Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a)
Examinations:
1) The Director of Personnel
shall conduct examinations to test the relative fitness of applicants for
positions subject to Jurisdiction B of the Code. Examinations may include an
evaluation of such factors as education, experience, training, capacity,
knowledge, manual dexterity, character and physical fitness. Tests shall be job
related and may be written, oral, physical demonstration of skill or an
evaluation of education and experience. Examinations shall consist of one or
more tests in any combination. Where minimum or maximum requirements are
established for any examination, they shall be specified in the examination
announcement.
2) In lieu of
announcing or conducting examinations, the Director of Personnel may accept the
results of competitive examinations conducted by any established merit system
subject to the Director of Personnel's determination that such examinations are
comparable in difficulty and comprehensiveness to those conducted by the
Department of Personnel for similar positions.
3) Entrance examination shall mean the
examination that resulted in the initial appointment of an applicant to a
position in the Office of the Secretary of State.
4) The Director of Personnel may rank
applicants participating in competitive examinations on the basis of numeric or
category ratings. When numeric ratings are used, applicants will be ranked from
the highest passing numeric score to the lowest passing numeric score. When
category ratings are used, applicants will be ranked by categories such as
excellent, well-qualified and qualified.
b) Examination - Time and Place: Examinations
shall be held at such times and places as are necessary to meet the
requirements of the Office of the Secretary of State, provide economical
administration, and be generally convenient for applicants. The Director of
Personnel may cancel or postpone examinations at any time.
c) Veterans' Preference: Preference in
entrance examinations shall be granted to qualified persons who, while citizens
of the United States, were members of the Armed Forces of the United States or
the armed forces of allies of the United States in times of hostilities with a
foreign country (as set forth in the Merit Employment Code Section 10b.7) and
to certain other persons as set forth in this Section. To be eligible, an
applicant must have proof of his/her service or discharge under honorable
conditions. Preference shall be granted as follows:
1) Three points or equivalent credit shall be
added to the entrance examination grade for veterans who have served in the
Armed Forces of the United States, in the Illinois National Guard, or any
reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States and:
A) Served for at least 6 months and has been
discharged under honorable conditions, or
B) Has been discharged on the ground of
hardship, or
C) Was released from
active duty because of a service connected disability.
2) Five points or equivalent credit shall be
added to the entrance examination grade for veterans who have served in the
Armed Forces of the United States during time periods of hostility or who, as
members of the Illinois National Guard or any reserve component of the Armed
Forces of the United States, were called into active duty during time periods
of hostility and served under one or more of the following conditions:
A) The veteran served a total of at least 6
months, or
B) The veteran served
for the duration of the hostilities regardless of the length of engagement,
or
C) The veteran was discharged on
the basis of hardship, or
D) The
veteran was released from active duty because of a service connected
disability.
3) Ten
points or equivalent credit shall be added to the entrance examination grade
for veterans who are currently receiving compensation from the United States
Veterans' Administration or from such allied country for war service connected
disabilities, or if the veteran is a recipient of the Purple Heart.
4) If category ratings are used, the veteran
eligibles in each category shall be preferred for appointment before the
nonveteran eligibles in the same category. Such preference may be disregarded
if, during the interview process, an applicant fails to meet the minimum
standards set prior to the interview.
5) A surviving unremarried spouse of a
veteran who suffered a service connected death or disability that prevents the
veteran from qualifying for employment in a merit system with the State of
Illinois shall be entitled to the same preference to which the veteran would
have been entitled under this Section.
6) Ten points or equivalent credit shall be
added to the examination score for one parent of an unmarried veteran who
suffered a service connected death or disability that prevents the veteran from
qualifying for employment in a merit system with the State of Illinois. The
first parent to receive an appointment in an Illinois merit system shall be the
parent entitled to the preference.
d) Public Notice of Examinations: The
Director of Personnel shall publicly announce examinations at least two weeks
in advance of the final date the examination will be given, except as otherwise
noted. Announcements may be advertised through the press, radio or other media.
Announcements shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the Department of
Personnel in both Chicago and Springfield. Announcements shall specify the date
and manner in which an application for examination shall be made. In place of
individual announcements, the Director of Personnel may announce the
examination process and testing locations and times by various means,
including, but not limited to, using the Secretary of State's website, a
brochure or a pamphlet.
e) Notice
to Eligibles: In the event a change in the classification or testing standards
or other change requires the elimination of an eligible list for a class, or of
certain previously qualified eligibles from such a list, the Director of
Personnel shall notify each person thus losing eligibility of such new or
revised requirements as soon as practicable, and when the revised examination
is repeated, shall again notify each person in order that each may be given an
opportunity to reestablish eligibility.
f) Test Ratings - Notice and Review: The
rating of each test shall be completed and the resulting list established as
quickly as reasonably practicable. Each person competing in any test shall be
given written notice of the final earned rating or of the failure to attain a
place on the list.
g) Retaking or
Regrading Examinations: The retaking or regrading of examinations will be
permitted only in accordance with the following provisions:
1) No applicant may retake a test or tests
included within an examination until 14 calendar days have elapsed.
2) In all cases of retaking examinations, the
candidate's highest valid grade on record for the title shall be used to
determine the candidate's rank on the eligible list. The examination score
retained will expire 12 months from the date of examination.
3) Examination results are valid for 12
months from the original date of examination. An examination shall not be
regraded more than 12 months after the original test date. Regraded
examinations shall expire on the same date as the original
examination.
h) Removal
of Examination Material From Premises: Any applicant or unauthorized employee
of the Office of the Secretary of State removing examination materials from the
premises at which examinations are being administered or stored, in any manner
whatsoever, shall be subject to prosecution and/or discipline up to and
including discharge if the individual is an employee of the Office of the
Secretary of State.
i) Admission to
Examinations: All persons who meet requirements established by the Director of
Personnel may be admitted to competitive examinations and may be lawfully
appointed to the position. Following are the only criteria by which the
Director of Personnel may reject the application of any person for admission to
a test or decline to test or certify for employment:
1) subsequent to participating in the
examination, the applicant is found to lack the qualifications prescribed for
admission to the test as announced in the public notice;
2) the applicant is physically unfit to
perform effectively the duties of the class;
3) the applicant has used, or attempted to
use, bribery or political influence to secure an advantage in testing or
appointment;
4) the applicant has
made false statements of any material fact or has practiced deception or fraud
in the application or test;
5) the
applicant does not meet the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
regulations for permanent employment;
6) the applicant is found guilty of a
violation of this Part or any of the provisions of the Merit Employment Code
relating to participation in examinations; or
7) the applicant has been convicted of a
crime relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the class of the
examination he/she is taking or the position to which he/she is being
hired.
j) Residency
Requirement: Applicants who are not residents of the State of Illinois may be
appointed only upon the waiver of residency requirements by the Director of
Personnel and only when there are fewer than three qualified residents of
Illinois available, including statewide candidates or candidates on the
eligibility list for the geographical area in which the position is
located.
k) Linguistic
Requirements: The Director of Personnel may establish linguistic options when
it appears that this would benefit the operation of the office by increasing
communication with those served by the Office of the Secretary of
State.
l) Authorization of
Investigation: The Director of Personnel shall, when a position is to be
filled, require that an applicant seeking employment with the Office of the
Secretary of State authorize an investigation to determine if the applicant has
ever been convicted of a crime and, if so, the disposition of those
convictions.
m) Confidentiality:
Any information concerning criminal convictions obtained by the Director of
Personnel shall be confidential. No information obtained from such
investigation may be placed in any automated information system. No information
may be transmitted to anyone within or outside the Office of the Secretary of
State, except as needed for the purposes set forth in subsection (l). Any
violation of this subsection shall result in disciplinary action and possible
civil action.
