Secretary I

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. (Monday, September 21, 2015)  Postmarks are not accepted.  Applications will only be accepted online.

 

THE POSITION
Under general supervision, incumbents perform a wide variety of difficult to complex secretarial and clerical duties; relieve an administrator of administrative details; and perform other related duties as required.

EXISTING VACANCIES
While the immediate vacancies for these positions are within the Probation Department, please note that the eligible list resulting from this recruitment and selection process may be utilized for other future vacancies which may arise within the next year for these and other County Departments/Agencies.

THE AGENCY

The Alameda County Probation Department is an essential element of the County’s system of public protection and human services. The Department’s role is to reduce the impact of crime in the community by providing accurate, comprehensive and timely information and recommendations to the Courts, providing community-based sanctions and treatment for offenders, and working cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and community organizations with similar objectives. The Department provides a wide range of mandated and discretionary investigative, advisory, and supervisory services to adult and juvenile probationers pursuant to State law and the County Charter.

IDEAL CANDIDATE
In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated a successful track record of being able to:

• Plan and organize work activities; manage several tasks at once; establish a course of action for self and others to ensure that work is completed efficiently
• Demonstrate a willingness to commit to one’s work and to invest one’s time, talent, and best efforts in accomplishing organizational goals
• Assimilate and apply new job-related information in a timely manner
• Ensure that the customer perspective is a driving force behind business decisions and activities
• Accomplish tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks; being watchful over a period of time
• Effectively communicate and clearly convey information and ideas; and interact well with others by relating people from varied backgrounds and in different situations; and who exemplifies understanding, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness
• Build and maintain key partnerships with members of one's own Department/Agency, other Departments/Agencies, and vendors
• Make a positive impact on others by exuding an air of confidence, creating good first impressions by professionally commanding attention, and earning the professional trust and respect of others
• Consistently maintain effectiveness when experiencing changes in work processes and procedures, work assignments, and personnel

Either I

The equivalent of one year of experience in the class of Clerk II or an equivalent or higher level clerical class in Alameda County classified service that requires a typing proficiency level of not less than 40 wpm. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or II

The equivalent of two years of full-time experience in clerical work that requires a typing proficiency level of not less than 40 wpm.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

· Modern office practices and procedures, including business correspondence, record keeping systems, and standard office equipment operations.
· Correct English usage, including spelling and grammar; business letter writing and proper format for typed materials.
· Word processing and/or spreadsheet applications.

Ability to:

· Perform difficult clerical work involving independent judgment; type with speed and accuracy at not less than 40 words per minute.
· Prepare clear and comprehensive reports; draft, compose and edit correspondence from brief oral or written instructions, using word processing applications.
· Speak clearly and concisely to obtain and relay information.
· Maintain personnel and other record files.
· Identify and correct errors in English usage, grammar, and mathematical calculations in a variety of documents.
· Organize and prioritize work load; complete work under time deadlines.
· Learn to interpret and apply laws, rules, and written directions to specific situations.
· Establish and maintain effective working relationships with co workers and the general public.

SELECTIVE CERTIFICATION CRITERIA

Some positions require the ability to take shorthand at a speed of not less than 80 words per minute and transcribe it accurately via shorthand or dictation recording equipment.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps:

1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) A written test which will be weighted as 50% of the candidate’s final examination score. Those candidates scoring highest on the written test will move on to the next step in the examination process.

3) A computer skills test which will be qualifying (pass/fail) only with the following components: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and typing speed (minimum 40 words per minute).  Only candidates who pass the computer skills assessment will be invited to the oral interview process.

4) An oral interview which will be weighted as 50% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises. 

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. 

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

 

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN 

Deadline for Filing	Monday, September 21, 2015
Review of Minimum Qualifications	Monday, October 5, 2015
Written Examination	Wednesday & Thursday, October 21 & 22, 2015
Computer Skills Test	Week of November 9, 2015
Panel Interviews	Thursday & Friday, December 3rd & 4th, 2015 Monday & Tuesday, December 7th and 8th, 2015

 

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing.   Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

 

Iona Childers,  Human Resources Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

510-272-6463

iona.childers@acgov.org

Alameda County is an Equal Opportunity Employer