STATE OF CALIFORNIA
OPEN EXAMINATION FOR
Support Services Assistant (Interpreter)

"An equal opportunity employer to all regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age or sexual orientation."

EXAMINATION BASE
Departmental OPEN For:  Department Of Rehabilitation

WHO SHOULD APPLY
Applicants who meet the Requirements for Admittance to the Examination as stated below.  Applications will not be accepted on a promotional basis.

HOW TO APPLY	
Applications (Form 678) are available and may be filed in person or by mail with:

Department of Rehabilitation
Selection Services Unit
721 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814

Applications are also available at the local offices of the Employment Development Department and at the State Personnel Board’s web site www.spb.ca.gov or Department of Rehabilitation’s web site at www.dor.ca.gov
DO NOT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO THE STATE PERSONNEL BOARD

SPECIAL TESTING ARRANGEMENTS
If you have a disability and need special testing arrangements, mark the appropriate box in Item # 2 of the “Application for Examination.”  You will be contacted to make specific arrangements.

APPLICATION DEADLINE/REQUIREMENTS
Applications are accepted on a continuous basis and will be retained for twelve (12) months.  After this period, applicants should submit an updated application.
Note:  All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements for this examination at the time of filing.

TESTING DATE/PERIOD
Test dates are determined by the Department and can be set at any time as needs warrant.  Applicants will be notified by mail when test dates are set.
The Testing Periods for this examination are:  January 1 – June 30 and July 1 - December 31.  A candidate may be tested ONCE during any testing period.

*HAM SALARY RANGE(S) & PER HOUR EQUIVALENT
Effective 8/31/00 all state agencies have been authorized to Hire-Above-Minimum*
	
Range A:  *$3603.00 or $20.79/Hour
Range B:  *$3760.00 or $21.69/Hour
Range C:  *$4113.00 or $23.73/Hour

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMITTANCE TO THE EXAMINATION
	Special Requirement:  Proficiency in facilitating communication between hearing impaired and hearing persons individually and/or in large groups using American Sign Language and spoken language.

And
Experience:  Equivalent to six months’ experience providing interpreting services to hearing impaired persons.

Or
Certificate:  Possession of at least one valid certificate issued by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Note:  Applicants must include their certificate #, title and expiration date in Item#14 of the application.
Special Personal Characteristics:  Neatness, willingness to follow directions; sensitivity to the communication process between hearing impaired and hearing persons and the needs of the persons involved in that process; and ability to maintain confidentiality.  Some positions may require driving.  For those positions, possession of a valid California Driver License will be required.  Applicants who do not possess this license will be admitted to the examination but must secure the license prior to appointment.

EXAMINATION PLAN
This examination will consist of a Qualifications Appraisal Interview only.  The interview will include a number of predetermined job-related questions.  In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, a minimum rating of 70.00% must be attained in the interview.  CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT APPEAR FOR THE INTERVIEW WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.  

Qualifications Appraisal  - Weighted 100.00%

Scope:
Candidates will be required to demonstrate their ability to perform the items listed below.

A.	Ability to:
1.	Demonstrate sensitivity to the communication process;
2.	Demonstrate proficiency in facilitating communication between hearing impaired and hearing persons;
3.	Interpret voiced communication into Signed English (Siglish, M.C.E.);
4.	Read manual Signed English (Siglish, M.C.E.) and voice into proper English;
5.	Interpret voiced communication into American Signed Language (ASL) and voice into proper English.
In addition to evaluating the competitor’s relative abilities as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, emphasis in the examining interview will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each competitor’s:

B.	Knowledge of:
1.	The concerns and needs of hearing impaired persons;
2.	Professional ethics of interpreting.

C.  Ability to:
1.	Relate well to individuals, representatives or other State agencies and communities.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION	
Names of successful competitors are merged into the list in order of final scores regardless of date. Eligibility expires 48 months after it is established.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
A Support Services Assistant (Interpreter), under direct supervision, facilitates communication between individuals with hearing impairments and hearing persons, serves as interpreter; accompanies staff members to places of business where services are otherwise unavailable; performs interpreting services individually or in group settings, including hearings, for an audience, at an assembly or meeting or for consumers who are State employees; may perform other services unique to hearing impaired persons and other job-related services as required.
Positions exist in various locations throughout the state.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION
	The majority of Support Services Assistant (Interpreter) positions in the Department of Rehabilitation are “Permanent Intermittent” (less than full time - up to a maximum of 1500 hours per year).  Although the number of full time positions are extremely limited, it may be possible to obtain a Permanent Full Time appointment to the class of Support Services Assistant (Interpreter) from the eligible list.  During the examination process, applicants will be given the opportunity to select the type of employment, including the location(s) for which he/she may consider any future employment offer.

VETERANS POINTS
	Veterans' preference points will be granted in this examination.

GENERAL INFORMATION

To learn more about the Department of Rehabilitation, (e.g., how to prepare for civil service examinations, information regarding Americans with Disabilities Act, the Limited Examination Appointment Program (LEAP), log on to our website at www.dor.ca.gov

It is the candidate’s responsibility to contact the Department of Rehabilitation’s Examination Unit at the phone number indicated on this bulletin three weeks after the final filing date if he/she has not received a progress notice.

If a candidate's notice of oral interview or performance test fails to reach him/her prior to the day of the interview due to a verified postal error, he/she will be rescheduled upon written request.

If you meet the requirements stated on the reverse, you may take this examination, which is competitive.  Possession of the entrance requirement does not assure a place on the eligible list.  Your performance in the examination described on the other side of this bulletin will be compared with the performance of the others who take this test, and all candidates who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

The Department of Rehabilitation 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 law and rules and all competitors will be notified.

Examination Locations:  When a written test is part of the examination, it will be given in such places in California as the number of candidates and conditions warrant.  Ordinarily, oral interviews are scheduled in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  However, locations of interviews may be limited or extended as conditions warrant.

General Qualifications:  Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the classification

Interview Scope:  If an interview is conducted, in addition to the scope described on the other side of this bulletin, the panel will consider education, experience, personal development, personal traits, and fitness.  In appraising experience, more weight will be given to the breadth and recency of pertinent experience and evidence of the candidate's ability to accept and fulfill increasing responsibilities than to the length of his/her experience.  Evaluation of a candidate's personal development will include consideration of his/her recognition of his/her own training needs; his/her plans for self-development; and the progress he/she has made in his/her efforts toward self-development.

Veterans' Preference:  Veterans preference credits will be added to the final score of those competitors who are successful in this examination, and who qualify for, and have requested these points.  Due to changes in the law, which were effective January 1, 1996, veterans who have achieved Permanent Civil Service status are not eligible to receive veterans' credit.  Directions for applying for veterans’ preference are on the Veterans Preference Application (Form 1093) available from the State Personnel Board, 801 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814, written test proctors and the Department of Veterans Affairs, P.O. Box 942895 Sacramento, CA 94295-0001.

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.

TTY is Telecommunications Device for the Deaf and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.  California Relay (Telephone) Service for the Deaf or Hearing-impaired:

Only Individuals Authorized To Work In the United States Will Be Hired

Department Of Rehabilitation
Selection Services Unit
721 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, Ca. 95814
Tel. No. (916) 558-5545
TTY: 711 (National Relay Service)

This Cancels & Supersedes The Examination Bulletin With a Revision Date of 7/1/06.