The New York State Department of Civil Service announced Oswego County has been approved for its Hiring Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Program. The County received approval on March 15, making it the first in the state to utilize this new program to help with recruitment efforts.

“Oswego County is thrilled that this new program has been approved,” said Oswego County Legislator Laurie Mangano, District 17, chairwoman of the Oswego County Legislature’s Finance and Personnel Committee. “Across the state, local governments have faced significant challenges filling open positions with fewer applicants, cumbersome hiring processes and an increasingly competitive job market with private sector employers. We hope that this initiative will help level the playing field as we work to build up our workforce.”

The HELP Program temporarily eliminates the civil service testing component for certain positions – such as social welfare examiner, caseworker, caseworker aide, community service worker, support examiner and public health sanitarian – for a period of one year. The goal is to increase candidate applications by alleviating concerns about test-taking.

“While many people experience test anxiety, it can be more intense for a provisional employee as they are required to take – and do well on – a civil service exam in order to keep their job,” said Oswego County Human Resources (HR) Director Julie Bell. “As a result, people who would otherwise be interested in a position, may not apply due to fears about testing. This creates a challenge for municipalities to be able to recruit enough people to maintain a strong workforce.”

New York State conducted a review of all job titles and found that those in the public health and safety fields had the highest number of positions filled provisionally.

“These results are not surprising, given the vital role of positions in these fields and the ongoing need to fill them,” Bell added. “We are hopeful that the HELP Program will attract more candidates for these positions and boost our overall recruitments.”

It is important to note that the HELP Program is not unconditional. It applies only to open-competitive positions (not promotional) that provide critical services to meet basic health, safety and daily needs of residents. Municipalities are also required to demonstrate a severe shortage of qualified candidates, despite extensive recruitment efforts.

The Oswego County Department of Social Services has two job titles with the greatest number of vacancies across the state – social welfare examiner and caseworker. Both titles, along with caseworker aide, community service worker and support examiner titles, meet the criteria for the HELP Program which could help reverse the local department’s staffing shortage.

“We’re so grateful for the opportunity this HELP Program provides,” said Oswego County Department of Social Services Commissioner Stacy Alvord. “Now, candidates need only be concerned about their job performance, not their test performance. They can feel confident about accepting and keeping their position with us, and not worry about passing an exam or being ‘reachable’ on an exam list.”

The Oswego County Health Department also has a qualifying job title – public health sanitarian. People hired provisionally into that title are now exempt from taking the civil service exam as part of the HELP Program.

“We’re glad to hear that the state approved this program,” said Oswego County Public Health Director Vera Dunsmoor. “Eliminating the exam and highlighting an employee’s training and experience will help us keep these positions filled to better ensure the health and safety of our residents.”

Temporarily waiving the testing requirement may increase applications; however, candidates must still meet all qualification requirements.

For the one-year duration of the program, qualifying job titles will be classified as non-competitive and categorized as “HELP Program” positions. At the close of the program, the positions will revert to competitive status; however, an exam will not be required.

Interested candidates can visit Oswego County’s Civil Service Employment Portal at www.oswegocounty.com/civilservice. Click “apply” for the position(s) you’re interested in and qualify for. Be thorough in explaining your experience or education and in demonstrating your qualifications. After HR staff reviews applications to ensure they meet minimum requirements, they are forwarded to the appropriate department for consideration.

For more information, contact the Oswego County Human Resources Department at 315-349-8209 or humanresources@oswegocounty.com, or go to  www.oswegocounty.com/humanresources.