Ok, at the UMWA Retirement Funds, for non-managerial jobs, applicants fill vacancies (and/or get promotions) based on two things: 1) their length of service (seniority date) at the Funds, and 2) their score on one or more tests.
For the kind of jobs I'm part of in the Eligibility department, they have a multiple-choice test they use. Basically, they give you a fictionalized, simplified form of the UMWA's retirement plan and 2 applications and ask you questions. But it's not that simple because they changed the rules around on you, so even internal veterans of pension processing find that test difficult. It's so difficult that they willingly give you 3.5 hours to finish. It's not impossible without pension experience, you just need to be good at logic (or a good test taker).
To pass this test and qualify for "Program Specialist", which is my current job title, one needs to pass with a score of 23 out of the 29. We've actually had problems filling vacancies lately because of that score, and many internal applicants don't get the promotion because of it.
The reason I bring all of this up is because of the jobs that are closest to being promotions for me. Quality Control and Special Payments. The first is simple - double checking all the work done and finding errors. The other is more complicated, as it involved health benefit payments, divorce-related pension processing for ex-wives of miners, and some of other odds and ends. You need a score of 26 out of 29 to pass.
Alright, well I failed to get the manager job I really wanted. But someone who did get a manager job (not the same one I applied for) created a vacancy in the Special Payments job, so after talking with my department director I threw my hat in. I knew that my seniority date and that test would make it difficult to win the job. After all, I've only been at the Funds for not quite 28 months, and I scored only a 24 on the test when I was hired.
It turns out, only 1 of the 5 other applicants within the department had a seniority date earlier than mine, as did the one applicant from outside Eligibility (she worked in the counsel's office at the Funds). (1 of our applicants had passed the test already but joined the funds only 6 months ago, meaning we were guaranteed to fill the position, but it also meant that 1 applicant who had 3 months seniority would have no chance of getting it and that it wasn't a lock for this newer employee if we could pull off a passing grade.)
When I took the test this afternoon, I spent twice as much time on it as I did when I was first hired, and took time to check my answer three times (the first two reviews changed answers, the last one did not). After speaking with my current manager, I expected to not know anything until at least tomorrow, if not later. But as I was literally leaving the office today, my would-be supervisor bumped into me and informed me I passed the test with exactly the score I needed. Moreover, no one with a higher seniority passed. So while I do feel sorry for that one applicant within my department that didn't get it despite being there longer, as well as the 5 others who'll have to wait for the next opportunity...
BOO-YA! Looks like I just might be getting a promotion this spring after all. Kick ass! I'm loving the year 2005, I really am!
