Internal Revenue Service Logo
Position Title
Secretary (Office Automation)
Agency
Internal Revenue Service
Announcement Number
25-12592706K-TAN-0318-5T7 Opens in new window
Open Period
Thursday, October 31, 2024 to Thursday, November 14, 2024
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. IRS CTAP Candidate - Are you a current displaced or surplus IRS employee and:
  • you are located either within or outside the local commuting area of this vacancy, AND
  • your grade is equivalent to or below the grade level of this vacancy, AND
  • your position has the same or higher promotion potential of this vacancy, AND
  • your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent?

If you indicate "Yes" for this question, you MUST submit supporting documentation to validate your claim of CTAP eligibility such as a Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES) AND a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal AND a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

For more information, review Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). (limit characters)
2. Treasury CTAP Candidate - Are you a current displaced or surplus Department of Treasury (non-IRS) employee and:
 
  • you are located within the same local commuting area of this vacancy, AND
  • your grade is equivalent to or below the grade level of this vacancy, AND
  • your position has the same or higher promotion potential of this vacancy, AND
  • your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent?

If you indicate "Yes" for this question, you MUST submit supporting documentation to validate your claim of CTAP eligibility such as a Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES) AND a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal AND a copy of your latest SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

For more information, review Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). (limit characters)
3. IRS Internal Candidate (excluding Chief Counsel and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)) - Are you a current career or career-conditional, Competitive Service Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee? You can view a copy of your most recent SF-50 to determine if you are Competitive Service. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should be a "1" or "2".)

If you indicate "Yes" for this question, submit a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal. (limit characters)
4. IRS RPP Candidate (excluding Chief Counsel and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)) - Are you a current IRS employee who has received a Reassignment Preference Program (RPP) notice and:
 
  • you are located either within or outside the local commuting area of this vacancy, AND
  • your grade is equivalent to or below the grade level of this vacancy, AND
  • your position has the same or higher promotion potential and the same work schedule (e.g., permanent, seasonal, etc.) of this vacancy, AND
  • your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent?

If you indicate "Yes" for this question, you MUST submit supporting documentation to validate your claim of RPP eligibility such as a RPP notice AND a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal AND a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

For more information, review IRS Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) 6.330.1. (limit characters)
Preferences
1. Select the location(s) you want to be considered for. You must choose at least one location. (limit characters)
2. Select the lowest grade you are willing to accept for this position. (limit characters)
3. How many performance related awards, (including time off in lieu of monetary), or quality step increases have you received in the three years preceding the closing date of this announcement?

You may obtain a list of your most recent awards at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/indexawd.htm. (limit characters)
4. Please list the names of any performance related awards and/or quality step increases you have received in the three years preceding the closing date of this announcement and the dates (MMDDYYYY) of the awards. (For example: Performance Award, 02/02/2019).

You may obtain a list of your most recent awards at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/indexawd.htm. (limit characters)
5. Your annual performance appraisal and relevant awards are considered in the selection process.

Please indicate the option that best describes your most recent performance appraisal. (limit characters)
6. Please enter the date of your most recent performance appraisal. (limit characters)
7. Please select the response that most accurately reflects your most recent performance appraisal or performance rating. (limit characters)
8. What is your Standard Employee Identifier (SEID)? (limit characters)
9. If you are, or ever were a Federal civilian employee, please provide your current or last pay plan, series, and grade level or pay band. For example: GS-0303-05, IR-0343-02, WG-5400-04. (limit 250 characters)
10. What is your current position title? (limit characters)
11. Have you attended any of Treasury's information sessions? (Please click all that apply) (limit characters)
Assessment 1

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:  To qualify for this position, you must meet the qualification requirements outlined below:


SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION FOR GS-05:

You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: providing telephone and receptionist services; Maintaining records; Requisitioning office supplies; Filing material and maintaining office filing system; Receiving and controlling incoming and outgoing correspondence and reports for format, grammar, and punctuation; Writing simple or repetitive, non technical correspondence such as letters of acknowledgment; Scheduling appointments and preparing notes regarding topics to be discussed.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: a bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above high school in any field of study from an accredited college or university.
OR
A combination of education and experience equivalent to that described above.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-06:

You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: receiving calls and visitors and directing them to appropriate person or subordinate office; Preparing a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, requisitions, requests for personnel actions and legal documents; Reviewing documentation for proper format, conformance with procedural instructions, grammar, punctuation, and spelling; Organizing and maintaining files and records, manuals, handbooks, and other related materials; Scheduling appointments and assembling background material; Providing basic coordination and pertinent information on office functions.


SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-07:

You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: screening and answering telephone calls and determining which require personal attention; Establishing, organizing, and maintaining files of correspondence, manuals, and other related information; Reviewing correspondence and reports for proper format, grammar, punctuation, and mathematical correctness; Scheduling and shifting appointments based on commitments; Gathering and assembling necessary supporting documentation for reports; Providing advice, assistance and training to clerical support positions; Scheduling engagements and background material and preparing notes regarding topics to be discussed.

 

 (limit characters)
1.


SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION FOR GS-05:
You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes providing telephone and receptionist services; Maintaining records; Requisitioning office supplies; Filing material and maintaining office filing system; Receiving and controlling incoming and outgoing correspondence and reports for format, grammar, and punctuation; Writing simple or repetitive, non-technical correspondence such as letters of acknowledgment; Scheduling appointments and preparing notes regarding topics to be discussed.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: a bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above high school in any field of study from an accredited college or university.
OR
A combination of education and experience equivalent to that described above.

Which of the following is true about your experience and/or education?

 (limit characters)
2.


SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-06:
I have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: receiving calls and visitors and directing them to appropriate person or subordinate office; Preparing a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, requisitions, requests for personnel actions and legal documents; Reviewing documentation for proper format, conformance with procedural instructions, grammar, punctuation, and spelling; Organizing and maintaining files and records, manuals, handbooks, and other related materials; Scheduling appointments and assembling background material; Providing basic coordination and pertinent information on office functions.

Which of the following is true about your specialized experience?

 (limit characters)
3.
TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Under merit promotion procedures, applicants must satisfy time-in-grade requirements contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Time is credited based on calendar time served in a grade, regardless of the number of days or hours worked.
Please select the response that best describes your time-in-grade for the GS-6 level. (limit characters)
4.


SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-07:
I have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: screening and answering telephone calls and determining which require personal attention; Establishing, organizing, and maintaining files of correspondence, manuals, and other related information; Reviewing correspondence and reports for proper format, grammar, punctuation, and mathematical correctness; Scheduling and shifting appointments based on commitments; Gathering and assembling necessary supporting documentation for reports; Providing advice, assistance and training to clerical support positions; Scheduling engagements and background material and preparing notes regarding topics to be discussed.

Which of the following is true about your specialized experience?

 (limit characters)
5.
TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Under merit promotion procedures, applicants must satisfy time-in-grade requirements contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Time is credited based on calendar time served in a grade, regardless of the number of days or hours worked.

Please select the response that best describes your time-in-grade for the GS-7 level. (limit characters)
6.

Applicants must be a qualified typist with a minimum typing speed of 40 words per minute (based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors). Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for three years. We may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test.

Please select the response that is true regarding your typing proficiency.

 (limit characters)
Your responses to the following questions supplement the information provided in your resume.       
The next set of questions draws primarily on your experiences in working with and relating to others in a work setting. In each of the questions in this section, you are asked to indicate how you would be most likely to respond in a given situation. No special training or experience is required to answer these questions. Identify from the response options the one that best represents how you would handle the situation. Select the response that is closest to how you would be most likely to actually handle the situation, not the response that you think others might select or the response that you think is expected.  
 (limit characters)
7. A new employee just reported to your unit within the last week. One of his duties is to access taxpayer records using one of the IRS computer systems. He has yet to receive his login ID and password. He asks you if he can use your logon ID and password so he can start his duties right away. What would you do? (limit characters)
8. You are entering time into the time and attendance database when an employee asks you to include two hours of overtime for the previous night and indicates that they will get their timesheet signed by their supervisor at a later time. You would: (limit characters)
9. One of your primary responsibilities as a secretary is to ensure that time worked by employees is input by close of business every other Friday. If you fail to complete this task accurately and timely some of your employees will not get paid correctly. You have 15 employees in your group and one of the employees is chronically late in getting his timecard to you each pay period. What would you do? (limit characters)
10. You will be responsible for answering the phone for your work unit, taking messages, routing calls to the appropriate staff and determining the nature of the call. There are three phone calls at the same time for your supervisor, who has explicitly state that they are not to be interrupted. One caller is the Director (your supervisor's boss), one caller is your supervisor's spouse and one call is the auto mechanic. What would you do? (limit characters)
11. You were sent to pick up an important package from another office by your supervisor. Upon arriving at the designated office, you are told that the package is not ready to be picked up. What would you do? (limit characters)
12. You have prepared a presentation for secretaries explaining office procedures. An hour before the presentation you learn that in addition to the secretaries there will also be office clerks and supervisors attending. What will you do? (limit characters)
13. You received a request from a Congressional aide asking for a meeting with your supervisor. His calendar is full and the request for a meeting is unable to be accommodated. What would you do? (limit characters)
14. An employee needs to get his parking pass renewed. The passes have arrived in your office but your office does not renew parking passes. What would you do? (limit characters)
15. It is almost time for you to leave for the day when an upset taxpayer enters the office. The taxpayer asks for someone who is not in the office. What would you do? (limit characters)
16. You are responsible for written correspondence in response to a taxpayer inquiry. You notice an error in the completed product that is ready to be sent out to the taxpayer. What would you do? (limit characters)
17. It's Thursday afternoon and you are entering time and attendance data for your unit. It must be completed by Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. and submitted to your supervisor for approval. There is one employee who says he's too busy to give you his timesheet. What do you do? (limit characters)
18. You are assigned to an office where there are ten groups and six of them have been assigned secretaries. That leaves four groups without secretaries. You notice that the clerical tasks in the four other groups are not getting done or are being completed by the supervisors of the groups. What would you do? (limit characters)
19. A confidential letter is received in the office on Friday at 11:30 a.m. for your supervisor. The envelope indicates that an immediate response is required by close of business that day. Your supervisor left the office at 11:00 a.m. and will not return until the following Tuesday. What would you do? (limit characters)
20. You have established a suspense file for an action document for your supervisor. The response is due by close of business tomorrow. As you are leaving for your scheduled lunch break, you conduct a follow-up check with your supervisor regarding the response status, and he/she has no recollection of the document in question. What would you do?
(limit characters)
21. You are responsible for a weekly report on the productivity of the group. The agents in the group are to provide you with the technical contents for the report; you compile the data and produce the final report. This week two of the agents fail to provide you with the required data. What would you do? (limit characters)
22. Your supervisor is on vacation. A clerk from another section comes in and requests a personnel file on another employee from your supervisor's file cabinet. What will you do? (limit characters)
23. One of the duties is to open incoming mail, review the contents and give to the addressee. When reviewing the contents you realize there are several requests for information that you can handle. What would you do? (limit characters)
24. Which software applications do you have experience with? (limit characters)
25. Select the description below that best describes your experience. (limit characters)
26. Select the description below that best describes your experience. (limit characters)
27. You have been asked to do a review of the written correspondence procedures and make any needed updates to the procedures. What would you do? (limit characters)
28. You are responsible for tracking the travel budget. The current process is being done manually on paper. You know it would be easier to maintain if it was automated but you do not have computer training. What would you do? (limit characters)
29. You are responsible for training new secretaries. You have recently attended training on a new procedure that you are required to share with these secretaries. The training was informative but there are slides and a video that does not include realistic examples. You are concerned that the training will not be effective and could be very confusing for a new secretary. What would you do? (limit characters)
30. Please select the answer that best describes your reading skills. (limit characters)
31. Please select the priority program for which you are eligible for consideration. (limit characters)
32. Awards are considered in the selection process. The award information you provide may be verified. If you have received monetary or time off in lieu of monetary awards, such as performance awards or quality step increases you received in the three years preceding the closing date of this announcement please list the name of the award and the date (MMDDYYYY) of the award(s). (For example: 2 awards, Performance Award, 02/02/2019). You may obtain a list of your most recent awards at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/indexawd.htm. (https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/indexawd.htm)
 (limit characters)
33.

In addition to the online application and resume, you must submit a current annual Performance Appraisal. If a revalidated appraisal is used for merit promotion, the supervisor must prepare a narrative for each critical job element that does not have a narrative describing the performance in the appraisal period covered by the rating. Note: If you are a manager or management official, your most recent annual performance appraisal must be used for the overall rating identified.

Did you receive a fully successful, equivalent, or higher rating on your most recent performance appraisal?

 (limit characters)
34. If you answered "I do not have a recent performance appraisal." in the previous question, please indicate why you do not have a current performance appraisal otherwise please enter N/A. (limit characters)
35. Please select the option that best describes your most recent performance appraisal. (limit characters)
36. Please enter the date of your most recent performance appraisal. (limit characters)
37. Please select the rating that you achieved on your most recent performance appraisal. For Non-IRS CTAP employees select the response that most accurately reflects your most recent performance rating. (limit characters)
38. To qualify for this position and receive full credit for your relevant experience you must list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. Your resume must support your responses to the questions. Do you understand that failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination? (limit characters)
39. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the information included in this questionnaire is true, correct, and provided in good faith. I understand if I make an intentional false statement, or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C. 1001); my eligibilities may be cancelled, I may be denied an appointment, or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 C.F.R. part 731). I understand any information I give may be investigated. I understand that responding "No" to this item will result in my not being considered for this position.

Failure to agree or respond to the statement below will disqualify you from further consideration for the position. Select the most appropriate response below.
 (limit characters)
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