Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant 1/2 (PCN 05-2005)

This recruitment is exempt from the Hiring Freeze (Administrative Order 358).

ATTENTION ALASKA RESIDENTS!

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, is recruiting for a
Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant 1/2 located in Anchorage!
No Cover Letter Required!

This position is in the General Government Unit (GGU) at a Range 11/13.

What You Will Be Doing:
The Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant (VRA) will be directly involved in assisting clients, including scheduling appointments and conducting in-office meetings. The VRA will solicit information from clients and maintain detailed records. Additionally, they will assist with the purchase of services and equipment for clients. The VRA will be required to maintain current knowledge on a wide variety of vocational rehabilitation services, including employment opportunities, medical resources, training/education opportunities and other rehabilitation-related subjects.

Our Mission, Values, and Culture:
This individual is to provide paraprofessional administrative and technical support to counselors and evaluators by performing routine, on-going assignments which focus on carrying out substantive technical aspects of vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. The mission of Vocational Rehabilitation is assist individuals with disabilities obtain and maintain competitive employment.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:
You will be joining a small team with a big goal in helping Alaskans with disabilities obtain and maintain work within the Anchorage community. You will have a direct impact in improving the lives of individuals within Anchorage.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:
This position is located in a busy yet quiet administrative office and operates during regular business hours (8am - 5pm); flexibility is available within those hours in addition to the ability to telework at times. You will be working with a team of para-professional and professional staff helping Alaskans with disabilities obtain and maintain employment.

Who We Are Looking For:
We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

• Clerical : Knowledge of filing, typing, entering data, maintaining records, taking shorthand, and using and completing forms.
• Adaptability : Adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
• Self-Management : Sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; displays a high level of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior.

To view the general description and example of duties for the position, please go to the following link:

This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description
The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competencys description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Minimum Qualifications:
Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant Level 1:
Any combination of education, training, and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

• Attention to Detail : Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Computer Skills : Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.

• Customer Service : Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

• Interpersonal Skills : Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

• Oral and Written Communication : Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Any combination of post-secondary education and/or experience providing clerical support to a business or organization and/or providing assistance, information, and services to customers, or the general public that included explaining services or requirements, eliciting information or conveying procedures or requirements.

Special Note:
Competencies means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.

Typically gained by means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

Training and education in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.

Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant Level 2:
Successful completion of a course of developmental training under a formally established Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant flexible staffing training plan with the State of Alaska;

OR

Any combination of education, training, and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

• Accountability : Accepts responsibility for own actions and decisions and demonstrates commitment to accomplish work in an ethical, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

• Interpersonal Skills : Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

• Listening : Receives, attends to, interprets, and responds to verbal messages and other cues such as body language in ways that are appropriate to listeners and situations.

• Problem Solving : Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

• Technical Competence : Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Any combination of post-secondary education and/or experience providing technical and/or administrative support in the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services or closely related social or disability services.

Special Note:
Competencies means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.

Typically gained by means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.

Training and education in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.

** PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS & INFORMATION CAREFULLY **

THIS RECRUITMENT IS FOR ALASKA RESIDENTS ONLY
This recruitment is open to Alaska Residents only. Applicants must meet in order to be considered for employment at this time.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS
For your application to be evaluated you must answer the Supplemental Questions.

The State of Alaska (SOA) uses four levels of proficiency to measure and describe an applicants level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are: Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You will need to rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.

FLEXIBLY STAFFED
This position is flexibly staffed. The level of the job offer will be based on the selected candidates credibly possessed and proven competencies. If hired at the lower level, you will be promoted to the higher level after successfully completing the training plan and demonstrating competency in the work.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF INTERVIEW

• A list of three (3) professional references, one of which should be your most recent supervisor, including name, job title, employer, and current phone number(s).
• A copy of your last two (2) performance evaluations, or two (2) letters of recommendation if evaluations are unavailable.
• Copies of post-secondary transcripts, if using education to meet the Minimum Qualifications (unofficial copies are acceptable with the name of the accrediting institution clearly visible).

LEGAL EMPLOYMENT
The States online recruitment system, Workplace Alaska, requires applicants to certify that they have a legal right to accept employment in the United States. It is the responsibility of the employee to maintain the appropriate documentation to accept or continue legal employment. The State of Alaska does not function in the role as an employer sponsor.

APPLICATION NOTICE
You can ONLY apply for this position through Workplace Alaska website or via hardcopy (paper) application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to successfully apply. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska page.

Omission of any required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application and you will not receive further consideration. If youre experiencing problems attaching to your application, or if you simply had forgotten, you may email it to the contact provided below before 5:00 pm of the closing date. Any documents submitted after the posting has closed will not be considered.

EDUCATION
If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts must be attached at the time of application or submitted to the contact information below prior to the close of recruitment. If youre unable to attach to your application, email it to the contact provided in the job posting. If email is not an option, please call the contact person to obtain a fax number.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

WORK EXPERIENCE
If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer name, your job title, dates of employment, whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.

Note: Attaching a resume is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting, see resume or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

BARGAINING UNIT
If you are a current state employee , please mark the union you are a member of at the time of application. If you are not a current state employee, you must mark that it does not apply to you.

MULTIPLE VACANCIES
This recruitment may be used for more than one (1) vacancy. The applicant pool acquired during this recruitment may be used for future vacancies for up to ninety (90) days after this recruitment closes. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply to each recruitment notice to ensure consideration for all vacancies.

NOTICE
Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at ... (toll free) or (907) 465- 4095. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the govermentjobs.com domains. For information on allowing emails from the governmentjobs.com domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located at
The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call ... or ... in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or ... or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE
Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at ... (toll free) or ... if you are located in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to: ...

For applicant password assistance please visit: Megan Schiele
Vocational Rehabilitation Manager
Phone: ...
...