NOTE: This recruitment schedule was amended on January 26, 2023 from a continuous recruitment to closing. The Final Closing Date will be January 31, 2023.

Office Assistants I/II are employed by most County departments and provide a variety of routine to moderately difficult office support tasks such as typing, word processing, filing, recordkeeping, photocopying, and receptionist services. They receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; take messages; type routine correspondence, reports, and other documents; proofread typed material for accuracy, completeness, and correct English usage; enter, edit, and retrieve a variety of information; research and collect data from several sources; gather material for meetings, prepare agendas and type minutes of meetings; make travel arrangements for others; order office supplies; receive, sort, and forward mail to office staff; and serve as a back-up for clerical co-workers who are absent from the office.

The salary ranges for the two classifications are listed below. Hiring managers determine the starting salaries based on job finalists' relevant experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Office Assistant I classification: $3,764.80 - $4,707.73 Monthly
Office Assistant II classification: $4,331.60 - $5,409.73 Monthly

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Act as receptionist and receive and screen visitors and telephone calls and take messages; provide factual information regarding County or unit activities and functions which may require some interpretation of rules, policies and/or procedures.
• Type correspondence, reports, forms and specialized documents related to the functions of the organizational unit to which assigned from drafts, notes, dictated tapes, or brief instructions, using a typewriter or word processor; may compose standard correspondence from brief instructions.
• Proofread and check typed and other materials for accuracy, completeness, compliance with departmental policies, and correct English usage, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Enter, edit, and retrieve data and prepare periodic or special reports from an on-line or personal computer system following established formats and menus.
• Prepare and update a variety of reports and record which may require the use of arithmetic calculations and consolidating materials from several sources.
• Maintain records and processes forms, such as work orders, purchase requisitions and others specific to the organizational unit; may make arithmetic or basic statistical calculations.
• Establish and maintain office files; research and compile information from such files; purge files as required.
• Review computer-produced and typed reports for accuracy, research exemptions and make corrections as required.
• May compile materials for meetings, prepare agendas and attend such meetings to take summary notes as required.
• Operate standard office equipment, including word processors, personal or on-line computers, facsimile equipment and central telephones.
• Perform such office support activities as opening and distributing mail, processing outgoing mail, erasing dictation tapes, making travel arrangements and preparing purchase requisitions.
• Provide off hours support as required.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience: A typical way to qualify is:

Office Assistant I: Any combination of education and experience that provides the required clerical knowledge, skills and abilities.

Office Assistant II: At least one year of clerical or office support experience in a business office.

Special Requirements: Some positions may require the ability to type at a rate of 40 net words per minute from printed copy. Some positions may also require the applicant to obtain and maintain a security clearance as a condition of employment.

Knowledge of: Standard business office practices, procedures and equipment; business letter writing and the standard format for typed materials; basic business data processing principles and the use of word processing or personal computing equipment; correct English usage including spelling, grammar and punctuation; business arithmetic; and basic recordkeeping principles and practices.

Skill/Ability to: Perform detailed office support work accurately; compose routine correspondence from brief instructions; operate standard office equipment including a computer; use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines; prioritize work and coordinate several activities; organize and maintain files and records; make accurate arithmetic calculations; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work; and understand and carry out oral and written directions.

Open and Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, Confidential and Management extra-help/limited term, and SEIU or AFSCME represented extra help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form.

The examination will consist of a standard, multiple-choice Civil Service Computer-Based Written Examination (weight:100%).

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org to apply.

~RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE~
Final Filing Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Written Exam: TBD

The County of San Mateo may require that all employees provide proof of COVID-19 vaccine or comply with weekly COVID-19 testing. Employees hired into specified health care facilities and other high-risk settings where there is potential for frequent COVID-19 exposure to staff and highly vulnerable patients are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. For more specific information, please refer to the County's COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Policy.