Corrections Officer Corporal

Recruitment #18-CO0425-01

Nature of Work

A Corrections Officer Corporal serves as a lead worker over subordinate corrections officers and/or serves as a specialist in a functional area.  The corporals are responsible for processing inmates into and out of the facility, operating control booths and the central control booth, leading subordinates, supervising inmate actions and movements, training corrections officers and trainees, ensuring the safety of employees and inmates, and other miscellaneous duties as assigned.  Corrections Officer Corporals may be moved to various positions within the facility in order to gain mastery of various disciplines within the facility.  They receive assignments that require decision making skills and experience, and/or they are assigned to a technical specialty within the facility.  Corrections Officer Corporals differ from Corrections Officers in that Corporals supervise and lead Corrections Officers and Trainees or perform work that requires extensive knowledge or expertise.  Corrections Officer Corporals differ from Corrections Officer Sergeants in that Corporals do not have full time responsibility for managing and supervising others.  Corrections Officer Corporals are typically supervised by Corrections Officer Sergeants or Lieutenants.

Minimum Qualifications

As of August 24, 2018, high school diploma or equivalent and twelve months of continuous service as a Corrections Officer, excluding time in service as a Corrections Officer Trainee.

Special Requirements

Corporals are trained in and must be certified in the use of the following: breath alcohol testing or Drager, pepper spray or Mace, Strategic Self-defense & Grappling Tactics (SSGT), and CPR. ETeam members are required to be taser certified. Corporals are also required to maintain a driver’s license for transporting inmates when needed. Corporals are assigned to work on one of four squads. Each squad works either a 12-hour day shift or night shift.

Kind of Examination

How to apply    

Complete an online application by visiting Montgomery City-County Personnel's Online Employment Center. Paper applications are no longer accepted. Completed applications will be accepted online until 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. If there is no closing date, the announcement may be closed at any time without prior notice.

Purpose of examination

The purpose of the exam is to establish an employment register to fill any vacancies for the classification that may occur over the life of the register.  If there are less than five qualified applicants, an examination will not be administered.  All candidates will be placed on the employment list.  

Examination dates

Qualified candidates who apply to compete in the selection process will be notified in writing of specific dates, times, and locations at which to appear for the selection process.  

Examination orientation

Orientation sessions will be held to familiarize candidates with the examination.  The sessions will be held on June 5, 2018 in the J2 Muster Room at 8 AM and 2 PM.  You should choose which time works best for your schedule.  

The orientation sessions are not mandatory.  A candidate orientation guide will be distributed at the meetings.  If you do not attend the orientation, you may obtain a guide after the date of the orientation at the front desk of the Montgomery City-County Personnel Department.  

Examination description

The competitive examination process will consist of three types of exercises.  These exercises are summarized below and include a structured oral interview, meeting exercise, and writing sample exercise.   More detailed information will be available in the candidate information guide.  

Structured Oral Interview Overview:

The structured oral interview will contain a variety of questions. Some of the questions will be related to specific policies and procedures from the detention facility policy and procedure directive, the inmate handbook, and the Sheriff’s manual of policies and procedures. To prepare for these type questions, you should become thoroughly familiar with these manuals and books. You will not be allowed to reference the books during this portion of the assessment.  

Some of the questions will relate to specific problems or situations that corporals might face on the job. In other words, you will be tested to determine if you can accurately apply the policies and procedures.  

You will be allowed very brief time to review the questions and then verbally present your answers to the questions. You will receive time limits to review and time limits to present in the instructions provided at the test.  

Meeting Exercise Overview:

A meeting exercise will be administered. The meeting exercise is developed to simulate typical interactions between Corrections Officer Corporals and other individuals, particularly subordinate personnel and citizens. The exercise consists of work-related, one-on-one situations involving problems encountered by corporals. In the meeting, you take the role of a corporal and a role player takes the role of either a subordinate or a citizen. You are provided with background information explaining the general situation and are asked to handle the situation as you think a corporal should.  

You will receive a specific amount of time described in your instructions to prepare for the meeting and then to meet with the individual. During the meeting, you will interact with the individual, providing information and asking questions as appropriate.  

After the meeting is completed, you will be asked follow-up questions with no preparation time and no time limit. These questions should allow you to provide more detail about your perspective of the individual and meeting, your follow-up actions, related policies and procedures, etc.  

Writing Sample Overview:

The writing sample exercise is designed to measure your ability to write the kinds of reports required at the rank of corporal. In the writing sample exercise, you will be required to listen to a situation and read some background information concerning an incident, a complaint, or a memo. You will then be asked to write a report, summary or memo in response to the information.  You will have a set deadline which will provide in your test instructions. You have the option of using a laptop with Microsoft Word 2013 or hand writing your document.  

Performance dimensions

The exam has been designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities which are important for a corporal to possess on the first day of the job.  Those knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) which were judged by subject matter experts to be important and which are amenable to testing have been grouped together into areas of similarity to form performance dimensions.  It is these six dimensions upon which the assessment has been based.  

The following information provides a description of these dimensions as well as the test weight of each dimension.  More detailed information about the exercises, weights, and KSAs underlying each performance dimension will be provided in the candidate information guide.   The following dimensions will be assessed in the assessment:           

Technical Knowledge (TECH)—22%         

The extent to which one possesses correctional knowledge needed to act as a corrections officer.           

Written Communications (WC)—20% 

The extent to which one can communicate in writing and review the writing of others to include grammar, punctuation, spelling, logical order, and meeting the needs of the reader. 

Problem Analysis (PA)—16%         

The extent to which one possesses the skill of identifying problems, securing relevant information, and identifying possible causes of problems.          

Human Relations (HR)—16%         

Perceiving and reacting to the needs of others. Objectivity of perceiving impact of self on others.          

Oral Communications (OC)—16%         

The extent to which one can give oral presentation and communicate on a one-to-one basis by listening and responding.          

Leadership (L)—10%

The extent to which one leads other through example and by coordination and direction.  

Disqualification from competition

The Personnel Department and/or expert shall disqualify an applicant or candidate from competition upon determination that:            

            1.      The application was not received by the filing deadline.            

            2.      The applicant fails to meet the minimum qualifications specified in the announcement.            

            3.      The candidate fails to appear at the announced time and place for testing.            

            4.      The candidate is found to be cheating.  Cheating involves any attempt by an individual or group to enhance

                     test scores by means other than actual knowledge or ability, including but not limited to, efforts to give or

                     receive information about the test content or correct responses before, after or during a test.  Examples of

                     cheating during a test would be:                                     

                            a)         attempting to gain access to the test under false pretenses                             

                            b)         failing to follow instructions given by the test administrators or proctors                             

                            c)         talking to another candidate during the test                             

                            d)         removing or attempting to remove test materials from the test site                             

                            e)         leaving the testing room, holding room, or other location without permission from the test

                                        administrator                          

                            f)          attempting to use notes, hand held computers or calculators when instructed not to                     

                            g)         looking at another person’s test paper or answer sheet                             

                            h)         working on a test section after time has been called                             

                            i)          giving or receiving test information to or from another person  

The Personnel Department may not exercise discretion in waiving these requirements for qualification except as may be required by law in connection with military personnel called to active duty.  

The Personnel Department will provide written notification of the disqualification and the reason for disqualification to the applicant or candidate within five (5) days from the determination of the disqualifying circumstance.




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