Exam Bulletin - Senior Personnel Specialist

State of California

Exam Code: EX-1985

Examination Plans Included:

  • SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST - Open

Final Filing Date: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Classification Details

SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST: $5,338.00 - $6,689.00 per Month

View the SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST classification specification.

Application Instructions

This is not a timed examination. If you request a Reasonable Accommodation, your account will be locked and you will not be able to proceed with the examination until the request is processed.

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Who Should Apply:

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

  • SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

    1985

For SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-01985

How To Apply:

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

00101317 - SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST

One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Personnel Specialist, Range D, or a Personnel Services Specialist II.

Position Description

00101317 - SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST

This is the expert journey level of the series. Under general direction, incumbents serve as the expert staff resource responsible for the most difficult and complex personnel/payroll issues. As a "staff specialist", researches critical personnel problems and recommends alternative solutions; develops and maintains specialized training programs; reviews various control agency letters, memos, and bargaining contract provisions, and develops/revises internal procedures as necessary; prepares management reports, spreadsheets, and charts; drafts correspondence; functions as a team member on personnel-related projects; are coordinators for a variety of personnel/payroll programs, e.g., FMLA; and may act in a lead role (i.e., training, workload, etc.) over lower-level staff.

Additional Desirable Qualifications

Familiarity with automated systems.

For information regarding position location(s), please refer to the Eligible List Information section.

Examination Information

We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for optimal performance when accessing the examination.

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1CalHR Online ExamN/A100%

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of:
  1. Current office methods, procedures, equipment, and basic math principles
  2. Laws, rules, regulations, and bargaining contract provisions affecting personnel record keeping, personnel transactions, payroll, and certification processes used in State departments
Ability to:
  1. Think logically, multitask, and apply laws, rules, regulations, and bargaining contract provisions concerning personnel transactions
  2. Independently interpret and use reference material
  3. Give and follow directions
  4. Gather data
  5. Design and prepare tables, spreadsheets, and charts
  6. Advise employees of their rights
  7. Consult with supervisors on alternative actions which they may take on various transaction situations
  8. Communicate effectively
  9. Operate a computer keyboard/terminal
  10. Establish and maintain cooperative working relations with those contacted during the course of the work
  11. Organize and prioritize work
  12. Create/draft correspondence
  13. Maintain personnel records
  14. Represent the department on intra/interdepartmental teams
  15. Coordinate a variety of personnel/payroll transactions
  16. Research critical transactions and recommend alternative solutions

Eligible List Information

A Servicewide Open eligible list for the SENIOR PERSONNEL SPECIALIST Classification will be established for:

  • State of California

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 18 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Resulting Eligibility List(s) will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State of California.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

  • A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
  • A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

Senior Personnel Specialist Training and Experience Examination Preview

Instructions:
Rate your experience performing specific job-related tasks.

Respond to each of the following statements by indicating how the statement applies to you. You are required to respond to every question and provide relevant examples. Also, indicate the references who can verify the information provided.

In responding to each statement, you may refer to your WORK EXPERIENCE, whether paid or volunteer, and FORMAL TRAINING COURSES you have completed.

PLEASE NOTE: This examination is designed to gain an overall assessment of your experience and training as it directly relates to the duties and the knowledge, skills and abilities required for this position. Possession of specific training is not required to be successful in this examination; however, such achievements may substitute for desirable levels of experience. All components of this examination have been carefully validated by tying them directly to job requirements and documenting their relevance to the position.

Tasks
  1. Maintaining payroll and/or personnel documents to ensure completeness of historical data.
  2. Processing and monitoring benefits and/or attendance of one or more of a variety of personnel/payroll leave programs (e.g., Family Medical Leave Act, Worker's Compensation, Non-Industrial Disability Insurance, State Disability Insurance, Paid Family Leave).
  3. Processing and tracking salary garnishments to ensure compliance with court orders (e.g., child support, civil judgments) and various agency requests (e.g., Franchise Tax Board, Internal Revenue Service).
  4. Analyzing various personnel related documents (e.g., control agency letters, memoranda, contracts) to identify any changes in policy and determine appropriate actions.
  5. Auditing and/or posting attendance on a bi-weekly, semi-monthly and/or monthly basis for payroll and leave usage to ensure accurate employee compensation and leave benefit accruals.
  6. Providing information regarding payroll and/or personnel updates to employees ensuring compliance and consistency with departmental policies and procedures.
  7. Writing documents (e.g., correspondence, appeal letters, reports) regarding various personnel and/or payroll matters.
  8. Interacting with all levels of staff and handling stressful situations while resolving disagreements using clear and concise communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills.
  9. Researching and resolving critical payroll and/or personnel problems to provide recommendations and/or alternative solutions.
  10. Analyzing and processing appointments (e.g., salary determination, retirement code selection, benefit package) to determine proper compensation.
  11. Interpreting and applying various State and Federal laws, rules, regulations, policies, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) pertaining to personnel and/or payroll matters (e.g., appointments, separations, attendance, benefits).
  12. Consulting with division/program supervisors and/or managers on personnel related situations (e.g., position control, attendance, paid or unpaid leave) and providing alternative actions to resolve various issues.
  13. Acting in a lead capacity, including mentoring or training of staff or department liaisons, to perform various personnel/payroll duties.
  14. Contacting various entities (e.g., control agencies, internal/external organizations) to obtain information, guidance and/or clarification on various laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  15. Creating documents (e.g., spreadsheets, memos, procedures, reports) utilizing various software applications (e.g., Excel, Word, Access).

Testing Departments

  • State of California

Contact Information

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

State of California
CalCareer Service Center
1810 16th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (866) 844-8671
CalCareer@calhr.ca.gov

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Drug Free Statement

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State work place. Any applicant for State employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

General Information

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

State of California reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Your CalCareer Account)