NEW YORK STATE
Department of Civil Service Announces
Examinations Open to All Qualified Individuals

Due to the size of the candidate population for this examination, you may be assigned to either a Saturday or Sunday test date (February 3 or 4). 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.

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or WestchesterCounties will receive an additional $1,302 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or PutnamCounties will receive an additional $651 annual Mid-Hudson adjustment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: On or before February 3, 2007, you must have two years of experience in one or more of the following:

• Conducting investigations involving energy, telecommunications, water, or cable service;
• Analyzing and/or researching information or data related to energy, telecommunications, water, or cable service;
• Preparing reports or survey instruments related to customer service performance in utility industries;
• Conducting inspections or tests of energy or water meters or telecommunications devices;
• Analyzing utility customer education programs and/or customer service performance;
• Developing public awareness or consumer education programs relating to utility matters including, but not limited to, presentations to consumers, consumer advocates, regulatory agency personnel, or utility industry representatives; or
• Investigating customer inquiries and complaints as a customer service representative or responding to customer inquiries in a call center environment.

Substitution: Thirty (30) college semester credit hours in electrical technology, telecommunications technology, engineering technology, engineering, or communications may be substituted for one year of the required two years of experience. An associate's degree in any of these areas or sixty (60) college semester credit hours may be substituted for the required two years of experience.

NOTES:

1. On your OC-APP application form, you must clearly demonstrate how you meet the minimum qualifications. For each work experience, indicate which of the bulleted activities you performed.
2. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYSEducation Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the UnitedStates and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the Department of CivilService for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.state.ny.us/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, NewYork, 12239; Attention: S2DAG.
3. The Department of Public Service has the option of making appointments from either the list resulting from this examination open to the public or the list resulting from the transition examination. If you meet the requirements for both examinations, you may wish to file for both. The processing fee must be paid for this examination unless you are eligible for a fee waiver.
4. Although a transition examination is also being held for these positions, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of this examination open to the public.
5. Appointment to either title will remove your name from consideration for appointment to the other title.
6. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
7. New York State residence is not required.

THE POSITIONS: These positions exist in the New York State Department of Public Service in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City. Successful completion of the one-year traineeship leads to Utility Consumer Assistance Specialist 1, G‑14; or Utility Consumer Program Specialist 1, G-14 (current salary $37,275), without further examination.

DUTIES: As a Utility Consumer Assistance Specialist Trainee, you would perform a variety of activities and tasks in connection with the investigation and resolution of consumer complaints against electric, steam, gas, telecommunications, cable, and water service providers operating in New York State. These complaints include inadequate or substandard service, interruptions in service, disconnection of service, meter problems, billing problems, rate problems, deposit arrangements, deferred payments agreements, transferred balances, company policy, or other disputes requiring investigations and formal reply by the Department. You would also discuss energy conservation matters with consumers and provide information on utility regulation.

As a Utility Consumer Program Specialist Trainee, you would perform a variety of activities and tasks in connection with the oversight of regulated and competitive energy, telecommunications, cable, and water service providers in NewYork State. Tasks include data compilation and analysis related to metering activities, end user migration statistics, special rate contracts, business incentive plans, customer satisfaction surveys, or other economic and regional development incentives. You would also deal with the public and provide consumer education information to residential and business end users; state, regional, and local governments; and consumer organizations and other stakeholders; attend trade shows and other public information sessions; and respond to inquiries on utility and competitively provided services.

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. Evaluation conclusions in light of known facts – These questions will consist of a set of facts 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. Interviewing – These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.
3. Understanding and interpreting tabular material – These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test.
4. Understanding and interpreting written material – These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.

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.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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].

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.

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.

MULTIPLE EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME DAY: With the exception of written tests announced by NewYork 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.

S2/TA1 DAG-dmb
Issued: 11/17/06