SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SEEKS A CONTACT REPRESENTATIVE

Duties

Summary

Customer Service Representatives work in a call center environment to provide a high level of quality service to our customers on SSA’s National 800 number.

This position is located in the Jamaica Teleservice Center at One Jamaica Center Plaza, 11th Floor, Jamaica, NY 11432.

NOTE: This position is being filled on a full-time and/or part-time, permanent basis.

Responsibilities

As a Customer Service Representative(CSR), you will contribute to the Agency’s mission by:

  • Answering unscreened calls for continuous periods of time on SSA’s national 800 number;
  • Providing quality customer service in a fast-paced, high call volume environment;
  • Conducting interviews to determine the nature of the call;
  • Identifying persons who may be eligible for various SSA programs by utilizing screening and interview methods effectively;
  • Providing information on SSA’s policies and procedures and resolving customer questions by identifying the issue and selecting the best option(s) for resolution;
  • Determining eligibility for programs administered by SSA;
  • Using automation tools to access and update information; and
  • Delivering service to customers within agreed service levels and established performance standards.

 

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

8

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be fluent in both English and Spanish
  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  • Background and/or security investigation required
  • Job offers are contingent on background / security investigation results
  • Selectees are required to serve a 1 year probationary period
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USA Hire Assessment, if required
  • Must pass Meet-and-Deal Interview
  • Selectees are required to complete a 11-13 week technical training class
  • This announcement will close once 500 applicants are reached.
  • Must be fluent in both English and Spanish.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

You may qualify at the GS-5 grade level (starting salary $40,749.00) if you possess one of the following:
A. 52 weeks of full-time specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service, that demonstrates experience applying rules, policies, or procedures to provide customer assistance, answering or asking customer questions to obtain or provide information, and using a computer to enter data. (Your resume must fully support these responses; otherwise, you will be found ineligible); OR
B. Completion of a full 4-year course of study above high school (e.g., 120 earned semester hours, 180 earned quarter hours, bachelor’s degree, etc.).; OR
C. A combination of successfully completed education course work equivalent to a baccalaureate program beyond the second year (e.g., in excess of the first 60 earned semester or 90 earned quarter hours) is creditable toward meeting the minimum qualification requirements. Note: Experience and education will be computed as percentages of the overall requirements and must equal to 100 percent when combined.

Note: Part-time work is prorated in crediting experience (e.g., if you work 20 hours per week for a 12-month period), you will be credited with 6 months of experience.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR

Meet and Deal Panel Interview: Applicants will be required to participate in a structured panel interview to demonstrate an aptitude for meeting and dealing with the public. This interview will be administered/conducted utilizing the Competency Assessment Interview Process (CAIP).Applicants must pass this interview process in order to be found fully qualified for this position and receive further consideration for selection. This interview will cover typical situations, which might be encountered on the job, in person or over the telephone. Candidates must demonstrate qualities such as clarity of speech, ability to listen, ability to establish confidence and put others at ease and the ability to organize and express thoughts clearly. If you do not pass the Meet and Deal panel interview, you will not qualify for the job. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.

NOTE: Previous Meet and Deal results are not valid for this vacancy announcement, you will be required to complete the CAIP assessment.

BILINGUAL CERTIFICATION INTERVIEW: Applicants must have the ability to fluently speak and understand both English and Spanish. Applicants will be required to pass an interview designed to assess possession of this ability

Education

SUBSTITUTING EDUCATION: If you are qualifying for this position based on completed education at an accredited U.S. college, university, or other educational institution, you must provide a copy of your transcripts or other proof of education prior to being appointed. NOTE: Education completed in a foreign institution must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs. It is the applicant’s responsibility to acquire U.S. Certification and provide it at the time of application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services, log on to: Credential Evaluation Services.

PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position.

Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

This is a career-ladder position offering the opportunity for annual promotion based on performance leading up to the GS-8 grade level. Normally candidates are hired at the step one unless they have prior federal experience with no break in service.

Additional selections may be made within six months from the closing date of this announcement.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_HireĀ 

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.

2. Other supporting documents:

You must also submit supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference or qualify on the basis of education.

INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified category as described in the vacancy announcement and must also provide:

  • Proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include: A copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); AND
  • proof of your most recent performance rating of at least “fully successful” (Level III) or equivalent.

For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE: If you are claiming veterans’ preference, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD 214 member 4 copy) or an official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty. To be acceptable, the document must show Character of Service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans’ preference based on a service-connected disability, you must also submit the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15,Application for 10-Point Veterans’ Preference (SF 15). Applicants claiming derived preference must submit the SF-15, the Veteran’s DD-214 (to verify character of service) and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF 15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received. For more information visit the Vet Guide.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO VETERANS: The Office of Personnel Management has published the end date for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) as August 31, 2010. To receive veterans’ preference for service during the Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom era, you must have served for more than 180 days between September 11, 2001 and August 31, 2010 OR be in receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal. The updated CFR language is available here. Other qualifying eligibility for preference (e.g., disability) remains unchanged.

Military Spouse Appointing Authority. You may be eligible for an appointment under the Military Spouse Appointing Authority if you are a spouse of: 1) an active duty member of the armed forces; 2) a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury; or 3) a deceased service member of the armed forces. Each of these categories has different eligibility criteria that must be met. Individuals applying for consideration under this authority MUST provide the applicable supporting documentation (e.g., documentation verifying marriage, copy of your spouse’s active military orders, DD-214, copy of a statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs or a branch of the military certifying the service member’s service-connected disability rating, DD-1300, etc.). You are no longer eligible if you remarry.

How to Apply

 

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification.
5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Note: Set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Andrew Small at andrew.small@ssa.govor (617) 565-9241.

Individuals with disabilities may also call us via Federal Relay using the (voice) contact telephone provided.

Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.