Office Support Specialist

00003068

Office Support Specialist (EXTENDED)

Civil Service

1.00

Union

Career Services

This position has the primary function of serving as the first point of general contact (in-person, by phone, and the departmental e-mail inbox) for students, employers, faculty/staff, and community members utilizing the Career Services Hub. This position also completes other essential office management tasks and administrative support services.

This position performs a wide variety of office support tasks that require the use of judgment and initiative, and the ability to operate computer systems utilizing various office software packages. Knowledge of the organization, programs, practices, and procedures of the unit is central to the performance of duties. Daily tasks include outreach to students and (when appropriate, alumni) for assisting them in awareness of available jobs and internships, and ongoing interaction with employers seeking NIU students for positions. This position will also assist in the distribution of emails and marketing materials to students and employers. Personnel in this position must have excellent verbal, written and customer service skills to interact on a regular basis with constituencies in person, telephone and electronic media. Additional skills needed are strong organizational skills with attention to detail, confidentiality and accuracy, along with the ability to handle multiple activities under short deadlines to produce outcomes consistent with student and employer expectations.

· Responsible for compliance with institutional and departmental instructions in relation to confidentiality, access to student records, access to employer information, and safety protocols that have been established for the campus, building, and department.· Serves as the sole person responsible for the primary reception duties for the office (with lunch, break, and vacation back-up provided from the Program Assistants) including answering of phones, in-person greeting of visitors, scheduling of appointments, and appropriate routing of messages from the general Career Services Inbox.· Responsible for high-quality customer service and prompt follow-through on requests received.

1. High school graduation or equivalent.
2. One (1) year (12 months) of work experience comparable to the second level of this series.
3. Any one or any combination of the following, totaling two (2) years (24 months) of experience in the categories below:
4. work experience performing office/clerical activities, including use of computer systems
5. college or university course work in any curriculum

• twelve (12) semester hours = six (6) months
• twenty-four (24) semester hours = twelve (12) months
• thirty-six (36) semester hours = eighteen (18) months
• forty-eight (48) semester hours = twenty-four (24) months

1. Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology.
2. Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
3. Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
4. Knowledge of computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to enter data, or process information.
5. Skill in material resources management through obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
6. Skill in communicating effectively, both verbally and in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
7. Skill in decision making by considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and choosing the most appropriate one.
8. Ability to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
9. Ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
10. Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
11. Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
12. Ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
13. Ability to provide guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

Extensive knowledge of office support and general office practices and procedures
Ability to operate standard office equipment
Ability to utilize various software packages
Supervisory ability

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

$11.43/hour

Actual hiring rate is commensurate with experience, education, and internal equity; position includes a robust benefits package to eligible applicants.

08/19/2021

09/20/2021

• Fully complete the Education and Work History sections of the application. Be specific on your entire work history, including employment dates and duties for all positions held. Applicable part-time work experience will be considered toward qualifying for this position, however, it will be converted to a full-time equivalency to determine combined length of experience.

• If you have education and/or training in excess of what is required, we encourage you to upload your unofficial transcripts.

• After the posting has closed, your submission will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the classification, including any specialty factors associated with this particular position.

• Please monitor your e-mail for further information regarding your application. Emails will be generated from jobs@niu.edu and CivilServiceTesting@niu.edu. Please add these emails to your address book to ensure timely delivery of any future communication.

• We STRONGLY recommend that contact information used in your online profile be personal use, not professional/work information: personal email address, home address, and phone numbers. The information you provide is used to make contact on search updates, department referrals and interviews, etc. We must be able to relay sensitive and important information in a way that protects your privacy concerning job search activity, now and in the future.

• ALL QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WILL BE SCHEDULED TO COME TO THE NIU DEKALB CAMPUS TO TAKE A STATE UNIVERSITIES CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION. At the time of testing, you will be required to present a photo ID. NOTE: If you have previously tested for this classification and wish to rewrite the exam to improve your score and register position, please contact the Civil Service Testing Office by the posting deadline.

• Required documentation noted in the posting such as driver’s license, licensures, or certifications MUST be presented at the time of examination.

• If eligible for Veteran’s Preference Points, DD214/DD215/NGB22/DD256 paperwork reflecting an Honorable Discharge MUST be uploaded to this application in order to receive the maximum eligible points on the Civil Service examination.

• After testing of all qualified applicants has been completed for this position, the names with the top three scores will be referred to the hiring department for interview.

• Click on Office Support Specialist for more information including salary ranges, typical duties, minimum acceptable qualifications, and testing requirements.

• Please click Human Resource Services – Benefits for detailed information about Northern Illinois University’s benefits package.

• Employment is contingent upon your passing a criminal background investigation. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

Career Services

In accordance with applicable statutes and regulations, NIU is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation, or any other factor unrelated to professional qualifications, and will comply with all applicable federal and state statutes, regulations and orders pertaining to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:


Ethics and Compliance Officer, Title IX Coordinator
Health Services 230
TitleIXCoordinator@niu.edu
815-753-5560

Yes

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

NIU remains committed to ensuring that its recruitment and application procedures include full opportunities for applicants with disabilities. Employment opportunities will not be denied to anyone because of the need to make accommodations for a person’s disability during either the application or interview process. An applicant who believes they require an accommodation to participate in the employment process due to a disability may request that accommodation through the Accommodation Request Form. For further assistance, please contact the office of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Education (AAEOE) at ada@niu.edu.

NIU provides information regarding campus security, personal and fire safety, including topics such as: crime prevention, emergency response procedures and crime reporting policies, in addition to crime and fire statistics for the most recent three calendar years. The Annual Security Report containing security and safety information is available at www.safety.niu.edu/clery or by contacting the University Police Department and Public Safety Department at 815-753-9628 to receive a hard copy. The Annual Fire Safety Report is available at www.niu.edu/clery/fire_report.pdf or by contacting the Environmental Health and Safety Department at 815-753-0404 to receive a hard copy.

https://employment.niu.edu/postings/58737