On behalf of the New York State DEC:

New York State Government jobs are filled within the rules of the NYS Civil Service system. As such qualification exams and eligible lists are most often used for recruiting permanent professional positions. Anyone interested in a fisheries or other natural resource career with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Parks, or other agencies are encouraged to take the Professional Career Opportunities Exam, given only every few years.

The Professional Career Opportunities (PCO) examination is one test that state agencies can use to fill more than 150 different entry-level professional job types across a wide range of disciplines such as Human Resources and Training; Service Regulation and Compliance; Corrections and Criminal Justice; Environment; Natural and Physical Sciences; Accounting, Auditing and Finance; Health and Human Services; Communications, Marketing and Public Relations; Transportation, Administrative Operations; Economics, Research and Statistics.

Job seekers with a bachelor’s degree from a qualifying institution can take the PCO examination for consideration of employment with New York State government. Job seekers that anticipate having a bachelor’s degree from a qualifying institution by June 30, 2023 can be admitted to the test but will not be considered for appointment until the date the degree is received.

The deadline to apply for the 2022 PCO examination is November 30, 2022. Once you apply, the deadline to submit the examination is December 15, 2022.