Weights & Measures Specialist Trainee 1

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 November 3, 2018, you must have:

Either 1. four years of satisfactory weights & measures experience;???

Or 2. a bachelor???s degree which must include at least 24 semester credit hours in specialized courses related to: physical sciences,* electronic sciences,** or mathematics;***

Or 3. an associate???s degree, including at least 24 semester credit hours in specialized courses related to: physical sciences,* electronic sciences,** or mathematics,*** AND two years of satisfactory weights and measures experience.???

Specialized Courses

*Physical sciences include chemistry (inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry), earth sciences (meteorology, astronomy, geology), and physics. Biology is not a qualifying subject.

**Electronic sciences is a branch of physics that deals with the emission, behavior, and effects of electrons (in tubes and transistors) and with electronic devices. Coursework in electricity, a science that deals with the law of electricity, is NOT qualifying.

***Mathematics includes coursework in accounting, economics, etc., provided the primary focus of the course is the manipulation of numbers.

Important: You MUST submit a transcript of qualifying courses with your application.

Advanced Placement: Additional weights and measures experience could qualify a candidate for advanced placement to the Weights and Measures Specialist Trainee 2 or to the full performance title, Weights and Measures Specialist 1, Grade 18. You must inform the agency of this experience at the time of interview.

???Examples of Qualifying Experience include: Employment in which the primary functions/responsibilities include any one of the following:

• Enforcing weights and measures laws and regulations and inspecting and testing of devices and packaged commodities.
• Inspecting, testing, and repairing commercial weighing or measuring devices and/or industrial weighing or measuring devices with appropriate specifications and tolerances.
• Inspecting and testing both quality and quantity of packaged or manufactured goods using precision scales/balances and/or other precision measuring equipment, performing data reductions, and assessing compliance of the results with appropriate specifications and tolerances.
• Conducting chemical or physical analyses using precision scales/balances and/or other precision measuring equipment, performing data reduction, and assessing compliance of results with the appropriate specifications and tolerances.

If you expect to meet the educational requirements by June 30, 2019, 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 June 30, 2019 may result in your removal from the eligible list.

Notes

1. Your degree or college credit must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. 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 New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S1VXR.
2. A promotion examination is also being held for these positions. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
3. You may file for these examinations by completing one NYS-APP application 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.
4. Travel Requirements: Appointment to certain positions requires extensive travel within a designated area of assignment. Appointees to these positions may be required to operate a motor vehicle or otherwise demonstrate their capacity to meet the transportation needs of the job. If the position requires that you operate a motor vehicle, you must possess a driver's license valid in New York State at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter. Field work and travel expenses are reimbursed on a fixed schedule.
5. Physical/Medical Requirements: Your physical and medical condition will be evaluated to ensure that you are able to satisfactorily perform the duties of this position with or without reasonable accommodation. A complete statement of the physical and medical standards is available at http://www.cs.ny.gov/ehs/forms.cfm. A medical examination will be required prior to appointment, and you are responsible for payment of the clinical laboratory test fee. Appointees to this position may be required to undergo periodic medical examinations to reassess their ability to perform the essential duties of the position. Eligibles will be called to the physical/medical screening in score order as needed to fill existing and anticipated vacancies.
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 Agriculture and Markets.

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Duties

As a Weights and Measures Specialist Trainee 1, you would be in a two-year formal training program. The training provides the experience necessary to perform inspections and tests of commercial weighing and measuring devices, verify accuracy of packaged commodities, conduct investigations and otherwise regulate commercial transactions, sample petroleum products for quality, and supervise and train municipal officials performing similar tasks at the local level. Upon successful completion of the two-year training program, you would be advanced to Weights and Measures Specialist 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. Arithmetic reasoning - These questions test your ability to solve an arithmetic problem presented in sentence or short paragraph form. You must read the problem, understand the situation presented, decide what must be done to solve it, and apply the appropriate arithmetic operation(s) in the appropriate order, in order to determine the correct answer. Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division will be necessary. Questions may also involve the use of percents, decimals, and fractions. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.
2. Organizing data into tables and records - These questions test your ability to combine and manipulated information into a specified format. You will be given numerical data in tabular and/or narrative form, and you must compile it into tables or records. Ability to add and subtract is required. All information necessary to answer the questions is given. No knowledge of specific bookkeeping, account-keeping, or recordkeeping systems is required.
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.
4. Determining the accuracy of scales - These questions are designed to test a candidate???s ability to determine if weighing scales are reading accurately and, if not, the extent of error associated with each scale. The candidate is shown a test load and given the weights of single units in the load and must calculate the total weight of the test load. The candidate is also shown two separate scale readings and must determine if either or both readings are fast or slow and by how much. Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division will be necessary. Specific knowledge of weights and scales is not required.

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 confirmation 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/TB2 VXR-dah
Issued: 08/17/2018

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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