I frequently encounter job seekers who wish to change career fields or industries/sectors. I have found, though, that even within fields that would seem to be very similar, there can be significant differences in how terminology is used, often to refer to the same thing. Because employers–including human beings like hiring managers or recruiters, as … Continue reading
Filed under public sector careers …
Top 100 Keywords for Public Service Careers
One of the best suggestions I’ve seen in a while in the job search comes from Martin Yate’s new book, Knock ’em Dead – Secrets and Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World. He suggests creating a Target Job Deconstruction. This entails: Going to any job board, such as idealist.org, indeed.com, simplyhired.com, publicservicecareers.org, etc., and … Continue reading
Same location, different hiring methods: City of Seattle, King County, Sound Transit, Tacoma
Same location, different hiring methods You would think that local government hiring processes might have similarities to one another when they are located in the same geographic region. As I conducted research for my book, Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service, I found this definitely to not be the case. … Continue reading
Public Speaking: Stand & Deliver
I’ve been coaching candidates for the Presidential Management Fellowship’s in-person assessment lately, and one part of the assessment process is a 5-minute policy presentation which each candidate must deliver in front of a panel of judges. Public speaking is, for many people, scarier than watching Aliens while on PCP. Scarier than jumping out of a … Continue reading
Civil Service Hiring: The State of New York
This post may be one of the longer ones I’ve written because the hiring process for New York State is so different from the private sector process. It is what I would call a “classic civil service” process, in which networking or personal connections will do absolutely no good—and this deliberate removal of any internal … Continue reading
The local government job search: Virginia Beach, VA
Many thanks to Miriam K. Bryant, Human Resources Coordinator, City of Virginia Beach, for writing this blog post! 1. I know local governments have been hit hard by the recession. How has hiring been reduced? Have there been layoffs or furloughs? This was certainly a very difficult budget year. To balance our budget, we had … Continue reading
Transitioning from Private to Public Sector
Transitioning from Private to Public Sector Many people have considered moving from corporate careers to public service, especially because government has a reputation for offering more secure jobs (including preferences for re-hiring laid-off staff, some union protections, etc.). However, it’s important to consider whether your personality is a good fit for government, whether you are … Continue reading
Heather Krasna, PhD & Associates 