*Due to the size of the candidate population for this test date, you may be assigned to either Saturday, March 17, 2018, or Sunday, March 18, 2018, to take your test. Your admission notice will tell you where and when you are scheduled to appear. You cannot request a day in advance or change your scheduled day.

IMPORTANT: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT received by the Department of Civil Service. No late applications will be accepted after the filing deadline has passed.

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.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before March 17, 2018, you must have 120 college semester credit hours which must include 18 credit hours in specialized courses related to: chemistry, microbiology, food quality control, epidemiology, entomology, food technology, food science, food processing technology, food sanitation, dairy science, biology, environmental sanitation, or environmental health.

You must include a list of qualifying courses on your online application, or mail a copy of your transcript indicating your qualifying courses. If you provide a list of qualifying courses, include the name of the school, department and course title, the number of semester credit hours, and the date completed for each course.

If you expect to meet the educational requirements by September 30, 2018, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirement to the Appointing Authority at the time of the employment interview. Failure to meet the educational requirements by September 30, 2018 may result in your removal from the eligible list.

Substitution: Full-time professional experience in a position in which the primary responsibility involves the application of scientific techniques in the areas of environmental health protection and sanitation of food establishments or quality control of food products at a wholesale food manufacturing facility may be substituted for a maximum of 60 college credits at the rate of one year experience equaling thirty semester credit hours.

Advanced Placement: If you are selected for appointment, you may, at the agency?s discretion, be appointed directly to Food Inspector Trainee 2, Food Inspector Trainee 2 (Spanish Language), Food Inspector 1, or Food Inspector 1 (Spanish Language).

To be considered for advanced placement to Food Inspector Trainee 2 or Food Inspector Trainee 2 (Spanish Language), you must possess, beyond the "Minimum Qualifications", one additional year of experience in which the primary responsibility involves the application of scientific techniques in the areas of environmental health protection and sanitation of food establishments or quality control of food products at a wholesale food manufacturing facility. You must inform the agency of this additional experience at the time of interview.

To be considered for advanced placement to Food Inspector 1 or Food Inspector 1 (Spanish Language), you must possess, beyond the "Minimum Qualifications", two additional years of experience in which the primary responsibility involves the application of scientific techniques in the areas of environmental health protection and sanitation of food establishments or quality control of food products at a wholesale food manufacturing facility. You must inform the agency of this additional experience at the time of interview.

Examples of Qualifying Experience: Environmental Health Technician, Food Inspector/Investigator, Meat Inspector, Quality Control Technician for a food processing plant or food warehouse, or Laboratory Technician conducting analysis of food or dairy products.

Examples of Non-Qualifying Experience: Food Service Worker, Restaurant or Food Store Manager, Chef, Butcher, Caterer, Food Warehouse Management or Foremen, Food or Beverage Comptroller, Banquet Manager, Steward, Food or Food and Sanitation Equipment Sales Person, Food Broker, or Pesticide Applicator.

Notes

1. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
2. New York State residence is not required.
3. Your degree or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1VXR.
4. You may file for these examinations by completing one examination application NYS-APP form or applying on the Internet. Unless you are eligible for a fee waiver, the indicated processing fee must be submitted for each examination listed on your application.
5. If you pass the examination for No. 26-464 Food Inspector Trainee 1, (Spanish Language), you will be required to demonstrate your Spanish language proficiency at a level that will ensure your ability to perform properly the duties of the position. Only enough candidates to fill current vacancies will be called to the proficiency test.
6. If you submit an application No. 26-464 Food Inspector Trainee 1, (Spanish Language), an application will automatically be submitted for you for No. 26-463 Food Inspector Trainee 1, at no additional cost.
7. TRAVEL REQUIRMENTS: As these positions require travel within the region to which assigned, appointees must either possess at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State and have access to a motor vehicle when necessary or otherwise demonstrate their capacity to meet the regular transportation requirements in carrying out their field work responsibilities

The Positions

These positions exist in the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York State Office of General Services.

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Duties

As a Food Inspector Trainee 1, you would be in a two-year formal training program. The training provides the experience necessary to conduct Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) inspections, sanitary, low-acid canned food HACCP, juice HACCP, seafood HACCP, medicated feed at food manufacturers, processors, distributors, and retailers; and to report violations of standards as they pertain to wholesomeness, labeling, and advertising of food products and/or general sanitary conditions and inventory control. You would also participate in educational sessions for operators of establishments (including donated food recipient agencies) found in repeated violation of sanitation standards. You may testify in court or in administrative hearings on violative conditions at food establishments, donated food recipient agencies, warehouses, or food banks and investigate consumer complaints related to mislabeling or unwholesomeness of food. Upon successful completion of the two-year training program, you would be advanced to Food Inspector 1, SG-18, without further examination.

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Subject of 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. Evaluating conclusions in light of known facts - These questions will consist of a set of factual statements and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field.
2. General science concepts related to chemistry, microbiology, entomology and food science - These questions test for knowledge of general science concepts as they relate to subjects such as food sampling, testing, food adulteration, and preservation.
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.

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.

Important: The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies may communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your examination results and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

If you do not receive a number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.

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 employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, 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

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 provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

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, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions 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. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S1/TB1 VXR-vla
Issued: 12/29/2017

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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