT: Veterans or disabled veterans who are eligible for additional credit must submit an application for veteran s credit with their application for examination or at any time between the dates of their application for examination and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. Applications for veteran s credit are available from this office. Veteran s credits can only be added to a passing score on the examination. Effective January 1, 1998 the State Constitution was amended to permit a candidate currently in the armed forces to apply for and be conditionally granted veteran s credit in examinations. Any candidate who applies for such credit must provide proof of military status to receive the conditional credit. No credit may be granted after the establishment of the list. It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide appropriate documentary proof indicating that the service was in time of war, as defined in Section 85 of Civil Service Law, and that the candidate received an honorable discharge or was released under honorable conditions in order to be certified at a score including veteran s credits. 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. 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. PREPARATION/RATING OF EXAMINATION: This examination will be prepared and rated in accordance with Section 23(2) of the Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Law, Rules, and Regulations dealing with the preparation and rating of examinations will apply to this examination. The applicant should make sure every question on the application is answered and that the application is complete in all respects. All statements made by candidates on their application are subject to verification. This department does not acknowledge receipt of resumes. A separate application and filing fee must be submitted for each separate examination for which a candidate wishes to apply. To obtain or submit an application for this civil service examination please contact the Otsego County Personnel Department, 197 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 or call (607) 547-4239, or visit our website at www.otsegocounty.com
NOTICE: ONLY APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED TO THE OTSEGO COUNTY PERSONNEL OFFICE WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS EXAMINATION. RESUMES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR APPLICATION BUT WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY AS AN ADDITION TO YOUR APPLICATION. ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION MUST BE CONTAINED IN YOUR APPLICATION. A separate application must be filed for EACH examination for which you apply. Applications must contain the correct examination title and/or number in order to be considered. The Otsego County Personnel Office reserves the right to accept or to reject applications/fees submitted/postmarked after the last announced filing date. The Otsego County Personnel Office is NOT responsible for lost or misdirected mail. Date Issued: December 26, 2007
ALTERNATE TEST DATE POLICY Candidates may be rescheduled for an alternate test date where they are unable to take a scheduled examination for one of the following reasons ONLY: 1. A death in the immediate family or household within the week preceding the examination. For the purpose of this section, immediate family would include spouse, mother, father, grandparent, brother, sister, daughter and son. 2. Military commitment. 3. Being a member of a traditional, religious or civil ceremonial party (i.e. wedding, baptism, bar mitzvah or graduation) or a member of the immediate family or household of the individual for whom the ceremony is being held. 4. Having a conflicting professional, Federal or educational examination. Professional examinations would include those for CPA, ACSW, and the Bar. Educational examinations would include SAT, College Boards, and Graduate Records. 5. Vacations for which non-refundable down payments were made before the examination announcement was issued. 6. Required court appearances. 7. Medical emergencies involving a hospital confinement or certification from a physician that the candidate is unable to appear for the examination due to a specific medical problem of the candidate or member of the immediate family or household. 8. Emergency weather conditions, verified by the local public safety agency, that lead to the closing of specific roads, highways or independent transportation services which prevents a candidate form reaching the test center. Candidates whose situation is described in categories 1-6 should notify the Otsego County Personnel Department as soon as possible before the date of the examination. Candidates who are unable to take the scheduled examination due to a medical emergency, an accident, or emergency weather conditions must notify this office no later than the Monday morning following the regular examination date. All requests for admission to an examination on an alternate test date must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation verifying the situation. The determination as to whether or not a candidate meets the requirement for being afforded the opportunity to take an examination on an alternate test date rests with the Personnel Officer. Candidates approved to take an examination on an alternate test date will be required to affirm in writing that they have not discussed the examination content with any individual. Alleged violations of examination security will be investigated and, if verified, will result in disqualification. Candidates will normally be examined on the following Monday morning. However, arrangements may be made to administer the examination on another date. IN NO CASE SHALL THE EXAMINATION BE GIVEN LATER THAN THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY