Sunday, January 4, 2009

New York State Civil Service:Real or Imagined


One wonders exactly what is required to secure employment with New York State Civil Service? New York State Civil Service continues to yell to anyone with ears, that the system is transparent and offers perspective candidates an equal opportunity if the they meet the criteria for employment.

After interning with the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities for five months, I applied to the P.M.I Program, thinking all along that I had a fair chance to secure an interview. To my great surprise, I found out from Civil Service that I was unqualified. Apparently, I was qualified to serve at the lower level, but unqualified for anything else, despite holding a B/A and M.P.A. Since the hiring freeze was instituted during the summer of 2008, some five hundred new persons were hired by Civil Service.

In my opinion, the New York State Civil Service System is a sham. It appears that positions are advertised simply to inform the job-seeking public, but not because they have a real shot of landing a coveted state job. Additionally, the application fee for many civil service jobs is also a great money earner for the state.

Although it's too early to judge the Paterson administration, African Americans must be judicious with their support. We should not be afraid to criticize if the system fails to benefit those who need it the most.

We learned quickly how the powerful elite functions. After Bernard Madoff was exposed as a fraud for his alleged Ponzi Scheme, the cozy friendship that he had built up with New York's wealthiest was dissolved in a New York minute. High Priced Attorneys and lawsuits quickly replaced swanky cocktails and golfing escapades.

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