OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Human Resources Office has launched the Civil Service Employment Portal to help people interested in a civil service career.
Applicants can sign up to get notifications about upcoming exams, submit an application, resume or transcript, and pay the application fee – all online.
“This online portal has been a goal for our department for some time,” said Oswego County Human Resources Director Julie Bell. “Development of the new County website gave us the opportunity to explore our options and find the best technology to make it possible. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for online tools like this to help us better serve our residents and provide them with continued access to our services.”
The Oswego County Civil Service Employment Portal allows job seekers to browse open positions and ongoing recruitments, request notification of exams or job openings that may become available and create an account to apply and pay for civil service exams.
“Anyone can go to the portal and scroll through the list of open or ongoing positions or exams,” said Oswego County Human Resources Administrator Jessica Vanella. “If you’d like to receive a notification of future openings, just sign up with your email address. If you’d like to apply for an exam or a job posting, you can set up an account in the portal. It’s pretty straightforward and easy to do.”
To get started, go to the portal at https://oswego-portal.mycivilservice.com/. Scroll down to view upcoming scheduled and continuous exams as well as current job openings and recruitments. Civil service terminology is explained at the bottom of the page.
Click on each individual title for a full description of the job along with its qualification requirements and application instructions. Read the entire announcement as well as the “FAQ” and “Application Guidelines” pages before starting the application to be sure that you qualify and have everything you need to complete the application.
To apply online, simply click “Apply” next to the exam/job title and login to your account or follow the step-by-step instructions to create one. There is no fee to create an account.
When creating an account, you must submit your email address and legal name. A confirmation email will be sent to you immediately to continue the registration process. If the email does not quickly appear in your Inbox, check your ‘junk’ and ‘spam’ folders. Once you receive the email, use the activation code provided in it to finish your registration.
The online application asks the same questions as the paper application. This includes personal information such as your address, phone number and residency history; as well as veterans’ credits, testing accommodations and cross-filing, education, experience and licenses. You can click “Save & Continue” or “Save & Finish Later” if you need to come back to it.
Vanella said, “Your application is securely saved in your account so, if you want to apply for another exam, you don’t have to start from scratch. Future applications will automatically fill in with your most recent application information – things like your address or previous work experience, for example. This is a real time-saver, especially for those who apply for exams and recruitments frequently.”
Be sure to complete all requested information on the online application form just as you would when filling out a paper application to submit in person. You must demonstrate how you meet the minimum qualifications. You can attach a resume, transcript or other documentation to the application by choosing the file on the attachments page. Click on “Browse” to locate the document file, then click on the file to attach it and send it in with your application.
A non-refundable application processing fee is still required for most exams, just as it is when applying in person. Look at the exam announcement for the required application fee to be sure you’re submitting payment in the correct amount.
“One of the biggest benefits of applying online now is the ability to also pay the application fee through the portal,” said Vanella. “Discover, Mastercard and Visa are all accepted; there is just a $1 processing fee. You will receive an email receipt after your payment is processed.”
If you are applying online, you must also comply with the same deadlines as those who apply in person. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the due date.
After you submit your application, you will receive an email confirming it was received. Again, if the confirmation email is not in your Inbox, be sure to check your ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ folders for it. If you do not receive it at all, call the Oswego County Human Resources Office at 315-349-8209.
“If you applied to take an exam, you will receive an admission letter from us approximately two weeks before the test,” said Vanella. “This will give you information about the exam, including the time and location of it and anything you need to prepare or bring with you. You must bring this letter with you to the exam that day to check in.”
For recruitment postings, follow-up is done by the department that has the open position. You may be called to schedule an interview for the job. After interviews, once a candidate is chosen and the position is filled, the other candidates will usually be notified by mail.
If you do not want to create an account and apply online, you can download a printable application to submit with any additional documents and your exam fee. Please mail or drop off your paperwork and payment to Oswego County Human Resources, 46 East Bridge Street, Oswego, NY 13126. When sending your application by mail, the date your envelope is postmarked will be accepted as the date received by the Oswego County.
For those who would like to receive an email notification about other exams or positions that are not currently listed, click on “Email Notifications” at the top of the main portal page. Then, simply select an area – or areas – of interest and enter your email address.
“You don’t need to create an account to sign up for email notifications,” said Vanella. “You just need to provide your email address. There are a variety of interests that you can select; however, we recommend that you choose ‘Notify me of ALL opportunities.’ This will help ensure that you don’t miss out on an opening that might be listed differently than you expect.”
The Oswego County Human Resources Department accepts applications for employment and civil service exams for all county positions. It also administers civil service exams for towns, villages, school districts and other special districts. Launching the Oswego County Civil Service Employment Portal is an important step to help streamline the application process.
Director Bell said, “We’re thrilled to have this new program. It makes it easier for people to access employment opportunities and increases our efficiency in processing their applications. An added benefit of the online portal is that it limits paper usage and storage, which saves time, space and materials. This reduces the County’s environmental footprint and saves taxpayer dollars.”
Access the Oswego County Civil Service Employment Portal by going to the County’s Human Resources website and clicking on “Exams and Recruitments” or go directly to https://oswego-portal.mycivilservice.com/.
For more information about searching, applying and paying for upcoming civil service exams, contact Oswego County Human Resources at 315-349-8209 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or email at [email protected].
