****** EMPLOYMENT WITH NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT ****** Writer¡GJoanne McAuley * Here are a few facts that you may not know * In 1990 New York State employed 198,000 peoplein 79 differnet departments an d Agencies,in 7,000 different job titles. New York State employs doctors, nurses and therapy aides inthe Office of Men tal Health and the Office of Mental Retardation andDevelopemental Disabiliti es. New York State employs accountants, auditors and computer programmeranalysts in the Department of Tax and Finance, The Office of the stateComptroller, T he Division of the Budget and the Division of the Lottery. New York State hires teachers for the State University System,social workers for the Dapartment of Social services,probation officers for the Correction al Services System,lawyers for the Department of state, and fingerprint expe rts for thedivision of Criminal Justice Services. New york state employs people to work in State parks,to enforce State laws r egarding energy conservation, human rights andhousing, and to regulate the b anking industry and the insurence industry. There is the Council on the Arts which sponsors cultural events acrossthe St ate; the Office for the Aging whcih administers federal funds fortechnical a nd financial assistance to community programs for servicesto older citizens, and if you own or drive a car, you have alreadybecome acquainted with the N ew York State Department of Motor Vehicles. So as you can see there are a lot of different possibilities foremployment i n both professional and non-porfessional areas.New York State is an equal op portunity employer. It welcomeapplications from all qualified individuals. There is no residencyrequirement as there is for New York City government po sitions.You do not have to be a United States citizen. But you must provewi thin three (3) days of appointemnt that you have the right to acceptemployme nt in the United states. New York State offers a competitive salary and an excellent fringebenefit pa ckage including health insurance, dental and optical programs.You get two we eks vacation after your first year of employment andfour weeks after seven y ears. You get 12 paid holidays, sick leave and3 days personal leave per yea r. There is a retirement program withvesting after ten years. * What do you need to qualify? * As with any company in the private sector, your ability to get a jobdepends on your qualifications. Education: Many jobs require at least a High School dipolma. Many morerequir e a College degree. Some require a professional license. Experience: Some jobs require previous experience in specific areaswhile oth ers require no experience, for example, "traineeships."For certain jobs you may need to demonstrate a skill, for example,typing or fluency in a second l anguage. Eighty percent of all New York State jobs are filled through competitiveexam inations which test your ability to do the job. Many exams arewritten tests (multiple choice questions); some are oral tests (you areasked to respond t o a question, for which you have had time to review andformulate an answer, before a panel). Some are performance tests(for example, typing) and still o thers are physical tests. For some professional position in the health field there is no formaltest bu t you are asked to submit proof of your education andprofessional license. * Where can you get information about State examinations? * The New York State Department of Civil Service publishes examannouncements w hich describe the position, give the test date and stateminimum qualificatio ns for the job. Copies of these announcements areavailable at Civil Service Department office in Albany and New YorkCity. You can also find exam announcements at your local New York State JobService office, in many public libraries and sometimes at local highschool and coll ege job placement offcie. You can also find jobannouncements in the classif ied employment sections of newspapers,such as The New York Times. You can r ead The Chief - a special weeklynewspaper which lists information about all City, State and Federalcivil service jobs. Don't foget to ask a friend or relative who already works for New YorkState to keep you in mind if they hear of any tests or job possibilitiesin the Age ncy they work at. Also, you can write to the Personnel Officeof the particu lar agency you would like to work at and ask aboutemployment opportunities a t that agency. * How do you apply? * uWhen you find an announcement for a job that interests you, read theannounc ement carefully to find out if you are qualified to take thetest. If you ar e, you must fill out and submit an application. Yourapplication will be rev iewed so fill it out carefully. Be clear andspecific in describing your edu caiton, training and experience. You may also have to pay a fee. The fee is indicated on theannouncement and is not refundable. The fee covers the cost of handlingand reviewing your a pplication. You will be notified by mail if you have been approved/disapproved.If approv ed additional information concerning the test will be sent toyou. Written tests are usually held on Saturday at more than 30 test centersacros s New York State. In most cases the test results are mailed to candidates within threeto four months. After the exams have been scored, an eligibility list is establishedwhich ra nks job candidates by test score. The scores range from 100% to70%. These lists are sent to State agencies which have job openings.When an agency wish es to fill a position they will canvass the list andhold interviews. Final selection and appointments are made by theagency on the basis of these inter view. * For more information * If you have any questions about a job with New York State please contactone of the Civil Service Department offeces listed below: Also ask for the informational booklet: IS THERE A JOB FOR MEWITH NEW YORK STATE? New York State Department of Civil Service The W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus Albany, New York 12239 (518)457-6216 New York State Department of Civil Service Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building 163 West 125 Street New York, New York 10027 (212)870-4014 In person: 8:30am - 4:00pm (Monday to Friday) By Joanne Mcauley Acting Director of Personnel New York State Banking Department¡»