Project Assistant

SALARY: $18.45/hour

TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT: Part Time

ISSUE DATE: 12/21/23

THE FINAL DATE TO FILE APPLICATIONS: 12/29/23

DATE THAT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM POSTING: 12/30/23

RESIDENCY: Candidates must have been legal residents of Tompkins County or one of the six adjoining counties (Cayuga,
Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga) for at least one month immediately preceding the date of application and maintain
residency. For Examinations: The eligible list resulting from the examination will be established in accordance with the final
earned numerical ratings of passing candidates regardless of residence. A municipality or district may exercise its right under
section 23-4-a. of Civil Service Law to request a certification of eligible candidates who have been residents of that municipality
or district for at least one month prior to appointment. After the names of residents have been exhausted, Tompkins County must
then certify the names of non-residents on the list.

The Project Assistant for Veterans Services will assist the department with Peer-to-Peer activities under the Joseph P. Dwyer
Veterans Peer Support Project. Hours may vary.

Preference in appointment may be given to those candidates with prior service in the U.S. military.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

(a) This internship opportunity is open to all students of Cornell University, Ithaca College, Tompkins Cortland Community
College, Wells College, or any other regionally accredited college or university deemed acceptable to the Commissioner of
Personnel who are not otherwise eligible for full payment through any other work-study program; OR

(b) A candidate for this internship opportunity may also be a person who is unemployed, underemployed or an active high school
student.

Tompkins County is committed to Equity and Inclusion. We encourage those with similar values to apply.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

Project Assistant is the title assigned to the Tompkins County Internship program. Project Assistants will be provided work
assignments that are designed to provide a real world opportunity to work side-by-side with professional staff committed to
teamwork and providing quality municipal services. An incumbent in this class will generally be expected to perform research
and special projects as necessary. This is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on and in-depth experience in a wide variety of
disciplines related to local, regional, state and federal governmental operations. Candidates meeting the eligibility criteria for the
internship program as specified in the minimum qualifications section of this job description may be appointed to serve on a

temporary basis at an hourly rate of pay in any of the civil divisions under the jurisdiction of Tompkins County. Project Assistant
interns will generally be appointed on a temporary basis not to exceed six months. However, if it appears as though the
assignment can not be completed in six months, the temporary appointment may be extended for an additional six months if it is
determined by the Commissioner of Personnel to be in the best interest of the service. In no case will the Project Assistant's
internship ever last for longer than eighteen months. Interns work under the direct supervision of assigned professional staff.
Supervision of others is not required. The incumbent will perform all related duties as necessary.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES A Project Assistant will:

• Invest themselves fully in the internship opportunity;
• Perform research and special projects as assigned;
• Extrapolate pertinent data from a wide variety of sources;
• Learn how to identify and utilize information pertinent to the assigned project;
• Prepare oral or written reports or presentations as necessary;
• Assist professional staff with the performance of their duties;
• Perform routine clerical duties in support of research and special projects as necessary;
• Use a personal computer and a wide variety of hardware and software to accomplish the goals of the research or special

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Working knowledge of the field in which the internship is being served;
• Working knowledge of office terminology, procedures, equipment and business English;
• Working knowledge of personal computers, a variety of peripheral hardware and software;
• Ability to understand and interpret and carry out oral instructions and written directions;
• Ability to accurately perform arithmetic computations involving fractions, decimals, averages and percents;
• Ability to write legibly;
• Ability to perform close detail work involving considerable visual effort and strain;
• Ability to develop effective working relationships and deal diplomatically with the public and co-workers;
• Willingness to learn and invest fully in the internship opportunity;
• Good judgment;
• The employee's physical and mental condition shall be commensurate with the demands of the position, either with or

without reasonable accommodations.

Originally created May of 2000

P75.doc

FURTHER INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

Falsification of any part of the "Application for Employment" will result in disqualification.

Accepted candidates will be notified when and where to appear for the examination. If you do not receive your notice to appear at least three days before the
date of the written examination, call Tompkins County Department of Human Resources at 274-5526. If an application is disapproved, due notice will be
sent. This department does not make formal acknowledgment of the receipt of an application or take responsibility for non-delivery or postal delay.

Applicants must answer every question on the application form and make sure that the application is complete in all respects. Incomplete applications will
be disapproved.

ACTIVE MILITARY PERSONNEL, VETERANS OR DISABLED VETERANS desiring to claim additional credit will request the Veterans Credits
application form, at any time between the date of application for examination(s) and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. You must
meet the requirements set by NYS for these credits and they may be used only once. YOU MAY NOT CLAIM ADDITIONAL CREDITS AFTER THE
ELIGIBLE LIST HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. IT IS THE CANDIDATE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST THE VETERANS CREDIT
APPLICATION FORMS AND TO SUBMIT THESE FORMS AND ANY SUPPORTING PAPERWORK BEFORE THE ELIGIBLE LIST IS
ESTABLISHED.
Tompkins County's written examinations are prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of
Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations, which deal with the rating and review of the examinations
apply.

The duration of the eligible lists may be fixed for a minimum of one and a maximum of four years and may be extended beyond four years if there has been
a restriction against the filling of vacancies in that title.
The candidates must complete a separate "Application for Employment" for each open-competitive and/or promotional examination that the candidate is
eligible to take.

All experience required meeting the acceptable training and experience is full-time experience. (Part-time experience will be credited on a prorated basis).

Appointment from an eligible list must be made from the top three candidates willing to accept the appointment.

Tompkins County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As part of its efforts to provide employment opportunities to the physically handicapped, Tompkins
County Civil Service has adopted a rule permitting the employment of qualified physically handicapped persons without competitive examination (pursuant
to Section 55 of Civil Service Law). If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position and wish to know more about this rule, please contact the
Tompkins County Department of Human Resources Office.

Unless otherwise notified, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, and solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with Typewriter Keyboards,
Spell Checkers, Personal Digital Assistants, Address Books, Language Translators, Dictionaries or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring
books or other reference materials.

CROSS-FILING - APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE
SCHEDULED ON THE SAME DATE: When applying for examinations across multiple jurisdictions - all of which are scheduled on the same day - you
must submit a Tompkins County Cross-Filing Form. This form must be submitted no later than 4:30 PM on the final filing date of the examination. On this
form, list each examination that you are taking and then tell us where you would like to sit. The purpose is to ensure that all of the test materials for the
various examinations that you are taking will be available in one location. If you do not provide the cross-filing form to us by the final filing date, we cannot
ensure that we can accommodate your desire to cross-file. If any of the examinations are State level examinations, you must sit at the State test center. You
will still need to complete the Tompkins County cross-filing form. If sitting at the State site, the State will notify you of when and where to report for your
examination(s) and you should bring all admittance letters to the State site. If you are not taking a State examination, bring all admittance letters to your
chosen testing site. If you have any question please call Tompkins County Department of Human Resources Department (607) 274-5526. The Cross File
form is located at http://www.tompkins-co.org/personnel/CivilSrvForms/index.html

FOR RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION AND HANDICAPPED PERSONS: If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on
your application.

ALL CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT FOR POSITIONS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND BOCES GOVERNED BY TOMPKINS COUNTY
CIVIL SERVICE MAY HAVE THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL REQUIREMENT. PER CHAPTER 180 OF THE LAWS OF 2000, AND BY
REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, TO BE EMPLOYED IN A POSITION DESIGNATED BY A SCHOOL
DISTRICT OR BOCES AS INVOLVING DIRECT CONTACT WITH STUDENTS, A CLEARANCE FOR EMPLOYMENT FROM THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRED.
In conformance with Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duties shall be entitled to receive
an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are
qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duties in this municipality, please inform this
office of this matter when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the
application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has
been established.”

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to undergo a State and national criminal history background investigation, which will
include a fingerprint check, to determine suitability for appointment. Failure to meet the standards for the background investigation may result in
disqualification.

TOMPKINS COUNTY PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT, 125 EAST COURT STREET, ITHACA, NY 14850