Landon McCrohan, CSC Docket No. 2019-1577

BackgroundLandon McCrohan appeals the determination of the Division of Agency Services (Agency Services) which found that he did not meet the experience requirements for the promotional examination for Senior Postal Clerk (PS7315TN), Motor Vehicle Commission.

The subject examination announcement was issued with a closing date of April 23, 2018, and was open to employees in the competitive division who had an aggregate of one year of continuous permanent service as of the closing date in the title Postal Clerk and who met the announced experience requirements. These requirements included one year of experience involved in collecting, sorting, distributing, recording and stamping of incoming and outgoing mail. The appellant was found to be below the minimum requirements in experience. One applicant appears on the eligible list, which has not yet been certified.

The appellant listed four positions on his application: Outbound Associate with Amazon.com, Freezer/Cooler Associate with Sam’s Club, Overnight Associate with Kohl’s, and General Warehouse Associate with Home Depot. None of this experience was accepted and he was found to be lacking one year of applicable experience. It is noted that official records indicate that he was a provisional Senior Postal Clerk from June 2017 to the April 2018 closing date, and a Postal Clerk from June 2016 to June 2017.

Appellant's argumentOn appeal, the appellant states that mistakenly did not include his recent employment, and he provides an updated resume.

CONCLUSION

RuleN.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.6(a) provides that applicants shall meet all requirements specified in the promotional examination announcement by the closing date.

AnalysisInitially, Agency Services correctly found the appellant to be ineligible for the subject examination since, according to his application, he lacked the required experience. The online application process is automated and provides instructions to candidates on how to properly complete their applications. Also, the application states that, by clicking “yes,” the applicant certified that the employment history was complete and accurate. The On-Line Application System User’s Guide cautions applicants to carefully review the application to ensure that it is complete and accurate before submitting, and to complete the application in detail. It states that failure to complete the application properly may cause the applicant to be declared ineligible. The instructions under the experience portion of the application advise applicants to provide all employment information (not just current employment information), and if they have multiple positions, they need to make sure that they provide each one separately. The appellant should follow these instructions and properly complete any future applications for examinations.

In the instant matter, while the appellant’s Senior Postal Clerk and Postal Clerk positions were not listed on his application, he has indicated on appeal that the duties of those positions have the announced experience requirement as the primary focus. The examination is not competitive, with one eligible applicant, and the appellant remains in his provisional position in the subject title. As such, good cause exists to relax the provisions N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.6(a) and admit the appellant to the examination.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that this appeal be granted, and the appellant’s application be processed for prospective employment opportunities only.

This final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.