Personnel Department
Mission Statement
Our mission is to administer, in a fair and equitable manner, the provisions of New York State Civil Service Law and Putnam County Civil Service Rules with respect to the offices and employments in the classified service of Putnam County and the civil divisions therein, which include the towns, villages, school districts, libraries and special districts.
It is Putnam County Personnel Department’s responsibility to ensure Putnam County taxpayers of a public workforce qualified for their jobs pursuant to the principles of selection according to merit and fitness as set forth in Article 5, §6 of the New York State Constitution.
Contact Personnel
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Office | 845.808.1650 x46104
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Email | Send us a message
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Subscribe | To receive exam announcements
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Paul Eldridge
Personnel Officer
Personnel
Services Offered
With our secure online examination application, you can complete and submit your application to any Putnam County civil service examination with the click of a button. Applicants can log in to their own “Applicant Profile” to see exams applied to, submitted information, and more. And now, examination filing fees can be submitted online by credit card, debit card or eCheck!
Some Jobs Do Not Require Examinations
This is usually because the New York State Civil Service Commission has deemed them “non-competitive” or “exempt.” Such job titles are listed in the Appendices of the Putnam County Civil Rules and Appendices.
Click Here for Employment Application
*Please note that you cannot use this application form to apply for examinations.
Job Specifications are simply job descriptions. The purpose of the job specification is to provide information about the functions, duties and qualification requirements for each job that has been classified in Putnam County civil service. A job specification is a formal written document which defines the duties and responsibilities of the job, and lists examples of typical work activities. The job specification stipulates the knowledge, skills, abilities and personal characteristics required for successful performance of the work, and states the minimum qualifications required for appointment.
If you are a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, you may be eligible to receive additional credits in competitive civil service examinations.
Veterans’ credits are extra points that Civil Service Law §85 allows to be added to a veteran’s score on a civil service examination.
All positions are in the competitive class, unless deemed otherwise by the County Personnel Officer and approved as non-competitive by the New York State Civil Service Commission. If such a request is approved by the State Civil Service Commission, the approved title will be listed in the appropriate appendix of the Putnam County Civil Service Rules & Appendices.
Section 20 of the Civil Service Law requires that each municipal civil service agency amend and enforce Rules for carrying out the provisions of Article V, Section 6 of the State Constitution and Civil Service Law.
The application for P.I.L.O.T. Summer 2025 is now closed! If interested, you may email internships@putnamcountyny.gov to be added to a waitlist.
Putnam Invests in Leaders of Tomorrow
Putnam County invites high school juniors and seniors, undergraduate and graduate students to apply for paid & unpaid summer internship opportunities within Putnam County government.
- Explore a potential career field and develop career-related skills;
- Demonstrate to college and/or graduate school admission counselors and future employers your motivation to learn and build experience in your field of study or area of interest;
- Establish pre-professional experience;
- Develop personal contacts in your field of interest.
General Information
Civil Service Examinations
The Putnam County Personnel Department administers civil service examinations to fill a wide variety of jobs in Putnam County government and other local governments within the County (Towns, Villages, School Districts, Libraries & Special Districts). A detailed Examination Announcement is issued for each examination. The Examination Announcement contains essential information about the location of the position, the minimum qualifications for admission to the examination, filing fees and how to apply.
Recruiting
Competitive Class Positions by conducting examinations and maintaining lists of eligible candidates per civil service law.
Other Recruiting for vacant positions in County departments which do not require a competitive examination or for which there is no current eligible list.
Non-County Positions. There are certain positions located in towns, villages, school districts, libraries and special districts which may not require competitive examinations and may be filled through their own Personnel offices; we recommend that you contact them directly for information about current openings.
Postion Classification
The Personnel Department researches, documents and maintains job specifications and minimum qualifications for all positions in the classified civil service in all county departments and agencies, as well as Putnam County’s towns, villages, school districts, libraries and special districts.
Employee Records
The New York State Civil Service system provides an orderly method of personnel transactions including classification, hiring/selection, promotion, transfer, separation and retention.
The Personnel Department maintains employment records for all classified civil service employees (in general, those who are non-elected and non-teaching).
Personnel records are maintained for every employee of both county and non-county agencies and department in Putnam County.
Employee Relations
The Personnel Department is responsible for:
- Employee Training
- Employee Orientation Programs
- Employee Benefits
- Maintaining salary schedules
- Labor relations with County employees through bargaining units
Civil Service Examinations
Suggestions to help with the online application process:
- An email address is required for the online application process. If you do not have an email address, you may set one up at a free site (e.g. Google Gmail, Yahoo, MSN Hotmail, etc).
- Before beginning the online application, make sure to have ready any personal information you will need to enter (for example: your social security number, dates of past employment, license numbers, etc.), as well as any electronic (or scanned) documents that you may want to attach (for example: resume, performance test results, course transcripts, licenses/certifications).
- It should take you approximately 45 minutes to fill out the application for examination. If you wish, you may save your application and return to it later. Instructions about how to save an application and how to return to the saved application are provided on the Online Exam Application webpage.
- Applications should be completed on a laptop or desktop computer to avoid unnecessary technological difficulties.
Exam filing fees are non-refundable for any reason, including disqualification. Please carefully consider whether you meet minimum qualifications before submitting your application.
Payment Methods:
- Pay online (credit, debit or eCheck) through Official Payments®
- Pay by check or money order made out to Putnam County Personnel Department and mailed or delivered to:
Putnam County Personnel Department
110 Old Route 6, Bldg 3, Carmel, NY 10512 - Cash will not be accepted.
Within a few days of successful submission you will receive a confirmation email with the link and code to pay. Payment must be received within five days of this email, or the application will be disqualified. Please make sure to check your spam folder.
Transaction fees for online payment: credit 2.65%/minimum $1.95, debit 1%/minimum $1.00, eCheck $2.50. Non-refundable.
If you choose online payment and you are applying for more than one exam, wait until you have submitted all exam applications, then pay all exam filing fees together in one payment. One payment transaction (instead of multiple payment transactions) will save you money on transaction fees.
If you are unemployed, receiving benefits, and head of household (cannot be claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s taxes) then you may be eligible to have the examination filing fee waived.
According to Civil Service Law Section 50.b(b): “…fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state civil service department, a municipal commission or regional commission that they are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household, or are receiving public assistance.” If you believe that Civil Service Law Section 50.b(b) applies to you, submit the Fee Waiver Application.
In order to process your fee waiver application you will need to include proof of benefits. An example of such proof would be a printout of the statement of the benefits you are receiving including the start and end date for those benefits.
Instructions for Submitting a Fee Waiver:
- Print the Fee Waiver Request Form.
- Submit the completed form along with supporting documentation to Putnam County Personnel Department within five business days of your application submission.
- Fee Waiver Request forms and supporting documentation may be mailed to or dropped off at: Putnam County Personnel Department, 110 Old Route 6, Bldg. 3, Carmel, NY 10512.
- If your Fee Waiver Request form is not received within the time permitted, your application will be disqualified and will not be reviewed – no exceptions.
Declaration of Unemployment
If you are unemployed, but currently not receiving benefits and you are not claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s taxes, you may fill out a Declaration of Unemployment Form instead.
If you have applied to take an examination announced by more than one local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions as early as possible (no later than two weeks before the test date), so that arrangements can be made for taking all examinations at one test site. You must inform each jurisdiction of all examination titles and numbers, and at which jurisdiction you want to sit for the examinations. Please note that all examinations for positions in State government must be taken at a State examination center.
Click here for a printable Cross Filer Form.
To prepare for examination subject matter, candidates should focus their examination preparation on the information given in the “Subject of Examination” section of the examination announcement, and use their personal experience and resources to find appropriate study and preparation materials.
Commercially available test guides for civil service exams are not recommended, as they are often not accurate to the examination subject matter. A limited number of Test Guides, designed to familiarize candidates with the format of examinations, are provided by the New York State Department of Civil Service. Click here for NYS Test Guides & Exam Resources.
Your application will be reviewed to confirm that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the Exam Announcement. You will receive a letter informing you if your application has been approved or disqualified.
All approved applicants will receive an Admission Letter. Pay close attention to the information and instructions in this letter. You will receive this letter approximately 2 weeks before the Exam Date.
If for some reason you have not received a letter from the Personnel Department five (5) days before your exam date, contact the Personnel Department immediately at (845) 808-1650.
Most Continuous-Recruitment Examinations are held at the Personnel Department. Many of Putnam County’s Open-Competitive Examinations are held at local school buildings. Please double check your admission letter for the address of your test location.
Please be sure to bring your unsigned admission letter, form of picture ID, pencils, and calculators, if allowed.
For most Civil Service written examinations, candidates have the option of bringing a quiet, hand-held calculator to the test room, unless specifically notified that their use is prohibited. Cell phone calculators may not be used. Smart watches are prohibited in the exam room. Please leave smart watches in your car or at home.
Employment Opportunities in Putnam County
Some Jobs Do Not Require Examinations
This is usually because the New York State Civil Service Commission has deemed them “non-competitive” or “exempt.” Such job titles are listed in the Appendices of the Putnam County Civil Rules and Appendices.
Job Postings
Sometimes civil service positions are posted to meet County recruitment needs. These positions may be filled by the appointment of individuals meeting the minimum qualifications, if any, by the appointing authority or agency.
For posted competitive positions a provisional appointment may be made pending the administration of a future civil service examination, only if an eligible list for the title does not currently exist.
Employment applications may be sent via mail or email, or dropped at the Personnel Office for approval and distribution to appropriate departments.
Putnam County Job Specifications
Job Specifications
Job Specifications are job descriptions. The purpose of the job specification is to provide information about the functions, duties and qualification requirements for each job that has been classified in Putnam County civil service. A job specification is a formal written document which defines the duties and responsibilities of the job, and lists examples of typical work activities. The job specification stipulates the knowledge, skills, abilities and personal characteristics required for successful performance of the work, and states the minimum qualifications required for appointment.
Broad Classification
In Putnam County, jobs are generally classified as broadly as possible. This means the job specification will be general and open-ended enough to describe a position even when it is established in a number of different places across the county. The same position in different work locations will likely involve specifically different, though generally related, duties in each workplace. For example, an Office Assistant in the County Clerk’s Office would have different specific duties than an Office Assistant in a school district, but they are both Office Assistants with the same broad job specification. Job specifications are not intended to describe details of any single job. That’s why the job specification document states that Typical Work Activities are illustrative only (do not include all of the work that might be appropriately performed by an incumbent).
JOB SPECIFICATION LISTS
Job specifications are periodically reviewed and revised to ensure that they are accurate and up-to-date.
Civil Service Information for Military Veterans
Veterans Credits
If you are a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, you may be eligible to receive additional credits in competitive civil service examinations.
Veterans’ credits are extra points that Civil Service Law §85 allows to be added to a veteran’s score on a civil service examination.
- Veterans can have an additional five (5) points added to their examination score (two and-one-half (2½) points on promotion examinations). Disabled veterans are granted ten (10) additional points (five (5) points on promotion examinations).
- Veterans’ credits may be added only to a passing score. Veterans’ credits may not be used to bring a failing score up to a passing grade (70).
Effective January 1, 2014, Article 5, §6 of the New York State Constitution was amended to entitle veterans who have used non-disabled veteran credits for a Civil Service appointment or promotion and who were/are subsequently certified as being a disabled veteran by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, to additional credits for a subsequent appointment or promotion. For more information click here to read about additional eligibility for disabled veterans or contact the Putnam County Personnel Department.
Veterans Credit Definitions:
Armed Forces: The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and the National Guard when in service for the United States. Such service must be or have been on a full-time active duty basis, other than for training purposes
Disabled Veteran: United States Department of Veterans Affairs certification as having a disability rated at ten percent or more, incurred while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The disability must be in existence at the time of application for examination.
Who is Eligible to Claim Veterans Credits?
- Veterans or active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States; and
- Have been discharged or will be discharged, honorably, generally under honorable circumstances, or under other than honorable conditions* at the time of appointment; and
- Are residents of New York State at the time of application for examination.
*Effective November 12, 2020, the New York State Restoration of Honor Act authorizes the New York State Division of Veterans Services to restore access to State Veterans Benefits to Veterans who have an Other-Than-Honorable (OTH) or a General Under Honorable Conditions Discharge due to any of the following:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
- Sexual Orientation
- Gender Identity
Rules & Appendicies
Local civil service Rules have the force and effect of law and assist the local agency to effectively administer merit and fitness.
What are the Rules and Appendices?
All positions are in the competitive class, unless deemed otherwise by the County Personnel Officer and approved as non-competitive by the New York State Civil Service Commission. If such a request is approved by the State Civil Service Commission, the approved title will be listed in the appropriate appendix of the Putnam County Civil Service Rules & Appendices.
Section 20 of the Civil Service Law requires that each municipal civil service agency amend and enforce Rules for carrying out the provisions of Article V, Section 6 of the State Constitution and Civil Service Law. Municipal Rules must address several areas, including:
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Jurisdictional classification for positions in the classified service under its jurisdiction
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Position classification for such positions
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Examinations
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Appointments
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Promotions
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Transfers
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Reinstatements
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Resignations
There are two parts of local civil service Rules: the Text and the Appendices.
The Text sets up mechanisms and procedures for selected actions by the municipal civil service agency. It more precisely defines certain rights and responsibilities of employees and appointing officers than is provided by the Civil Service Law.
The Appendices list, by jurisdictional classification, all classified and unclassified titles that have been formally removed from the competitive class. Titles of positions under an agency’s jurisdiction not listed in the Appendices are in the competitive class.
Civil service Rules are adopted and amended by municipal civil service agencies in order to assist in the effective administration of merit system provisions provided for in Civil Service Law. The Rules are, in effect, an extension of and supplement to Civil Service Law, and, as such, they provide authority for many actions and set up certain controls. They more clearly define the rights of employees in the classified service than is accomplished in the Law itself. Also, they further stipulate the obligations of appointing authorities in their interactions with civil service employees and the civil service agency.
What are the “jurisdictional classes”?
Competitive Class: These positions require that the candidate for a position meet specific minimum qualifications, have taken, passed, and are found to be reachable on a civil service examination eligible list. There are occasions when an eligible list for that title does not currently exist and a person is hired as a “provisional” basis pending the examination process.
Non-Competitive Class: These are jobs which have been approved by the New York State Civil Service Commission as positions for which competitive examination is determined to be not practicable to determine one’s fitness for the position. While there is no competitive examination, minimum qualifications must be met.
Labor Class: These are jobs which mainly involve manual labor and do not have minimum qualification requirements.
Exempt Class: These are primarily jobs which involve providing support for, or acting for and in the place of, an elected official, and have been approved by the New York State Civil Service Commission to be placed in the exempt class.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Personnel Office is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. From mid-June through mid-September the office is open 8am-4pm.
The department is closed whenever Putnam County departments are closed. For inclement weather, listen to FM 100.7 WHUD for closures and delays.
Continuous Recruitment (CR) Examinations are scheduled and scored by the Putnam County Personnel Department. Applications for Continuous Recruitment Examinations are accepted continuously – there is no last filing date because examinations are scheduled on a rolling basis throughout the year. The sooner your application is received, the sooner you will be scheduled to take the Continuous Recruitment Examination for which you’re applying. The average wait time from application to test date is 2 months.
Open Competitive (OC) Examinations are scheduled and scored by the New York State Department of Civil Service. An open competitive exam is open to any person in the general public who meets the minimum qualifications listed on the exam announcement. The date of examination is statewide for an open competitive examination – which is why it is sometimes possible to “cross file” for an examination (when the same examination is being given by multiple counties). Since there is one scheduled examination date, applications for Open Competitive Examinations must be received by the stated last filing date.
Promotional Examinations are open to current employees who hold permanent competitive class status in the Putnam County jurisdiction for which promotion is sought. Promotional candidates must meet both the set promotional and open competitive minimum qualifications for the title.
The Rule of Three states that on any given exam, you are eligible for consideration to the position if your score is better than or equal to the third best score among all test takers.
If your mailing or email address changes, you must contact the Personnel Department at
Each exam states minimum qualifications to be met in order to take the exam. You should include enough information to meet the minimum qualifications stated. If this includes education, you must include all education required to meet the minimum qualifications, and attach a copy of relevant college transcripts and/or certifications.
If you do not meet these minimum requirements and apply for the exam, your application will be disqualified and the exam fee will not be refunded.
Should I attach a resume?
Resumes will not be utilized in order for you to meet minimum qualifications. Most resumes do not include all of the information required in the work experience section of the application. All education and experience required to meet the minimum qualifications must be listed on the application itself in the proper sections.
Whenever the minimum qualifications call for a certain level of education, a specific degree, and/or a specified number of credits, college transcripts should be submitted with the application. This is used for verification purposes.
Transcript(s) must show your name; your student identification number; the name of the issuing school; the type of degree received, if any; the date the degree, if any, was conferred; full course names; credit hours; grade earned for each course; and a cumulative Grade Point Average (G.P.A).
Transcripts can be attached to your application, or submitted in person, by email to
Exam filing fees are non-refundable for any reason, including disqualification. Please carefully consider whether you meet minimum qualifications before submitting your application.
If approved to take an examination, you will receive an Admission Letter. Pay close attention to the information and instructions in this letter. You will receive this letter approximately 2 weeks before the Exam Date.
If for some reason you have not received a letter from the Personnel Department five (5) days before your exam date, contact the Personnel Department immediately at (845) 808-1650.
If your exam was a Continuous Recruitment (CR) examination, you will be notified at the time of the exam, and you will receive an official letter confirming these results within a few weeks of the exam. Open Competitive (OC) exams are scored by the New York State Civil Service Testing Division, and it can take a minimum of three months for these scores to be received by the Putnam County Personnel Department. Once received, the Personnel Department will process the results and notify you as soon as possible.
Your results will be sent the method you select on your application, email or USPS. If you select USPS as your mode of communication, you must include 2 self-addressed stamped envelopes-one for the admission letter and one for the results.
If you have applied to take an examination announced by more than one local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions as early as possible (no later than two weeks before the test date), so that arrangements can be made for taking all examinations at one test site.
You must inform each jurisdiction of all examination titles and numbers, and at which jurisdiction you want to sit for the examinations. Please note that all examinations for positions in State government must be taken at a State examination center. Click here for a printable Cross Filing Form.
Continuous Recruitment exams’ eligibility is good for one year.
Open Competitive exams can be established for a minimum of one to a maximum of four years.
If your exam was a Continuous Recruitment (CR) examination, you will receive an official Results Letter within a few weeks of the exam.
Open Competitive (OC) exams are scored by the New York State Civil Service Testing Division, and it can typically take between three and six months for these scores to be received by the Putnam County Personnel Department. Once received, the Personnel Department will process the results and notify you as soon as possible. Your results will be sent via the method you select on your application, email or USPS.
Your score will be added to the eligible list for the title. When this list is established, municipal agencies falling under the Putnam County Personnel Department may request this list in order to fill job vacancies.
You are eligible, or “reachable”, for consideration to the position if your score falls in the Top 3 of candidates willing to accept that particular vacancy. The “Top 3” includes the three candidates with the highest scores, plus everyone tied with the third candidate’s score (examples: 95, 90, 85, 85, 85, 85… or 90, 90, 85.)
You may be contacted by canvassing agencies by mail or email regarding a vacancy during the “life” of an eligible list (see above).
All positions are competitive class, unless deemed otherwise by the County Personnel Officer and approved as non-competitive by New York State. The competitive class includes all positions where it is practical to assess applicants through an exam to determine one’s fitness for the position.
If you are a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, you may be eligible to receive additional credits in competitive civil service examinations. For more information, please review our Veterans Credit information above.
In rare cases, an examination may be postponed if weather conditions are unsafe. In such cases, call 845-808-1650 for recorded information available 24 hours. Also, announcements will be made over the radio on WHUD (100.7 FM), and on the Putnam County main webpage.
If an examination is postponed due to weather conditions, a new examination date will be set as soon as possible. Candidates will be notified of such new examination date by Putnam County Personnel Department as soon as information becomes available.