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Syndicated columnist
Q: How can I circumvent the human resource (HR) departments of cities, counties, states or the federal government? I have degrees in political science and public administration. During an internship with the HR department of a major city, I worked with the hiring manager and sorted resumes. That's how everyone was hired, but I don't want to go through that process. So please explain how I can find employment in the public sector without looking at job ads listed by the government agency.
Nick's reply: It's a question of personal contacts, and they work the same way in the public sector as they do in business (no matter what anyone tells you). Even when jobs are put through a mandated public posting process, insiders still have an edge. You become an insider by meeting people who work in the organization you're interested in.
But note what this means. The people you meet are not going to give you "inside job listings" or "hook you up." They will give you insight and advice. Meeting them does not mean that jobs will fall in your lap. You must listen for opportunities between the lines, and follow up with other people who can get you close to the hiring manager. You will need to circulate -- a lot.
So you see, the challenge here is not finding jobs. It's finding people. In your internship, you saw only resumes, but that's not where the hires came from. What you did not see were the people operating in the background outside the HR office, making introductions and recommending people whose resumes were eventually processed by the HR department.
I'll bet you encountered managers in other departments who hired the candidates you helped process. Those are your contacts. Go ask those managers for a few minutes of their time to give you advice and insight on how their operations work. (Do NOT ask for "informational interviews." Everyone knows that's a transparent ruse to get a job interview.) When you meet these managers, you are circumventing HR in a useful way, and you become the insider they like to hire.
Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.
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