Kind of Work

The Information Specialist III role in the Assessor’s Office is a public facing position located in the Duluth Courthouse. The primary focus is to provide excellent customer service and positive experiences to the citizens of St. Louis County and the public via phone, email and in person.

This position is part of the Civil Service Basic Unit Employees Collective Bargaining Agreement represented by Council 5 of AFSCME.  

Distinguishing Features of Work

An employee in this class performs specialized information processing and customer service functions that require experienced judgment to analyze and resolve operational issues and respond appropriately to service demands of the work unit.  Duties include explaining departmental regulations, policies and procedures and communicating work related judgments and decisions to customers; and extracting, analyzing and interpreting information from various sources to process records, reports, correspondence, data bases, etc., in accordance with standard procedures requiring the employee to exercise experienced judgment in problem solving and adapting procedures to address work situations. The work is performed under the direction of assigned supervisory staff.

Work Environment

These work environment factors are general in nature and may vary depending on the specific position being filled. CONSTANT: Near and midrange vision; visual accommodation; hear within 20 feet; grip; pinch and hand dexterity; and work inside. FREQUENT: Push/pull up to 15 pounds; lift and carry up to 10 pounds; far vision; bend neck; rotate neck; reach; sit; talk/speak; work alone, with, or around others. OCCASIONAL: Move about; reach above shoulder; rotate at waist while sitting or standing; stand; static neck position; stoop/bend; walk; right and left wrist turn; customer/public contact; clients with behavioral challenges; depth perception; field of vision; color vision; extended days; and drive.

Selection Process

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (Pass/Fail): 

• Permanent status as an Information Specialist II; OR three (3) years as an Information Specialist I or an Office Assistant; OR five (5) years full-time paid verifiable clerical experience; OR an equivalent combination of education and/or experience as determined by the Director of Human Resources.
• Demonstrated ability to operate personal computer-based systems.
• Proficiency, as defined by the Civil Service Commission, in operating word processing software.
• Ability to type from clear copy at a rate of 40 w.p.m./net.

RATING SYSTEM: 
Supplemental Questions will be 100% of the scoring process:

• Points will be awarded based on the applicants answers to supplemental questions 15-19.
• Experience beyond ten years may be included on the application for purposes of meeting minimum qualifications or informing the hiring authority of your complete employment history.

Please Note: When answering the supplemental questions on the website, the webpage may time out after 30 minutes. It's recommended you draft your answers in a separate document and copy/paste the answers into the application when you're finished writing. Failure to answer and save all of the questions on the "Supplemental Questions" page within 30 minutes may result in the deletion of your answers by the application system.  

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT & SCREENING PROCESS SCHEDULE:

• June 23, 2026 - Applicant screening will begin
• Week of July 6, 2026 - Supplemental question scoring to be completed
• Week of July 20, 2026 - Interviews to be conducted

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
The essential functions for this position are listed under the "ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK" on the specification, available in the Human Resources Department or online at www.stlouiscountymn.gov/jobdescriptions.

VETERAN PREFERENCE:
If you are eligible to apply for Veterans Preference, please attach to your application a copy of document(s) listed for the option that applies to you:

• Veteran: DD214 noting character of service
• Disabled Veteran: DD214 & compensable disability award letter issued within the last 6 months.
• Spouse of Disabled Veteran: DD214 & compensable disability award letter issued within the last 6 months & marriage certificate. (Eligible only if Veteran is unable to qualify because of the disability).
• Spouse of Deceased Veteran: DD214, Marriage Certificate and Death Certificate.

Please refer to Minnesota Statute 197.455 for additional requirements. Click Here.

PHYSICAL-MEDICAL STANDARDS:
Qualified applicants must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Applicants selected must meet the physical requirements for the position.

BACKGROUND CHECK: 
Applicants selected for appointment to a position with St. Louis County may be subject to a background investigation.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: 
Appointees to the position must successfully complete a twelve-month probationary period prior to being certified for permanent employment.

NON-DISCRIMINATION: 
St. Louis County is an equal opportunity and veteran-friendly employer.

Benefits

Eligible St. Louis County employees earn a competitive salary and benefits package, including:

• Vacation, Sick and Personal Leave
• Paid Holidays
• Medical Plan
• Dental Plan
• Vision Plan
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Retirement Benefits
• Deferred Compensation
• Training and Advancement Opportunities
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Employee Wellness Program
• Pet Insurance

Benefits are prorated for part-time employees and administered in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement or management compensation plan.

Supplemental Questions

01

Please type or clearly print your name.

02

The information you provide related to your education, training, and experience is subject to verification.

I understand that giving false information, failing to accurately represent myself, or not providing required documentation as listed on the job announcement will result in disqualification.

• Yes

03

Are you a certified, permanent employee with St. Louis County? (Seasonal, Temporary, or Probationary employees are not eligible to apply for promotional jobs. This employment opportunity is solely available to employees of St. Louis County.)

• Yes
• No

04

In which department do you currently work?

• Administration
• Assessors
• Attorneys
• Auditors
• Economic & Community Development
• Environmental Services
• Extension
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Land and Minerals
• Planning & Zoning
• Property Management
• Public Health & Human Services
• Public Works
• Recorders
• Sheriff

05

Typing is an essential function as an Information Specialist III with St. Louis County. Please indicate the number of words per minute you can type below:

• 0-39 words per minute
• 40-69 words per minute
• 70+ words per minute

06

Which of the following describes your current level of proficiency in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages or other similar product?

• No experience.
• Basic: Creating a new document; familiarity with the tool bar, icons & cursor; entering & deleting text; using the dictionary & spell check; using edit features such as cut, copy & paste; saving, printing and retrieving documents; simple paragraph formatting; applying bullets to a list and changing the page orientation.
• Intermediate: Comparing & merging documents and using templates; sharing documents; tracking changes; creating labels; formatting tables; formatting documents, inserting and editing headers & footers; inserting tables & charts; changing the page margins & inserting a date.
• Advanced: Designing & creating forms & templates; designing & creating electronic forms; using mail merge to create recipient lists, mailing labels & configuring Outlook to send merged emails; managing large documents by creating master and subdocument; creating & managing bookmarks, footnotes, endnotes & a table of contents; using the tracking features to enable revision in a document; use of macros to automate repetitive tasks; protecting documents; advanced table formatting & properties and applying themes & styles.

07

Which of the following best describes your current level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or other similar product?

• No experience.
• Basic: Creating & saving a new workbook; entering data; applying cell borders; applying cell shading; using auto sum to add data; creating a simple formula; applying a number format; putting data in a table; sorting data; filtering data; saving & printing your work and changing the page orientation.
• Intermediate: Utilizing the Go to Special option within a worksheet; use of pivot tables; creation of pivot charts; using named ranges; use of drop down lists; creation of Excel tables; utilization of Sparklines; text to column option; the Quick Analysis Tool; understanding of formulas and functions; and sharing and merging files.
• Advanced: Solving complex problems using advanced Excel formulas and functions and advanced Excel charts; writing Visual Basic for Applications codes; utilization of Power Queries and Power Pivot techniques; protecting workbooks and worksheets; and use of conditional formatting.

08

Below are several components of the position. Please indicate your level of expertise in each. There may be several in which you may have had little or no exposure – that's to be expected.

09

Addition and subtraction

• Lack proficiency
• Proficient
• Expert proficiency

10

Multiplication and division

• Lack proficiency
• Proficient
• Expert proficiency

11

Percentages and fractions

• Lack proficiency
• Proficient
• Expert proficiency

12

Writing skills including proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.

• Lack proficiency
• Proficient
• Expert proficiency

13

Proofreading documents such as e-mails, letters, memos, records, etc.

• Lack proficiency
• Proficient
• Expert proficiency

14

SME Explanation: Questions 15-19 will be reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME). The questions will be scored and used to help determine 100% of your score. For each question please list the organization(s) and/or employers where you gained the experience. All information listed must also be supported in the work experience section of your application.

I have read and understand the instructions given above and acknowledge that I understand my score is derived 100% from my answers to supplemental questions 15-19.

• Yes
• No

15

If you indicated you are "proficient" or have "expert proficiency" in Questions 12 and 13, please elaborate by providing at least one example that demonstrates your proficiency. Identify the position and the organization or educational institution where you gained the proficiency.

16

Describe a situation in which you provided excellent customer service. Include in your answer the situation, the actions you took, and the final outcome.

17

Describe your experience in working collaboratively with a team and independently.

18

Please describe your experience with data entry, data extraction and writing reports.

Please include in your response the organization(s) and position title(s) where you performed such duties.

19

Numerous daily demands routinely change priorities and short-term deadlines. Please describe a situation where you had many tasks and changing priorities and how you handled completing the work.

20

I certify that my responses to the questions above are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Agency Information

Employer

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Address

100 N 5th Ave. W., Room 1








Duluth, Minnesota, 55802

Phone

218-726-2422

Website

http://www.stlouiscountymn.gov