The announcement of this examination is hereby amended:

25-145, Professional Careers Test
25-146, Professional Careers Test (Diversity Management)

Salary Grade Hiring Salary Range *
(Effective 4/1/09)		 Hiring Salary Range *
(Effective 4/1/10)		 Non-Refundable
Processing Fee
Leading to professional positions
from SG-14 to SG-18		 $39,587 to $49,391 † $41,170 to $51,367 † $30 **

* Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid Hudson adjustment.

** Only one application processing fee is required. Please list each number for each examination to which you are applying on your application.

The Written Test will be held on March 7, 2009.

Online applications are available from October 24, 2008 through midnight January 5, 2009 EST.
You MUST apply by midnight January 5, 2009, EST, to be considered for these examinations.

The Program

The Professional Careers Tests offer college graduates or college seniors an opportunity to compete for entry-level professional positions in various state agencies with New York State government. A variety of entry-level positions are filled from the eligible lists established as a result of these Professional Careers Tests. Appointments from each eligible list are made to various one-year and two-year traineeship positions in administrative, fiscal, and program areas, as vacancies occur. Positions whose essential duties and responsibilities require trainees to demonstrate an understanding of diversity management and equal employment opportunity principles are filled through the use of the Professional Careers Test (Diversity Management) eligible list.

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Who Can Apply

Candidates must meet one of the following minimum qualifications to participate in these examinations. Please note that your degree must be from a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices.

For Number 25-145 Professional Careers Test: On or before August 31, 2009, you must have a bachelor's degree or higher.

For Number 25-146 Professional Careers Test (Diversity Management): On or before August 31, 2009, you must have:

Either 1. A bachelor's degree or higher which includes or is supplemented by 30 semester credit hours, (no more than six of which may be in a language area), in the study of people of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds; gender; socioeconomic class; sexual/affectional orientation; or mental and physical abilities. You must include a listing of the qualifying courses including the course title, name of college or university, number of semester credit hours per course, and date of completion. You may submit a copy of your transcript. Applications submitted without a list of courses will not be reviewed;

Or 2. A bachelor's degree or higher AND one year of experience in a public, private, not-for-profit, or community organization, the mission of which was the advancement of people of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds; gender; socioeconomic class; sexual/affectional orientation; or mental and physical abilities. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience which can be verified will be accepted on a prorated basis.

Examples of qualifying organizational experience include, but are not limited to, an equal employment opportunity (EEO) or affirmative action (AA) program, minority neighborhood associations, or advocacy groups. Examples of non qualifying organizations include, but are not limited to, those whose focus is on professional development.

Graduating College Seniors must expect to meet the minimum qualifications on or before August 31, 2009, to be admitted to the written test but cannot be considered for appointment until proof of successful completion of the minimum qualifications is provided to the hiring agency at the time of interview.

Foreign Degrees - If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You must pay the required evaluation fee. Information about acceptable companies who provide verification can be found at http://www.cs.state.ny.us/jobseeker/degrees.cfm.

If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, New York, 12239, Attention: S5DJD. You may also write to the Examination Information Desk of the Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service.

ELIGIBILITY: New York State residence is not required. You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Candidates who require sponsorship (for example, through the H1-B Visa Program) may apply. However, New York State agencies are not obligated to consider individuals who would require sponsorship for employment.

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What You Should Know About

THE POSITIONS: Professional careers with New York State include administrative, program development, operations, policy-making, and managerial positions, in such titles as Agency Training and Development Specialist 1, Senior Personnel Administrator, Employee Benefits Representative 1, Senior Staffing Services Representative, Senior Administrative Analyst, Budget Examiner, Senior Budgeting Analyst, Contract Management Specialist 1, Purchasing Officer 1, or Underwriter 1.

Appointing agencies are responsible for on-the-job training and development of trainees. Trainees advance through a one or two-year trainee program, and upon successful completion of this program, are advanced to the full performance level without further testing.

SALARY: Positions are assigned to the Professional, Scientific & Technical (PS&T) bargaining unit or designated as Management/Confidential (M/C) based on the duties performed. This assignment or designation determines the salary schedule. Salaries are subject to contract negotiation. †

Most traineeships are one to two years in length and culminate in one of the full performance levels listed below. Entry-level trainee salaries vary depending on title. The starting trainee salary, length of the traineeship and the full performance grade level will be indicated when the hiring agency contacts eligible candidates at the time a position is being filled. †

Full Performance Level M/C Titles †
Salary Grade (SG) Hiring Rate Effective 4/1/09 Hiring Rate Effective 4/1/10
SG-14 $41,691 $43,359
SG-15 $44,011 $45,771
SG-16 $46,492 $48,352
SG-18 $49,391 $51,367
For more information on the M/C designation, visit http://www.goer.state.ny.us/mc/index.html(External Link)

Full Performance Level PS&T Titles †
Salary Grade (SG) Hiring Rate Effective 4/2/09 Hiring Rate Effective 4/1/10
SG-14 $39,587 $41,170
SG-15 $41,827 $43,500
SG-16 $44,173 $45,940
SG-18 $49,296 $51,268
For more information on the PS&T bargaining unit, visit http://www.goer.state.ny.us/cna/bucenter/pefpst/index.html(External Link)

APPOINTMENTS: Most appointments are made to either one or two-year traineeships. Appointment to a traineeship leading to SG-14 will not remove a candidate's name for traineeships leading to SG-15, SG-16† and SG-18. Appointment to a traineeship leading to SG-15 will not remove a candidate's name for appointments leading to SG-16† or SG-18. Appointment to a traineeship leading to SG-16 will not remove a candidate's name for appointments leading to SG-18.† Appointment to a traineeship leading to SG 18 will result in the removal of a candidate's name from the eligible list from which the appointment occurred.

Selective Certification of Eligible Lists: Successful candidates may, based upon their major course of study, be identified for consideration to fill additional positions during the life of the eligible lists established as a result of these examinations. Selective certification will be determined by the position to be filled. Selective certifications may be used to fill positions in job titles which require bachelor's degrees in specialized or select fields. Not all candidates who are successful on examinations No. 25-145 Professional Careers Test and No. 25-146 Professional Careers Test (Diversity Management) will qualify for these selective certifications. Candidates who meet the criteria for selective certification will retain their scores on the eligible lists for examinations No. 25-145 Professional Careers Test and No. 25-146 Professional Careers Test (Diversity Management).†

Appointment to a position requiring foreign language proficiency requires, at the time of the employment interview, the candidate to demonstrate proficiency in the particular language at a level that will ensure the ability to perform the duties of the position.

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About The Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

  1. 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.
  2. Quantitative analysis - These questions cover the interpretation and manipulation of numeric data provided in tables. You must decide the logical structure of the data and then manipulate it in some way (e.g., complete missing entries). You may be asked to draw conclusions and to analyze data trends or interrelationships.
  3. Understanding and interpreting written material related to government and social issues - This test area covers reading comprehension. It includes questions based upon passages related to government and social issues, which can be answered without additional knowledge of the content area of the passages.
  4. Verbal analysis - These questions test for the ability to evaluate conclusions in the light of known facts. The test area consists of facts and conclusions. You must decide whether the conclusion is proven by the facts, disproved by the facts, or neither proven nor disproven. The questions are not specific to any job title.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

Notes

† Revised Material

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How To Apply

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at 518-457-8480.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1].

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by a local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1], no later than two weeks before the test date, to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center.

S5/TA1 DJD-tlm
Issued: 10/24/08

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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