KEYBOARD SPECIALIST 1, GRADE 6

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

                 Keyboard Specialists 1 are entry level positions in the Keyboard Specialist Series and are located throughout State service.  Incumbents format and type  correspondence, reports, forms, charts, and other material to produce final copy that is accurate and  grammatically correct.  This work is carried out under  varying conditions of direction and availability of  guidelines and by the skilled use of various kinds of   equipment, such as microcomputers with a variety of  software packages, other automated systems and equipment,  and typewriters.

CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA

                 Keyboard Specialists 1 typically spend the majority  of their work time operating equipment which requires the  skilled manipulation of an alphanumeric keyboard in  accordance with standards of acceptable levels of  production to prepare correspondence,  reports,  charts,  and other material.  Keyboard  Specialists 1 may also be classified  when such duties occupy less than half of the work time,  with the rest of the time spent performing office support  and clerical tasks, provided the keyboarding performed requires the  speed, accuracy, formatting, and design skills expected of  a Keyboard Specialist 1.

RELATED CLASSES

                 Clerks 1 process transactions and monitor records in a variety of organizational settings.

                 Data Entry Machine Operators spend the  majority of work time keying information into the data  base of mainframe and microcomputers by means of an  alphanumeric keyboard and  using a variety of screen  formats for data entry.

                 Keyboard Specialists 2 perform the more difficult and complex clerical processing and records maintenance activities, perform a variety of office support activities, and/or may supervise staff assigned to keyboarding and clerical activities.  All of these functions require skilled use of keyboarding and information processing equipment and systems.

                 Incumbents of Secretary 1 positions serve as the principal administrative support position in an organizational unit and organize and coordinate administrative activities, such as handling incoming correspondence and drafting responses, reviewing outgoing correspondence, researching background information, transmitting instructions to staff and following up, handling telephone calls and visits and responding to questions, coordinating and arranging meetings, designing office filing systems, implementing  policies and procedures, resolving day‑to‑day operational  problems, expediting and following up on projects, and maintaining efficient work flow.

ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES AND TASKS

Prepare a variety of documents.

-    Receive and organize work to be typed and determine document format.

-    Type correspondence, documents, records, and other written material in final or draft using handwritten or rough drafts, marked copy, oral  recordings, and data from other sources.

-    Proofread and correct work to produce accurate, clean, and complete copy.

-    Use software packages, such as standard word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, data base  management, desktop publishing, and integrated software packages.

-    Use printers and printing software to produce final documents.

-    Prepare standard reports by accessing data bases and formatting required data.

-    Review work to ensure conformance with accepted office practices including correct layout, spelling, punctuation, and grammar; explain any problems to author;  and discuss possible solutions.

-    Clean and maintain equipment and resolve routine problems with equipment and systems.

May perform entry‑level clerical duties as described in  the standard for Clerk 1, Occ. Code 2501205.

Perform other office support activities.

-    Operate office machines following a prescribed  routine.

-    Receive incoming mail, open, sort, log, and give to supervisor or distribute to staff, and transmit and receive electronic mail.

-    Maintain manual and automated files of correspondence, documents, and materials by coding and filing new material, searching for requested material, and periodically purging obsolete material.

-    Greet visitors, answer telephones, respond to standard inquiries concerning program activities and procedures, and refer more technical questions to appropriate staff.

INDEPENDENCE OF OPERATION

               Incumbents work with  clearly defined guidelines.  They are typically supervised  by higher‑level support staff or program managers.

COMPLEXITY

               Although this is an entry level clerical class, incumbents work within and must be able to read, understand, and  apply procedures, rules, regulations, laws, and  operational manuals.  They must also operate and to some degree maintain a variety of office  equipment.

COMMUNICATION

               Incumbents of positions in this class communicate with other Keyboard Specialists 1 or with supervisory or program staff to clarify procedures or specific  assignments.  They may also communicate with others, face‑to‑face, by telephone, or electronically, to give or  receive information.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

               This is not a supervisory class; however, incumbents may assist in training staff to use equipment and systems and may explain  office and work procedures to others.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

-    Knowledge of the program vocabulary used in a particular organization.

-    Knowledge of agency procedures, formats, and guidelines for the receipt, processing, and distribution of correspondence, forms, memoranda, documents, and other material.

-    Knowledge of the procedures used in carrying out  clerical tasks.

-    Knowledge of standard English vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and usage.

-    Ability to use and maintain office equipment and systems.

-    Ability to manipulate an alphanumeric keyboard to produce documents, such as letters, memos, reports, charts, and forms, with a high degree of accuracy and within required time frames.

-    Ability to format, use, and prepare forms, charts, tabular listings, and other documents.

-    Ability to organize materials to establish and maintain  electronic and hard copy files.

-    Ability to understand and use basic office reference material, such as equipment manuals, procedure manuals, and dictionaries.

-    Ability to proofread and correct errors.

-    Ability to communicate basic information clearly and politely by telephone or in person.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

               Successful performance on a job‑related examination.

NOTE:  For current information on minimum qualifications contact the Division of Staffing Services.