CONTINUOUS RECRUITMENT

OPEN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION

 

ACCOUNT CLERK # 275

 

Examination held bi-monthly

 

Distinguishing Features of the Class:  This is routine clerical work involving financial record keeping, reviewing and related tasks.  An employee in this class usually works under immediate supervision on standard routine assignments in accordance with detailed procedures.  Supervisors are available for consultation on unusual problems and give detailed instructions on new assignments; does related work as required.

 

Vacancy:  The eligible list established as a result of this examination will be used to fill present and future vacancies as they occur in Allegany County Departments, towns, villages, special districts and school districts under the jurisdiction of the Allegany County Human Resource/Civil Service Department.

 

Salary:  Varies by Municipality

 

Minimum Qualifications:  Either:

(a)    Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma; or,

(b)    One year of satisfactory clerical experience which shall have included typing; or,

(c)    An equivalent combination of training and experience as outlined in (a) and (b) above.

 

Promotional Qualifications:  Employees with at least 6 months continuous permanent competitive class status in a lower grade clerical title immediately preceding the date of the examination in a jurisdiction whose Civil Service is administered by the Allegany County Department of Human Resource/Civil Service.

 

Residency:  Candidates must be residents of Allegany County or a contiguous county for at least one month prior to the date of exam.  Preference in certification may be given to successful candidates who have been legal residents of Allegany County or the jurisdiction in which appointment is to be made.

 

Application forms may be obtained from, and must be filed with the Allegany County Human Resource/Civil Service Department, 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813; (585) 268-9212.  You can download the forms from the Allegany County website at http://www.alleganyco.com ; however, e-mail or faxed applications are not accepted.

 

Application Fee:  In accordance with Civil Service law Sect. 50, this Civil Service Department will be collecting a fee of $10.00 from examination applicants for each separate open-competitive examination for which they apply.  The $10.00 fee applies to this examination.  The required $10.00 fee must accompany your application and must be in the form of either cash (exact amount only) or money order payable to the Allegany County Treasurer.  Write the number of the examination and your Social Security Number on your money order.  As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the specified minimum qualifications and file for the examination only if you are clearly qualified.

 

Application Fee Waiver: A waiver of the application fee will be allowed if you are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household.  In addition, a waiver of the application fee will be allowed if you are determined eligible for Medicaid or receiving Supplemental Security Income payment or Public Assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance) or are certified Job Training Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act eligible through a State or local social service agency.  ALL CLAIMS FOR APPLICATION FEE WAIVER ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION.  If you can verify eligibility for application fee waiver, complete a “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and submit it with your application.  Contact the Allegany County Civil Service Department, 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813, Phone: 585-268-9212 for the Application Fee Waiver and Certification form.

 

Additional Information for Candidates:  For free copies of the booklets, “A Guide to Taking the Written Test for Entry-Level Account/Audit Clerical Series” and “Civil Service Examination – How to Take a Written Test,” call/write the Allegany County Personnel/Civil Service Department, 7 Court Street, Belmont, NY 14813; (585) 268-9212 or you can download the publications from the Allegany County Human Resource/Civil Service Department’s website (http://www.alleganyco.com).

 

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 date 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 credit 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 credit.

 

Time and Place of Examination:  Accepted candidates will be notified by admission card 7 to 10 days prior to the examination, when and where to appear for this examination.  If notice of acceptance or disapproval is not received at least three days prior to the examination date, please call this office at (585) 268-9212.

 

Note:  You must bring identification to the written examination such as a driver’s license, passport or student identification which contains a photo and your signature.

 

Saturday Sabbath Observers, Disabled Persons, and Military Personnel called to Active Duty:  If special arrangements for testing are required, indicate this on your application form. 

 

Subject of Examination:  Written test will cover knowledge, skills and/or abilities in such areas as:

  1. Arithmetic Computation without Calculators – These questions test for the ability to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  Questions may also involve fractions, decimals, averages, and percents.  Note: You will not be allowed to use a calculator, or any other type of calculating device, to answer these questions or any other questions on this written test.
  2. Arithmetic Reasoning - These questions test for the ability to solve arithmetic problems which are presented in sentence or short paragraph form.  Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is necessary.  Questions may also involve the use of percents, decimals, and fractions.
  3. Clerical Operations with Letters and Numbers – These questions test for skills and abilities in clerical operations with letters and numbers.  The operations may involve alphabetizing, comparing, checking, and/or counting given groups of letters and/or numbers

 

Unless otherwise notified, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, and solar or battery powered calculators.  Devices with 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.

 

The written test 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 the written test.

 

Eligible Lists:  Successful candidates will have their names placed on the eligible list in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Civil Service Department.  The names of qualified candidates will remain on the eligible list for one year.

 

Where a vacancy exists for Account Clerk, preference in certification from the Promotional eligible list will be given to candidates employed in the department or jurisdiction where the vacancy exists.  Those candidates who qualify for the promotion exam may also file an application for the open-competitive exam in order to be considered for vacancies in other departments or jurisdictions.  The open competitive eligible list will be certified after the promotional list has been exhausted.

 

Retest Policy:  Candidates must wait 6 months between retests of this written examination. 

 

Special Requirement for Appointment in School Districts and BOCES:  Per Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, and by Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, to be employed in a position designated by a School district or BOCES as involving direct contact with students, a clearance for employment from the State Education Department is required.

 

2009