Career Opportunity

Secretary I (1444) - Citywide - (Eligible List # C00211)

Recruitment: REF32785B

Published: October 27, 2023

Accepting applications until: November 03, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

***This announcement has been amended to extend the filing deadline. If you have already applied, there is no need to submit another application.

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

In addition to establishing a career with purpose and opportunity for professional growth, the City offers excellent benefits that include: competitive salaries; medical, dental, and vision insurance; defined benefit retirement plan; deferred compensation plan; long-term disability insurance; life insurance; and a generous paid time off package.

Come explore first-hand the many opportunities that the City and County of San Francisco has to offer.

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

• Application Opening: October 20, 2023
• Application Filing Deadline: October 27, 2023, Extended to November 3, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

Role description

Under supervision, provides secretarial and clerical services of an ordinary and varied nature for one or more managers; and performs related duties as required.

EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Takes and transcribes dictation from shorthand notes or transcribes from longhand or recorded dictation.

2. Types letters, reports and other finished copy of a routine nature.

3. Answers telephone and screens calls; serves as receptionist and schedules meetings and appointments.

4. Provides standard information to the public on policies, programs and procedures in accordance with general guidelines.

5. Files various materials alphabetically, numerically and chronologically in accordance with predetermined file classifications.

6. Posts a variety of information on standard forms, records and files; performs clerical tasks relative to keeping financial and statistical records and accounts.

How to qualify

EXPERIENCE:

• Ability to type 40 net words per minute AND
• One (1) year of verifiable, secretarial experience. Experience must have included composing, editing, and typing correspondence.
  OR
• Two (2) years of verifiable clerical experience comparable to a 1424 Clerk Typist. Experience must have included typing correspondence, answering phones, and filing.

Substitution:
A recognized clerical training program of 240 hours or the equivalent of 15 semester units in graded clerical college units may substitute for up to 6 months of experience.

NOTE:

• City and County employees received credit for duties of the class to which appointed. Credit for experience outside of  the employee's class is allowed only if recorded in accordance with the provisions of Civil Service Commission Rules.
• Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Verification of Education and Experience:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for further information.  

What else should I know?

SELECTION PROCEDURES:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Secretary Multiple-Choice Examination (Weight: 100%):
Candidates will be administered an online multiple choice Secretary exam to determine their relative knowledge, skill and ability level in one or more of the following job related areas as appropriate. These areas may include, but not be limited to: knowledge of Business English including the ability to edit grammar and spelling and write routine correspondence; ability to operate a computer and enter data which includes the use of Word, Outlook, and Excel; ability to follow oral and written instructions; knowledge of filing systems and the ability to file alphabetically, numerically, and chronologically; ability to exercise good judgment in making routine decisions in accordance with existing laws, ordinances, regulations, and departmental policies and procedures; ability to perform clerical tasks relative to keeping financial and statistical records and accounts; ability to perform basic mathematics (e.g., add, subtract, multiply, divide, calculate percentage); ability to learn, interpret, and apply administrative and departmental policies; ability to plan, organize, and complete work rapidly and efficiently; ability to communicate effectively with various audiences and deal tactfully with the public in person and on the telephone; ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with managers, city officials, employees, and the public; and ability to arrange and maintain appointment calendar and/or travel arrangements for one or more managers/executives.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the Secretary Exam in order to be ranked on the eligible list.

The scores you achieve on these examinations shall be valid and 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take these tests again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which these particular tests are used. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either (a) apply your test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that, should you re-test, your re-test score would become your official score since it is the most recent.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.
 

ELIGIBLE LIST/SCORE REPORT:
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 24 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview 
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents

HOW TO APPLY
Submit your application through this job ad. Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.