IT Specialist (Customer Support)

Definitions: EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.) UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite. GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. BASIC REQUIREMENT: This standard allows qualification requirements to be met through education or experience. Education: All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Undergraduate or Graduate Education: Degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks. OR Experience: Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. For the GS-5 through GS-15 (or equivalent) grade levels, individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below: Attention to Detail – Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. 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. Oral 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 presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Problem Solving – Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. For GS-07: Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level: One year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, or engineering, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field. **OR Super Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT) **OR One year of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service that demonstrates performance of tasks such as: (1) Translating detailed logical steps developed by others into language codes that computers accept where this required understanding of procedures and limitations appropriate to use of a programming language; (2) Interviewing subject-matter personnel to get facts regarding work processes, and synthesizing the resulting data into charts showing information flow; (3) Operating computer consoles where this involved choosing from among various procedures in responding to machine commands or unscheduled halts; (4) Scheduling the sequence of programs to be processed by computers where alternatives had to be weighed with a view to production efficiency; or (5) Preparing documentation on cost/benefit studies where this involved summarizing the materials and organizing it in a logical fashion. For task examples 1-5, the level of work typically would have involved receiving clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use. This experience must demonstrate competence in the areas of Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Oral Communication, and Problem Solving as described further above. For GS-09: Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree in computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, or engineering, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field. **OR One year of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service that demonstrates knowledge of computer requirements and techniques in carrying out project assignments consisting of several related tasks, such as typically is the case in development of minor modifications to parts of a system on the basis of detailed specifications provided. To be creditable, assignments must have involved completion of the following, or the equivalent: (1) Analysis of interrelationships of system components, (2) Planning the sequence of actions necessary to accomplish the assignment, and (3) Personal responsibility for at least a segment of the overall project. This level of work typically would have been performed following established methods and procedures or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying analytical techniques, and would have required a good general working knowledge of automated data processing principles and methods. This experience must demonstrate competence in the areas of Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Oral Communication, and Problem Solving as described further above. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
General Information The program provides a one-year full-time developmental experience in federal agencies. Veterans with service obligations may apply up to six years after graduation. Additional information can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/recent-graduates. Salary: GS-07 $55,815 Step 01 to$72,561 Step 10 GS-09 $66,732 Step 01 to $86,750 Step 10; NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.