SECTION 1: OFFICE PROFESSIONAL CLASSIFICATION SERIES JANUARY 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: OFFICE PROFESSIONAL CLASSIFICATION SERIES... 1 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL TESTING GUIDELINES... 1 Posting and Bidding... 1 Vacancy Bid - Same Track... 1 Vacancy Bid - Outside Current Track... 1 Vacancy Bid - Non-Office Professional... 1 Application and Testing... 1 Application... 1 Eligibility... 2 Pass/Fail Requirements... 2 Re-testing... 2 Test and Interview Scheduling... 2 Effective Date... 3 SECTION 2: EMPLOYMENT AND PROMOTIONAL TESTS... 4 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL I... 5 TESTS all tests are computerized... 5 SOURCE... 5 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL II... 6 TESTS... 6 SOURCE... 6 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL III... 7 TESTS... 7 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL I... 9 KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA's)... 9 RESPONSIBILITY... 9 EFFORT... 9 TEAM WORK/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS... 9 CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS... 9 WORKING CONDITIONS... 9 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL II... 10 KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA's)... 10 RESPONSIBILITY... 10 EFFORT... 10 TEAM WORK/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS... 10 CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS... 10 WORKING CONDITIONS... 10 OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL III... 11 KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA's)... 11 RESPONSIBILITY... 11 EFFORT... 11 TEAM WORK/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS... 11 CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS... 11 WORKING CONDITIONS... 11
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL TESTING GUIDELINES Employees in the Office Professional classification tracks (accounting and administrative) will be provided with the opportunity to test to a higher level in the classification. POSTING AND BIDDING All declared vacancies in the Office Professional classification will be posted for union bidding without a level designator. The designation of I, II, or III belongs to the employee rather than to the position. Vacancy Bid - Same Track If an employee bids on an Office Professional vacancy in the track in which (s)he is currently classified, the employee will retain his/her current Office Professional I, II, or III designation and will not be required to take the computerized and paper/pencil test. The employee will be required, however, to successfully complete the structured interview. Vacancy Bid - Outside Current Track If an employee bids on an Office Professional vacancy outside the track in which (s)he is currently classified, the employee will be required to pass the tests at the percentage levels designated in the attached Employment and Promotional Test information. In addition, the employee will be required to successfully complete the structured interview. An employee holding a designation of Level II or III may take the test for the level at which (s)he is currently classified. If the employee does not pass the test, the employee will be allowed to re-test at the next lower level. If a Level III employee does not pass the Level II test, the employee may take the test for the Level I designation. If the employee does not pass the test for the Level I designation, the employee will not be awarded the position. An employee changing Office Professional tracks through the job bidding process will become subject to the promotional criteria outlined in the Employment and Promotional Tests information. Vacancy Bid - Non-Office Professional An employee who is not currently classified as an Office Professional who bids on a position so classified will be required to successfully complete the Office Professional I testing regimen to be considered for the position and will become subject to the Employment and Promotional Tests criteria attached. APPLICATION AND TESTING The following are the testing guidelines for the Office Professional classifications: Application An employee interested in testing must submit a testing application to the Human Resources office. Testing will be scheduled by the Human Resources office within a month of the date of application to test. The application blank is available in the Human Resources Office or on ERIN under the Human Resources icon. Page 1
Eligibility To determine eligibility to test, the Human Resources Department will review the application. In reviewing the application for eligibility, such items as education, years of experience, and amount of City employment experience will be considered. Human Resources may solicit the input of supervisory personnel who are familiar with the employee's education and experience. Human Resources will notify the applicant and the affected Department Head regarding acceptance or rejection of the application. Pass/Fail Requirements The passing scores for the computerized, paper/pencil, and oral testing components for an Office Professional level I, II, and III designations are a part of this document. The testing device becomes more comprehensive at each higher level. Each component must be successfully completed, as defined in the Employment and Promotional Tests information, for an employee to be promoted to the next higher level or different track, whichever is applicable. The Office Professional testing is progressive. An employee in the Office Professional I designation must test and successfully become an Office Professional II before the employee may test to become an Office Professional III. Refer to Section 2 of this document for testing information. Re-testing An employee who successfully completes 70% of the tests within Section I and II of the respective Office Professional II or III testing components will be required to re-take only the components failed, provided the remaining 30% is passed within six months of the original test date. Employees may apply no more than twice within six months of the original test date, via written communication (email) to the Human Resources department, in order to re-take the testing components which were not successfully completed in the first (or second) test session. Upon receipt of the request to re-test, the Human Resources Office will generally schedule the testing within two weeks from the date of the request. If an employee fails any of the test components three times, the application process previously identified applies. However, it is important for the employee to avail him/herself of additional training opportunities, which could be in several forms, such as self-study, workshops, classes, or other pertinent training formats prior to re-testing. An employee testing a fourth time or outside of the six month testing window must take all components of the test. The pass/fail scores are identified in the Employment and Promotional Tests information. Test and Interview Scheduling The Human Resources Department will make all testing arrangements. The applicant and the affected Department Head will be advised of the exam date as far in advance as is possible. A tentative interview date and department-specific testing date for applicants upgrading to Levels II and III will be scheduled immediately following establishment of the computerized test date. Every effort will be made to schedule the interview within a couple of days following the computerized exam. Page 2
Notification of the testing results will be provided to the applicant within a reasonable period of time following the test date. If the computerized and paper/pencil tests are not successfully completed, the interview and department-specific test dates will be canceled. If an employee fails the department-specific test or the interview, it is important for the employee to avail him/herself of additional training opportunities, which could be in several forms, such as self-study, workshops, classes, or other pertinent training formats. Re-testing must be completed within one calendar year from the date of notification. Effective Date Effective with the first full pay period following the successful completion of the testing segments processed in the Human Resources Office, the employee will be reclassified. The pay rate shall be the next higher rate for the new classification and/or designation above the employee's present pay, but the new rate shall not exceed the rate due any employee of the new classification with the same number of years of services as the employee being promoted. Attachment Effective: October 2000 Revised: November 2011, January 2014 Page 3
SECTION 2: EMPLOYMENT AND PROMOTIONAL TESTS FOR OFFICE PROFESSIONAL CLASSIFICATION SERIES Page 4
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL I Testing TESTS ALL TESTS ARE COMPUTERIZED PASSING SCORE SOURCE 1. Office Professional Skills Admin. Acctg. Language Skills 70% 70% Grammar and Punctuation Spelling Walden Personnel Performance, Inc.* Pre-valuate** Numerical Skills 70% 70% Pre-valuate** Basic mathematical calculations Office Procedure Knowledge 70% 70% Pre-valuate** Filing skills Data entry skills Typing 55 wpm 50 wpm Pre-valuate** 2. Computer Software Skills Admin. Acctg. Pre-valuate** Windows Operating System, general 70% 70% skills Microsoft Word, basic 70% 50% Microsoft Excel, basic 50% 70% Applicants will be tested on the computer software version currently used by the hiring department or that which is most commonly used City wide. If an applicant achieves a satisfactory score in a majority of the test components and a lower score in some areas, the individual may still be considered as qualified if the Human Resources Department and the hiring supervisor determine the lower score is within an acceptable range. *Paper/pencil testing process **Computerized testing process Page 5
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL II Testing TESTS PASSING SCORE SOURCE 1. Office Professional Skills Admin. Acctg. Language Skills 80% 80% Grammar and Punctuation Vocabulary Walden Personnel Performance, Inc.* IPMA* Numerical Skills 70% 70% IPMA* Reasoning Office Procedure Knowledge 70% 70% IPMA* Document proofing Following oral and written instructions 2. Computer Software Skills Admin. Acctg. Pre-valuate** Windows Operating System, general 70% 70% skills Microsoft Word, intermediate 70% 50% Microsoft Excel, intermediate 50% 70% 3. Department Component Admin. Acctg. Department-specific software testing Pass/Fail Pass/Fail Department/HR Knowledge of general department procedures and work flow process Structured Interview Assessment of motivation, initiative, willingness to learn new skills, and work-related problem identification abilities. Structured Interview Candidates who successfully completed the Office Professional I Grammar and Punctuation tests at or above 80% will not be required to retest in these areas when applying for advancement to the Office Professional II level. Applicants will be tested on the computer software version currently used by the hiring department or that which is most commonly used City wide. Department-specific tests can be simply scored as pass/fail, i.e. either the applicant demonstrates the required knowledge and skills to a satisfactory level or does not. The self-management skills for Level II should be weighed lower than Level III. *Paper/pencil testing process **Computerized testing process Page 6
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL III Testing TESTS PASSING SCORE SOURCE 1. Administrative Support Skills Admin. Acctg. Work Sample Exercises Pass/Fail Pass/Fail Department/HR Ability to organize and prioritize work Breadth and depth of knowledge of specific function, i.e. public safety, finance Ability to draft routine communications 2. Computer Software Skills Admin. Acctg. Pre-valuate* Microsoft Word, intermediate 70% 50% Microsoft Excel, intermediate 50% 70% 3. Department Component Admin. Acctg. Department-specific software testing Pass/Fail Pass/Fail Department/HR Knowledge of general department procedures and work flow process Structured Interview 4. Support Staff Team Leader Skills Admin. Acctg. Assessment of motivation, initiative, willingness to learn new skills, and problem-solving and conflict management abilities. Assessment of familiarity of City structure and operations. Structured Interview Structured Interview Applicants will be tested on the computer software version currently used by the hiring department or that which is most commonly used City wide. Department-specific tests can be simply scored as pass/fail, i.e. either the applicant demonstrates the required knowledge and skills to a satisfactory level or does not. The self-management skills for Level III should be weighed higher than Level II. Applicants for a Level III position should be able to demonstrate the department-specific knowledge and skills to a higher degree than persons applying for promotion for the Level II position. Job analysis of the City's Office Professional levels indicate that, to qualify for a Level III, an applicant does not need any different type of technical skills than Level II. Rather, they need these same skills in greater depth and breadth. In Page 7
addition, Level III s are required to possess self-management skills. These selfmanagement skills include the ability to plan and organize one's own work, extensive knowledge of department functions and procedures, familiarity with City structure and operations, the ability to solve problems, the ability to lead a work team, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to recommend solutions and options to the department head. *Computerized testing process Page 8
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL I Position Specifications KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA'S) High school diploma or equivalent and two years of responsible Office Professional experience, or two years of college and six months of responsible Office Professional experience. RESPONSIBILITY Independent Judgment - apply standard procedures to carry out routine tasks. Problem Solving - job duties performed under clear guidelines and specific instructions. Accountability - responsible for completing routine tasks under direct supervision Public Contact - primarily involves answering routine questions about City services. EFFORT Job requires limited physical effort and knowledge of standard office procedures. TEAM WORK/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS Job primarily involves intra-departmental contacts; interaction with co-workers is needed to perform job duties. CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS Loss of credibility, cause delay and errors in work of co-workers. WORKING CONDITIONS Work is performed in standard office environment. Note: An employee hired at the Office Professional Level I position is expected to develop new skills and to gradually assume a higher level of duties to become promotable to an Office Professional level II within a reasonable period of time. Page 9
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL II Position Specifications KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA'S) One year of experience as an Office Professional I at the City, is required OR An Associate degree in a position related field OR Significant hours of external technical education, or completion of a formal professional development certification program (where appropriate) and two years of professional working experience OR An equivalent combination of education (15 credit hours of work related college coursework) and experience. RESPONSIBILITY Decision Making - select options from a range of approaches and techniques to perform a variety of tasks in one functional area. Problem Solving - problems are solved using a selected number of solutions. Accountability - responsible for a complete function in a department. Public Contact - job requires frequent public contact to provide information about a particular City function, such as water bills or parks and recreation programs. EFFORT Job requires substantial physical or mental effort, such as knowledge of various techniques, procedures and approaches to accomplish a task and need to apply them on a regular basis; continuous standing, lifting, etc. TEAM WORK/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS Job requires regularly working with others within a department to get the task accomplished. Job may also require inter-departmental contacts. CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS Loss of credibility, cause delay and errors in work of co-workers, and increasing potential for citizen complaint may result from errors in output of work. WORKING CONDITIONS Job creates physical strain or discomfort (such as standing for extended periods) or stress related to excessive workload or peak demand, etc. Page 10
OFFICE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL III Position Specifications KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA'S) Three years of experience as an Office Professional II at the City, is required. AND An Associate degree in a position related field OR Significant hours of external technical education, or completion of a formal professional development certification program (where appropriate), and five years of experience with increasing responsibility OR An equivalent combination of education (30 credit hours of work related college coursework) and experience. RESPONSIBILITY Decision Making - job requires exercising a substantial amount of discretion and receives minimal supervision. Problem Solving - use of relevant principles and techniques to solve problems in situations where only limited standardization exists. Accountability - responsible for multiple functions in a department and provides administrative support to a division head or department manager. Public Contact - frequent public contact to solve problems and deal with resident complaints, and contact with other governmental agencies. EFFORT Job requires knowledge of applicable laws or substantial research to answer questions or perform work, requires initiative and creativity. TEAM WORK/INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS Job required collaborating with others within the City, requires conflict resolution and some degree of consensus building. CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS Loss of credibility, cause delay and errors in work of co-workers; citizen complaints may result from errors in output of work; and increased potential for errors in work output may result in potential legal and financial liability. WORKING CONDITIONS Physical hazard or stress related to unreasonable time pressure, multiple supervisors; need to respond to crisis situations. Page 11