Interview for a country or state job?

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

I applied for an office manager job, but it is not at a random firm, it is for the state, in a department that is close to my heart (let's say the "care of penguins" dept). I have plenty of relevant work and volunteer experience, but husband tells me government jobs are completely different from the private sector (I only ever worked charity or private sector jobs). This seems to start already- they said they didn't care about getting a resume, but wanted a general job questionaire filled in which includes ethnicity, whether I was a war veteran, whether I could drive a fork lift (no relevance to job). No "why do you want this job", "do you care about penguins?", relevant skills etc, other than listing last three job (firm and job title, not achievements).

So... I need some tips, suggestions. stories of governmental interviews etc to help me prepare for an interview (if I get one!). Please?

[TiklingGuy 211]

Is it a public service type job? If so, always saying that you want to serve the public is a good start. I have an Oklahoma Highway Patrol board panel interview coming up so i will be asking for help as well! Good luck with it. Government is goofy when it comes to their hiring practices.

[Olomi_811 130]

Is this an agency where you can move up within it? Sometimes you are competing with individuals who have worked there for many years and they want a better position and publishing the job is just a way of following procedure for who they want. Whether it is or isn't, make sure you stand out. Detail all of your experience and have a list of references ready. If they tell you the position is only for a couple of years tell them you're fine with that and you can use the experience as a stepping stone. They want to know how well you work with others, if you are flexible, and if you can perform tasks within a timeframe or under duress. You'll be asked things like how would you prioritize certain things when they all seem to take precidence.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Many times such jobs are counting on special funding and the questions are looking for the applicant that can get them the most money to pay for the body they want. You know the classic blind , female vertran, african american with a hispanic surname. If you suspect that is the case you are in a points race.

[kytwell 179]

I work for my county government. At my original ( I have since moved up within the dept) interview I brought in a binder with some of my ideas and presented them in a clear, concise manner, while exhibiting confidence and enthusiasm (without coming off as cocky or a tree hugger) to the Director of the department and a HR rep. I am not sure if your app/questionnaire was an online entry or if you faxed or mailed in the info? But if they don't want a resume sent in...if you are able to, send in a cover letter at a minimum, highlighting a few of your achievements, while dropping a few subtle tidbits about yourself and passion for the field. A good cover letter, will help to "move you up" in the pile of resume's. As 95% of the people applying will have the credentials required to fill the position and the other 4% have an "in" (relative, friend, etc.) You really need to be in the 1% and a great cover letter will help you to achieve this chance at getting interviewed as an outsider. I don't know you, but I am sure if you can get to interview stage, if this job is something you do care about and want, I am sure you will be able to have them strongly consider you if you have a strong interview. The important part is to get to the interview stage, so think cover letter first.

Olomi does have a good point too about moving up. It is true that they sometimes do promote from within and the job postings are just a formality. As I said, I have moved up at my department. When they posted the job I am in currently, they also posted it in some national trade publications and interviewed 2 others from out of state, before selecting me. And then a few weeks later they posted my vacant job and called those 2 to see if they were interested in that position. Which brings me to something else. Another path to state, county, local municipal jobs is to take a lesser job within the gov't. For example, take a job as a janitor, housekeeping, kitchen staff, etc and then most times they'll post the job opening internally first, before opening it up to outside competition. My department has got a few of this type over the last 13-14 years. Actually the guy who was the finance director in my department, started as a maintenance worker in a different department, transferred to my department for an entry level accounting position, before becoming Finance Director. All the while holding 2 college degree's and working on a Master's. He has since left and is now the Executive Director of another department. Which isn't a bad idea, work 20+ years with one entity, but keep moving from job to job within.

I don't know if it's too late or not for the job you just applied for, but for future reference be it private or public, think cover letter as your all important first impression. Best wishes and good luck!

Edited June 10, 2012 by kytwell

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

Many times such jobs are counting on special funding and the questions are looking for the applicant that can get them the most money to pay for the body they want. You know the classic blind , female vertran, african american with a hispanic surname. If you suspect that is the case you are in a points race.

That is what I suspect.... I am female, but otherwise about as white and non-minority as they come. Maybe I shouldn't have naturalised, then I would be a foreigner to hire

Funding currently exists- the state was previously criticised for not doing enough for "penguins", so now created this dept with new building and hiring staff for it.

I did send a cover letter and resume, and handed it in personally (this is Arkansas.... their online job app system is still "in development..."). Apparently I should hear whether I am selected for interview in a week.

Edited June 10, 2012 by Penguin_ie

[Samuel5028 2]

That is what I suspect.... I am female, but otherwise about as white and non-minority as they come. Maybe I shouldn't have naturalised, then I would be a foreigner to hire

Funding currently exists- the state was previously criticised for not doing enough for "penguins", so now created this dept with new building and hiring staff for it.

I did send a cover letter and resume, and handed it in personally (this is Arkansas.... their online job app system is still "in development..."). Apparently I should hear whether I am selected for interview in a week.

Hopefully you will get selected. I wish you all the best!!!!

[Peachey 10]

So did you get an interview? I hope so!

I work for a State College in PA, since I've been here I've been on search committees and even applied for promotions. I've learned that (here at least) they hold your education in a MUCH higher regard than your actual work experience. They also hold your actual years worked in higher regard than the actual experience you have.

My husband's uncle worked for the EPA for a while... on the job posting they required a masters degree... he had a masters in economics (undergrad in biology), but basically got the job because he had some kind of master's education.

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

They are supposed to schedule them late this week, but I have not heard, so going to assume not

[Peachey 10]

They are supposed to schedule them late this week, but I have not heard, so going to assume not

Sorry, that's a bummer. You'll find something

[N M 96]

Hopefully you are just a victim of the public sector, where HR departments are notoriously slow. I work for the State and my (work) partner abruptly quit in April. 2 months later we are barely a third of the way through the recruitment process to find her replacement, and the first round of interviews (that we hoped would have happened by now) still haven't been scheduled.

Point scoring can be an issue, but (here at least) it only tilts the decision towards Vets. Hell, I'm a white, right handed, straight, male and the closest I got to military service was being a Sixer with the 72nd St Andrew's Cub Pack. Yet I breezed into my job - past 64 other applicants (mostly women) of various races.

Arkansas sounds different to Colorado though - my form asked for my last 3 jobs (like yours) but also asked for detail about my achievements and transferable skills. We then had to do numeric and verbal reasoning tests, then a first interview (very much "what would you do in these situations?" - all directly related to the vacant position). After that there was a second interview, where I talked for 90 minutes about my previous work experiences and how they could be transferred and applied to the open position.

If you are unsuccessful with this application (and obviously I hope you will get it), DON'T give up. Public service can be incredibly rewarding - just as I'm sure your charity work was. It's also frustrating as hell - despite the popular national opinion, resources (especially staffing numbers) at state level are awful, and the tide of work can be overwhelming; but going home knowing you've made a positive difference to people's lives is a fantastic feeling.