Interviews and getting a job

To work on building my career I decided to talk to various people within the organization and pick-up some ideas on how to get the job. I find that many people will give you the common sense pointers to things like interviews. Be on time, be prepared, try not to say stupid things, take a shower before the interview, yadda yadda. The advice is plentiful, but typically not helpful.

So, what have I learned? Well I'm no expert but here are somethings you might not know that might help. First, if the organization you're applying is of any size or sophistication then the HR department will be the first people to look over your app/resume. These people may, or may not have a good idea about how qualified you are for any position. They are there to screen out the obvious knuckleheads. Make sure your stuff is in good shape to get past this initial review. This means tying your cover letter and resume to job descriptions is important. If the job has minimum requirements if you're close don't be afraid to show how you meet the requirements. Good advice I've received is to let a person tell you that you're not qualified, but don't be shut out by a machine... meaning most HR people will run your stuff through a program to sort "the keepers" from the rest.

Next, practice interviewing with someone who can be honest with you and has some knowledge/practice as a manager. This is the key to preparing. Having another person can help you think through, and critique your answers. After all screwing up with someone you trust is better than screwing up with your interviewer. As you practice anticipate questions and plan responses based on experiences you've had. I like to speak to and organize my thoughts in "bullet points" and stick to about three so you make things clear without overkill.

Also, I think of my answers as being "like a carousel. You put the quarter in, you get on the horse, it goes up and down, and around. Circular, circle. Feel it. Go with the flow." (can you name the movie) But in seriousness circular answers are usual the best for me. What this means is to address a question with what you think, follow this up with an example from your past that applies, talk about how this experience helped you/what you learned/etc..., and finally tie that back to how you started your answer. This is why having experiences prepared in your mind is essential, and practicing these answers with others can be really helpful because frankly this is not always easy to do in a nervous situation (like an interview).

Finally be yourself. This is the part I have to work on most. I often tend to error on the side of formality in a situation and this is not always a good idea. Use the interview to show your true self, and you can really find out if you'd fit the organization by whether or not you get the job. Sounds simple, and has taken me a long time to learn... but a job is too big a part of your life to always be worrying about things you do and say, so act natural and have fun.

Hope something in there helps someone. Good luck job seekers everywhere.

Budget Study Session Wrap Up

Well, the budget study sessions were scheduled to be three meetings with a forth scheduled if necessary. In the end it took five meetings, and the final two were both over six hours. All the sessions have taught me a lot, and it seems fitting that my internship nears its end with these meetings. I will keep my comments brief, and as this is a public forum will also keep them relatively general. I doubt many of you follow Peoria politics, so this may seem random... but if anyone does know the city's politics you'll probably not have trouble reading between the lines of what I say. Also, some of the things I learned may same pretty basic but I think seeing things in action is so much more important than thinking about or reading something.

First, if you don't have something worth saying it might be a good time to keep quiet. This is something several council members should keep in mind, and one in particular. When this person would speak I couldn't help but think of a scene from Anchorman...



If you don't remember, or haven't seen the movie Champ tells Ron how much he misses him and goes a little to far until it just becomes creepy. I'm not saying a council member in Peoria is that creepy, but they should know when it's time to sit out a few plays.

Next, the first rule of politics... count the votes. The council has really shifted in recent months, and things have definitely changed. Certain things staff thought would skate through and be happy parts turned into real trouble. My point of this is that in a volatile environment you can't take anything for granted.

Third, prepare as much as possible and be ready to admit when you don't know something. I think this is self-explanatory.

Finally, patience. So many times in school I heard about political savvy. Knowing what to say and when to say it. I heard about following the council, even when you knew a better way. I heard about being the best manager you can in difficult situations and working in times of low morale. These things are so much more real than they have ever been. I'll just say the last few weeks has been a great time to be an intern and learn in Peoria.

On another note, I've almost posted all my internship related posts so look for a few more personal posts coming in the next few days, one more career post, and just a couple more internship posts to wrap up this semester.

Budget Study Session 2

Last night Peoria had the second budget study session. This year has certainly been different than previous years. Going into the meeting (which went from 5-8pm), budget staff had planned on getting through five or maybe even six departments. Things didn't quiet go that way...

After some intense scrutiny two departments were able to present last night.

The council is asking lots of questions, obviously, and many of them are good questions but the quantity is just so high. Both departments (Police and Public Works if you were curious) last night did a nice job and took care of council concerns. Historically, the city completes the sessions in three nights and a forth is scheduled just in case. This year, who knows? So I guess I'll just say two down and a long ways to go.

Budget Study Session 1

Tonight was the first of Peoria's budget study sessions. FYI, if you're not into local government format, a study session is a public meeting where council discusses issues but does not move or vote on the issues. The actual vote for budget approval will take place in a couple of months. A study session represents an opportunity for council members to discuss and become more informed on an issue, in this case the budget, before it is moved upon in a regular council meeting.

This is an annual process, but this year is expected to be somewhat different with all the pressure of the lousy economy. Like most cities, Peoria has cut for several years in a row now and that makes each round of cuts more difficult. The easy decisions have been made, and that leaves the tough choices ahead.

As a budget staff, it was anticipated that a proposed utility (read water/wastewater) rate increase would be a difficult topic covered tonight. This turned out not to be the case. Our budget director, CFO, a consultant who flew out from North Carolina, and the staff did an awesome job in the presentation. My hats are off to them all, they really rocked tonight. Staff was especially worried about a particular member of council said he heard and got exactly what he needed tonight to get behind the proposed rates. After postponing the increases for the last few years, the story was there to be told. The city needs the adjustment, and luckily the increase will be moderate... keeping Peoria as one of the least expensive utility providers in the valley (especially on a monthly bill of water, wastewater, and solid waste).

I also would like to commend council member Joan Evans for a comment she made about leadership. She essentially stated that leadership was about making the decision that was best for the community, and putting aside small individual desires and complaints in favor of something that is largely positive. I don't mean to make that sound cryptic or put it out there without context... I just don't want to go into the background of the statement in the interest of time, and the fact that this is a public blog that I'd rather not editorialize too much on. I'll just say that her comment was much appreciated, and I think highly of her for saying what she did.

PAF 509

Last weekend was the second weekend of my PAF 509 intensive class. The weekend went well, and now the class is over. Besides the internship credits I am earning through this blog, I am now done with my MPA. It is a good feeling to have all the coursework done. I have to say that I am looking forward to the start of something new.

As I near graduation I've thought a lot about the last two years and the things I've learned in that time. I've learned about the roles of management, characteristics of leadership, the roles and functions of municipal governments, and many other things. Many of the things I've learned have been through my internship, and working in the City of Peoria. That's a big part of the reason I'm looking forward to my next challenge and opportunity to continue learning and building my skills.

The budget book

Yesterday was a big day in Peoria. The city had a study session to introduce the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, and pass out to council the budget book. The budget book is a very cool thing about local governments. It is a document that lays out a municipal budget in great detail, showing everything line by line. I love this because even though it can be a lot of work, it makes government accountable and transparent.

This year the budget is expected to be more contentious than in years prior. The city has put off rate increases on water/wastewater for the last couple of years and really can not put it off any longer. I won't say any more on the topic since not everything is public record yet, but will say that this will be a particularly difficult issue going forward.

The next month or so will be a difficult, but very interesting time to be in Peoria. For me as an intern it is a great opportunity to learn the political aspect of municipal budgeting.

Globe, Thomas, and Planning

Last weekend my family and I took a trip out to Globe, Arizona. We went for an event called a "Day Out With Thomas" (which I didn't hyperlink to because you most likely don't care about it) where they have a life-sized Thomas the tank engine pull you (and hopefully your kids, because if you're at this without kids it might be time to re-evaluate where your life is headed) around and lots of other kid friendly activities.
(Here's a picture I grabbed off google, so no that background is not Globe. Just wanted to remind you who Thomas is. He has a TV show, and has been voiced by Ringo Starr, George Carlin, and Alec Baldwin (ftw). Notice his huge, wide open eyes... possibly staring into your very soul. Anyways, kids love him; he's a big blue goldmine. Also, sorry the image is so enormous it wouldn't re-size easily so I guess bask in gigantic Thomas or read quickly to get away.)

As we drove out toward Globe I had no idea what to expect. We headed east on the 60, and I'd never been past the Val Vista (or there about) exit headed east on that freeway. The drive got surprisingly pretty and really got me thinking about cities and proper planning. Miami and then Globe were clearly mining towns. It was amazing to see the mountains with huge areas literally just cut away. These towns also looked as if they had clearly seen better days. I couldn't help but wonder if 50+ years ago if they had more of a future focus if these towns might have been in better shape.

I'm not claiming to have all the answers, and I am certainly not a planner. So really my point with all this is that it really struck me how important decisions we make now will be for the future. I am finishing a masters degree to help me work in local government, and decided to work in local government to be able to positively impact people and communities. The trip to Globe was a visual reminder of how drastic this impact can really be, and how important it is to thoughtfully and strategically make the best decision available... So that was my deep thought from the weekend.