Chapter 1— Part II

Job hunt tools for your successful job search

 Tools for helping government recruit you  

Throughout this book you will find descriptions of resume banks or databases and job–matching services listed under the “Job services” appellation. These are the tools that enable government employers to find you. A resume bank is a repository for the resumes of job seekers. Employers are able to access the resume database themselves and search for candidates who match their hiring criteria. You can submit your resume by real mail, fax, or email. The major drawback of any resume bank occurs if your current employer uses it to identify potential hires. If your current employer comes upon your resume in a resume database, your goose is literally cooked and you’ll probably need a new job sooner than you had expected.

A growing number of resume banks allow you to substitute a code number for your name. When an employer wants to contact the job seeker with this kind of confidential resume, the operator of the resume database contacts you for your approval to send your complete resume, including your name, to the employer. Unfortunately, this approach does not really keep your identity confidential because your employer could recognize you from your resume’s description of your current job.

A much more secure derivative of the resume bank is the job–matching service. You submit your resume just like you do for a resume database. Instead of employers searching the resume database themselves, they pay the job–matching service to conduct a search for candidates that meet the employer’s hiring criteria. When a match is made, many of these services contact you first to see if it is okay to give your resume to the employer. Alternatively, some job–matching services allow you to specify in advance which employers can never see your resume. Such job–matching services clearly offer much better protection than resume banks to assure that your current employer does not discover you are looking for a new job. Generally speaking, job–matching services and resume databases make their money by charging employers to use them.

A growing number of universities and colleges participate in computerized job–matching services strictly for their graduates. Because you can ask your school’s placement office for details on which of these services it participates in, there is no need to include them in this book.

Some of these job services work really well and generate interviews pretty quickly for the better qualified people who use them. Attractive as these services sound, many can be frustratingly slow in getting you a job interview. Despite all the hype that surrounds them, most are relatively new services without proven track records. If you are the sort of person who is likely to find a job quickly by using other methods, you may also be matched to a job fairly rapidly when using one of these services. But if you’ve been having trouble getting interviewed when using more proven job–search methods, you probably should not expect instant results using a job–matching service or resume bank.

Follow the instructions the service gives for submitting your resume. A few of these services will want one or more copies of your conventional print resume which they send to an employer after a match is made. But the vast majority require an “electronic resume” that differs greatly in format from a print resume. These services need to put your resume into a database. This database is then searched, often looking for specific words in your resume that match criteria the employer is looking for in a new employee. Consequently, electronic resumes emphasize keyword nouns rather than verbs and appearance. You will have to submit your resume either by email or in a print format that allows it to be scanned into the resume database. Chapter 2 tells you about several excellent guides that explain how to transform your resume into an electronic resume and one that is suitable for scanning and inclusion in a resume bank or job–matching service. Some of the “gateway” online services noted in that chapter also get you to Internet World Wide Web sites that also provide this guidance for resume makeovers into an electronic form.

What descriptions of resume banks and job–matching services include. Since online services generally allow you to send an email message to the operator, there’s no reason to include their email addresses in this book. Each entry for a resume database or job–matching service includes the names of the service and operator of the service; the operator’s real world address and phone number when available; the kind of resume to submit (printed, scannable, electronic); any cost to you to use the service; whether job–matching is done by computer or real live people; whether employers can search the resume database themselves or searches are conducted by the service’s operator; confidentiality options; who contacts whom when a match is made; and the length of time your resume is kept on file.

 Tools for networking  

Job hunting lore is replete with stories of job seekers discovering vacancies by asking somebody they know or get to know. This technique is networking, a job search tool that can get you to job vacancies before they are advertised and to job vacancies that are never advertised. It’s utility in government is more limited than in the private sector because nearly all government vacancies must be publicly advertised. But for those local and state governments where patronage still rules, networking is certainly invaluable. And even where hiring is based on merit, networking can help potential future employers get to know you, which certainly gives you a leg up on strangers who apply for the job.

Networking is an essential part of the job search for those professions where jobs aren’t widely advertised. You’ll find some disciplines in this book where the number of entries under “Job ads” and “Job services” is mighty sparse. For those specializations, networking is particularly valuable.

Networking, of course, starts with contacting your relatives and friends to see if they know of jobs anywhere, or perhaps, know of somebody working for a government who might know of job openings with that government. A further step is “networking by association.” As I suggest time and again, join your professional association. Most will give you a membership directory (and others will sell it to nonmembers). Go through that directory and pick a few people to call to ask whom you should contact to learn about seeking a job in the geographic area where that person works or lives. The local chapters of professional associations often offer events that are great for building contacts. While you will undoubtedly make some contacts without preparing for a chapter event, you’d be smart to identify who it would be worth meeting prior to the event. Use your organization’s directory to learn something about the people you want to meet so you have something at least halfway engaging to discuss with them.

You may also want to examine government directories and pick an appropriate person to call for advice on finding jobs in your area and with his government agency. Visit the home page of governments on the Internet where you will often find a directory of key management employees. See Chapter 2 to learn how to use “search engines” to comb the Internet for these sites. Many will give you an email address for each of their key employees. While many top managers are unlikely to take your phone call, you’d be amazed at how many will respond favorably to an email message from a complete stranger who is seeking career advice.

For details on how the networking game works, see books like Dynamite Networking for Dynamite Jobs by Ron and Caryl Krannich (for your convenience, it’s available from Planning/Communications’ Job Search Resources page on this web site.

A growing number of professional associations now offer their membership directories on the Internet where you can search for people by location as well as by name. You will find print and online directories throughout the Government Job Finder under the heading “Directories.”

What descriptions of directories include. The entry for each directory will give you its title; publisher with contact information when available; whether the directory is printed, available on floppy disk or CD–ROM, or on the Internet; price to members and nonmembers if a professional association publishes it; number of pages; publication date; what’s included in the directory; how it’s indexed if it’s a print directory; and how you can search it if it’s an electronic directory (floppy disk, CD–ROM, or Internet).

Please note that some print directories are available free to qualified “professionals.” To obtain a free subscription, you usually must complete a detailed application form that appears in the magazine or which you can request from the publisher.

 Tools for researching governments

The really savvy job seeker will conduct some research to learn more about an employer at several stages in her job hunt. When responding to a job ad, you’ll want to know more about the employer so you can tailor your cover letter to that employer and greatly increase the chances that your resume will be read and your application seriously considered.

At the other end of the job search, you would be most prudent to know a lot about the government department before you enter the job interview. You will score points with the interviewer if you are reasonably familiar with what the government department does and, in the case of local governments, if you are conversant about the municipality or county. You should have enough of an idea of what the agency does so you can explain how you can contribute to its success. Having some knowledge of the community and agency will also help you frame pertinent questions to ask at the interview. The questions you ask at the interview are often more important than the answers you give to the interviewer’s questions.

At least try to learn enough so your potential employer won’t feel you are too much of an outsider to learn the vagaries of the department. Use membership directories to see if you can learn anything about the person or persons who will interview you and who make the hiring decision so you can present the side of you that will appeal the most to their sensibilities. It is possible that other people you know in your profession — perhaps a contact you made while networking — may be able to tell you something about your interviewer and the government for which she works.

If you are conducting the sort of job search where you knock on the door of employers that interest you, whether or not they have any known vacancies, you would be smart to know a lot about the employer before you contact it. Armed with a thorough knowledge of the government or agency, you will be able to open many more doors than if you walk in clueless about the community and government, their history, and their “corporate” philosophy. Many of the print and online directories listed in the Government Job Finder give you a wealth of information about hundreds or thousands of municipalities and counties that will help you decide which ones to approach. The directories included in the state–by–state chapter focus on a single state or metropolitan area.

See the section above on “Tools for networking” for details on what the entries of these directories include.

You can also use these directories to identify the right person to contact about job opportunities. Speaking directly to the right individual can give you a genuine competitive edge. It tells the hiring person that you’ve done your homework. Also, you can learn a lot more about the nature of vacant jobs and the character of the hiring agency by talking to someone in the know than just by reading job ads.

Many of the directories enumerated in this book include the name of a government’s director of personnel or human resources. Most do not. You can, however, use these to contact a government and ask to whom to send a job inquiry or application.

Some of the directories listed in the Government Job Finder are rather lengthy tomes that cost the proverbial arm and a leg. No rational individual would spend the hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars some of these cost. Fortunately, most of them are available at well–stocked public libraries and can be found through interlibrary loan systems. Reference libraries and libraries at colleges and universities are even more likely to carry many of the directories described in this book. The libraries of professional associations are also good places to find relevant directories.

 Tools for the creative approach

In What Color is Your Parachute? author Richard Bolles reports that one of the most successful job search techniques is the “creative approach to job hunting or career change.” He spends over 120 pages guiding you through this technique. It boils down to conducting a thorough assessment of yourself to identify your skills and interests and the kinds of fields in which you want to ply those skills. It involves networking with people in those kinds of jobs and learning if they like their jobs and how they found their jobs. Next it requires identifying the governments where you would like to work, whether or not you know they have vacancies, and then researching them thoroughly before your approach them. Finally, you should identify the person who actually has the authority to hire you and get to see him so you can show him how you can help his agency do its job more effectively.

This approach is not mystical. It’s good common sense and is actually a logical combination of many of the techniques discussed earlier in this chapter. If you are interested in pursuing it, particularly the self–assessment part, you should get the latest edition of What Color is Your Parachute? (Ten Speed Press, $16.95, 531 pages, published each November and available from our Job Quest Catalog Online.

With its abundance of government and membership directories, the Government Job Finder helps you quickly and easily find many of the tools you need to implement Bolles’ “creative approach.” As always, be sure to use at least three or four of the different job search techniques to vastly increase your chances of finding a job and getting hired.

 Tools for using search firms and recruiters

Some search firms specialize in government and government–related fields. Two directories described in the “Public Administration” chapter tell you about them. I’ve included these directories of recruiters for two reasons. First, you can use them like the other directories in this book to identify potential recruiting firms for which you may wish to work. Second, if you want to use an executive recruiter, these are the most affordable resources for identifying the recruiter that is right for your needs.

 Tools for negotiating salary

Negotiating salary is one of the most sensitive steps in the job hunt. The bottom line is that you do not want to discuss salary until the employer has definitely said she wants to hire you. Once you’ve reached that stage, there’s a big payoff if you have a real good idea of what the going rate is for your experience and education in the state or region the job is located. The more you know about the wage and benefit scales for a particular position in the locale or region, the better you can negotiate salary and meet the employer’s expectations in the job interview. In addition, knowing differences in salary between states and regions can help you decide where to look for a job.

For timeless advice on how to successfully negotiate salary, see Dynamite Salary Negotiations (Impact Publications, $15.95, 227 pages, 1997) by Caryl and Ron Krannich Negotiating Your Salary (Ten Speed Press, $11.95, 158 pages, 1996) by Jack Chapman, and The Smart Woman’s Guide to Interviewing and Salary Negotiation (Career Press, $12.99, 224 pages, 1995) by Julie Adder King. Hard to find in bookstores, all three books are available from the Job Search Resources page on this web site. You can learn more about salary negotiation at Jack Chapman's web site at http://members.aol.com/payraises where you’ll find a few quizzes to help you evaluate your salary negotiation skills plus lots of great advice from Chapman's book Negotiating Your Salary.  (But if you want to buy his book, please be so kind as to return here to get it.)

What descriptions of salary surveys include. Most salary surveys are published as stand–alone reports. Some, though, appear in magazines and newsletters, or even on the Internet on government sites and sites of professional associations. The vast majority of salary and benefit studies appear in this book under the moniker “Salary surveys.” But be sure to also check the “Job ads” and “Directories” sections of a chapter for other places where salary surveys appear when they are included as part of a periodical or directory. The descriptions of salary surveys include their title and publisher; how and where to obtain a copy; the price, if any; publication date; type of salary and benefit information reported; and geographic scope of the study.

There is one real down side to government work: patronage. While it flourishes in a different form in the private sector or business world, it has no place in government. For a frank discussion of the damage patronage causes and its ethical impacts, click here to visit the dark side of government: Patronage.

Seven steps to job hunt success

To get the full picture of the job resources available for all the different job quest techniques recounted in this chapter, read Chapter 2 next. The job resources available on the Internet expand all the different job search techniques by offering faster, less expensive, and more accessible information. Chapter 2 will explain how to access the Internet even if you do not own a computer and modem. It reports on all the different Internet tools that enhance your job search capabilities and how to use them. It also offers great resources that go into considerable depth about the online job search, preparing resumes for resume banks and job–matching services, and expansive sites on the Internet that connect you to more job resources than anybody could gather into a single book.

After reading this chapter and Chapter 2 you are ready to begin to use the rest of the Government Job Finder to discover the specific tools that will make your job search end with offers for the kind of job you want from the employer you prefer that is in the location you crave. Since there are over 2,002 resources in the rest of this book, follow these seven steps to learn how to navigate through this book most effectively and succeed in your job hunt.

Start by reading the first two chapters. Heck, you’re already halfway there. They explain how to most effectively use the resources in this book for the different job–search strategies you decide to use.

Read Chapter 3 to learn about general, broad–based job sources that cover all occupations in local and state government. If you are interested in working in the federal government rather than state or local government, read Chapter 29 and look in the Index under “Federal jobs.”

Turn to the Table of Contents to identify the other chapters that focus on the profession or professions that interests you. Use those chapters. Be sure to pay attention to any cross references offered to other chapters or sections within a chapter.

Look up your specialty in the Index where you will find references to job sources that are not located where you would intuitively expect to find them. To keep the size of this book more or less under control, we’ve included index references to many job sources that serve several specialties rather than repeating the job source in several different places. Many obscure disciplines are also included in the Index. If you are having trouble finding an index listing for a profession, try some variations and you will probably connect. When you do find an index reference, turn to the designated page or pages. The profession will be mentioned by name in an entry on that page. Be sure to also look in the other job resources in the same part of the section. For example, if the index reference takes you to the “Job ads,” you will probably find additional job resources for your profession under “Job services,” “Directories,” and “Salary surveys.”

If you want to target a particular state, go to Chapter 28 where you will find sources of job ads, directories of governments and government agencies, salary surveys, and other valuable resources for finding jobs in each of the 50 states. This chapter also explains how to reach and use the services offered by local Job Service Offices and local and state chapters of professional associations. Many governments do some of their hiring, particularly for blue collar positions, through Job Service Offices. In addition, these offices participate in a national job database you can access through the Internet.

If you are looking for an Internship, be sure to look in the Index under “Internships.”

Check out the Budget–stretching discount coupons near the end of this book where you’ll find over $150 in discounts on some of the most effective resources recommended in the Government Job Finder.

There’s a whole lot of valuable information out there to make your job search successful, no matter what the state of the economy may be. If you follow these guidelines and conduct a savvy job search, you will find the job resources that will help you get your new job or internship more quickly and easily than ever before.

Click here to continue with Chapter 2.

Click here to return to the beginning of this chapter.

To see the current update to the Government Job Finder, click here.