U.S. CONSULATE GENERAL GUADALAJARA
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
No. LES- 08-03
OPEN TO: ALL INTERESTED APPLICANTS
POSITION: A31-227, VISA CLERK - FSN- 6, FP-8*
OPENING DATE: MAY 14, 2008
CLOSING DATE: MAY 28, 2008
WORK HOURS: Full Time. 40 hours/week
SALARY: * Not-Ordinarily Resident: Starting Salary and Position Grade FP-8 to be
confirmed by Washington.
*Ordinarily Resident: $163,664.24 pesos per year (Starting Salary)
(Position Grade: FSN-6)
NOTE: ALL ORDINARILY RESIDENT APPLICANTS MUST OBTAIN THE REQUIRED WORK PERMIT AND/OR MUST HAVE THE APPROPRIATE RESIDENCY PERMIT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.
*ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF HOUSEHOLD MUST HAVE AT LEAST SIX MONTHS REMAINING TO THEIR TOUR OF DUTY TO APPLY FOR THIS JOB*
The U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara is seeking an individual for the position of Visa Clerk in the Consular Section/Nonimmigrant Visa Unit.
BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION
The employee performs technical and clerical phases of the nonimmigrant visa application and issuance process. Duties include entering applicant data; CLASS name check-transmission; photographic image-capture; fingerprint capture; printing and placement in passport of machine-readable visa; quality control of DHS/CIS-produced laser visas. Employee is responsible throughout process, for integrity of controlled items and quality of product. Employee must be vigilant in detecting and deterring visa fraud. Incumbent conducts clerical duties, such as filing forms, answering public telephonic inquiries, and other direct public contact to varying degrees depending on specific additional responsibilities assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Note: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item:
• Completion of high school is required.
• One year of experience in office clerical work involving contact with the public is required.
• Level III (good working knowledge) English and Level IV (fluent) Spanish are required. This will be tested. See section on “To Apply” for where to go for testing (2nd. Page).
• Level II (40 wpm) typing skills are required. This will be tested.
SELECTION PROCESS
When equally qualified, US Citizen Eligible Family Members (AEFMs) and U.S. Veterans will be given preference. Therefore, it is essential that the candidate address the required qualifications above in the application.
ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA
• Management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest, budget, and residency status in determining successful candidacy.
• Current employees serving an initial probationary period are not eligible to apply.
• Currently employed US Citizen EFM’s who hold a FMA appointment are ineligible to apply for advertised positions within the first 90 calendar days of their employment.
• Currently employed NORs hired under a Personal Services Agreement (PSA) are ineligible to apply for advertised positions within the first 90 calendar days of their employment, unless currently hired into a position with When Actually Employed (WAE) schedule.
• All Locally Employed Staff (LES) who have less than one year working for the Mission are not eligible to apply.
TO APPLY
Interested applicants for this position must submit the following or the application will NOT be considered:
• Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612), or a current resume or curriculum vitae that provides the same information as an OF-612;
• A copy of college transcripts or diploma;
• Any other documentation (e.g. essays, certificates, awards, copies of degrees earned) that addresses the qualification requirements of the position as listed above;
• Candidates who claim U.S. Veterans Preference must provide a copy of their form DD-214 with their application.
• NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS: Test score of English language exam (TOEIC or TOEFL) is required from the following institutions (cost is the applicant’s responsibility):
- Instituto Cultural México-Norteamericano de Jalisco, A.C. Enrique Díaz de León Sur 300, Tel: 3825-5838
- TOEFL ITP/PFT/CBT/IBT Information: http://www.iielatinoamerica.org/cgibin/contenido.pl?p=centrostp or
http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/bbf/bftoefl.
• Test score of Spanish language exam is required for candidates with Spanish as a second language. Contact the Vancouver Language Centre, Bernardo de Balbuena # 60, Col. Ladrón de Guevara, Guadalajara, Jal. Tel: 3615-7074 (cost is $150 pesos; this fee is the applicant’s responsibility).
SUBMIT APPLICATION TO
Human Resources Office
U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara
Progreso 175 - Guadalajara, Jal. 44160
FAX: (33) 3827-0726
E-mail: hrgdl@state.gov
DEFINITIONS
1. AEFM: A type of EFM that is eligible for direct hire employment on either a Family Member Appointment (FMA) or Temporary Appointment (TEMP) provided s/he meets all of the following criteria:
-- US Citizen; Spouse or child who is at least age 18;
-- Listed on the travel orders of a Foreign or Civil Service or uniformed service member permanently assigned to or stationed at a US Foreign Service post or establishment abroad with a USG agency that is under COM authority;
--Is resident at the sponsoring employee’s or uniform service member’s post of assignment abroad, approved safehaven abroad, or alternate safehaven abroad; and
-- Does not receive a USG annuity of pension based on a career in the US Civil, Foreign, or uniform services.
2. EFM: Family Members at least age 18 listed on the travel orders of a Foreign or Civil Service or uniformed service member permanently assigned to or stationed to a US Foreign Service post or establishment abroad with a USG agency that is under COM authority who do not meet the definition of AEFM above.
3. Member of Household: A MOH is a person who: I) Has accompanied, but is not/not on the travel orders of a U.S. citizen Foreign or Civil Service employee or uniform service member permanently assigned to or stationed at a U.S. Foreign service post or establishment abroad; II) Has been declared by the sponsoring employee to the Chief of Mission as part of his/her household; and III) Resides at post with the sponsoring employee.
4. Ordinarily Resident (OR): A citizen of the host country or a citizen of another country who has shifted the main residency focus to the host country and has the required work and/or residency permits for employment in country.
5. Not-Ordinarily Resident (NOR): Typically NORs are US Citizen EFMs and EFMs of FS, GS, and uniform service members who are eligible for employment under an American USG pay plan, on the travel orders and under Chief of Mission authority, or other personnel having diplomatic privileges and immunities.
CLOSING DATE FOR THIS POSITION: MAY 28, 2008
The US Mission in Mexico provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation. The Department of State also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.
The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation. Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.
Visa Clerk
Job Description
Core Responsibilities
Incumbent works in the Consulate General’s very busy nonimmigrant visa (NIV) unit and is primarily responsible for the technical and clerical aspects of the visa application process. This includes: entering applicant data; taking digital photograph and fingerprints of approximately 1300 visa applicants per day; printing machine-readable visas and placing them in passports. Incumbent is responsible throughout the process for protecting the integrity of controlled items and ensuring that we produce a high-quality product. Incumbent also carries out clerical duties, such as filing forms and answering telephonic inquiries from the public.
Quantifiable Performance Measures
This position requires a very high level of productivity and attention to detail. We are striving to become one of the very best US visa sections in the world, so expectations of performance are extremely high in terms of customer service, productivity, and quality.
Reporting Structure
Incumbent reports directly to the FSN supervisor, who runs the unit under the overall guidance of the American NIV unit chief. However, incumbent also works as part of a 5-person FSN team and receives day-to-day guidance from his/her FSN team leader and the two American officers that are assigned to the team. Incumbent may also be given instructions by any of the unit’s 12 American visa officers. This structure is driven by the operational needs of the section, but may at times cause employees to feel that they have as many as 12 supervisors. This requires a great deal of flexibility, adaptability to different management styles, and a strong orientation towards teamwork.
Contacts with other parts of the consulate are somewhat limited, but relations between the sections are both amicable and professional.
Experience and technical knowledge
Successful candidates must have completed high school and have a minimum of one year experience in office work involving contact with the public. A college degree or some college-level work is highly desirable. Level III English (good working knowledge) and fluent Spanish are required. Incumbent should have strong typing skills and an aptitude for learning new computer software applications quickly.
Personality and Strengths
Incumbent should be hardworking, energetic, cooperative, dependable, and able to deal with large crowds while maintaining his/her patience and positive demeanor. He/she should be committed to learning new things, and to developing top-notch job skills. Incumbent should bring a creative approach to his/her work and be prepared to continually (and tactfully) contribute suggestions on how to improve the unit’s customer service and efficiency. He/she should also be able to communicate clearly and effectively with visa applicants from a wide range of economic and educational backgrounds, as well as with colleagues within the consulate.
The NIV unit has a climate of openness, mutual respect and teamwork. Employees who are unable or unwilling to work as part of a team generally have difficulty fitting in.
Description of the Work Environment
Incumbent will spend approximately half of his/her time working directly with the public in the visa waiting area, and the rest of the time in the visa unit office area. Work in the waiting area is hectic, noisy, and stressful, due to the fact that there are approximately 200 visa applicants in the waiting area at any given time. Efficiency is vital in order to avoid processing bottlenecks, but providing great customer service and minimizing errors are both equally important. Applicants should understand that the NIV unit’s heaviest workload is during peak travel seasons (summer and December), so it is often difficult to take vacations during those periods.
According to Peers, the Ideal Candidate Should Be:
• Hard working
• Positive
• Cooperative
• Adaptable
• Dependable
• Responsible
• Tolerant
• A good communicator who gets along well with others
• Open to learning from colleagues
• Patient with repetitive work
• Able to work as part of the team
• A fast learner
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to deal with difficult people and situations without taking things personally
• Willing to resolve problems instead of placing blame
• Blessed with a good sense of humor
U.S. citizens interested in joining the Foreign Service should check the State Department or the Commerce Department webpages.
U.S. citizens wishing to apply for the positions advertised here must legally reside in Mexico.
Locally resident American Citizens who are not Eligible Family Members must have the necessary work permits (FM-2 OR FM-3) and at least six months residency in Mexico.
