The Gold Card provides unemployed post-9/11 era veterans with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today’s job market. The Gold Card initiative is a joint effort of

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we observe two minutes of silence for our for our heroes who died in service to Canada.

November 11, 2011 at 11:00am.

The poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing business coach Royale Scuderi, a military spouse and founder of the Guard Wife blog. The job description for the role of military spouse is not for the faint of heart. Being a military spouse requires patience, empathy, the ability to multi-task, and a sense of humor. You can read Scuderi’s tips for succeeding in the role of military spouse here  and thank you to all veterans and military spouses for all you have sacrificed to help protect our country.

Even if you live off base, the differences don’t seem to mean much until you start hearing about them in the transition assistance program or in stories from other veterans who have already made the leap.

But there is one, very subtle, cultural difference that can delay or derail your career. The good news is you can avoid it. And when you do, you may also be far ahead of your civilian job seeking competition.

This fundamental different starts when you take the oath. The services like to think of their people as leaders. Of course, you have your MOS, AFSC, or job rating. But a key factor in getting promoted is your leadership ability. That’s why higher grades and ranks can take you into new fields. Said another way, the services focus on—I hate this term—the so called “soft skills.”

By the time you end your military career, you’re able to do so many things well because you know how to motivate people to support the toughest missions under difficult conditions.

And so you start looking at job postings. After a while, you begin to notice how badly companies announce these “opportunities.” Typically, the announcements start by selling the company. Then comes a series of soft skill requirements. You’re an expert a communicating well, solving problems, and leading people. And so you apply. And you wait…and wait…and wait.

What most companies didn’t tell you is the rest of the story: the specific capabilities they want.

In the best of all words, you’d see announcements that look like this:

“Wanted: Office Manager

Your résumé will have living, breathing, transferable, verifiable examples of your ability to deliver the following capabilities:

Get the right information to the right people in time to beat the competition,

Free senior decision makers for the things only they can do,

Be the voice of our corporate brand to every customer—internal and external, and

Translate senior leadership’s vision into results by guiding people who do not work directly for you.

Résumés without such example will go directly to the shredder!”

Since we never see such a posting, too many veterans chase one disconnected “opportunity” after another. Since they can’t match their excellence precisely against corporate needs, they fail.

Let me suggest an approach to stop that problem in its tracks. First, most important, your campaign must be focused on the career field you want to follow. A career field is a collection of knowledge, skills, abilities, and passions generally abbreviated by a job title.
Only then can you match power with efficiency and speed. After all, the skills associated with any career field can be practiced nearly anywhere. Office managers manage offices—it really doesn’t matter if the office is large or small, in a private firm or a government office, in Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine.

Once you have the career field identified, it’s time to consider the three sectors: private, public (government), and non-profit. Most career fields have openings in all three sectors. But if you have a preference, you’ll know where to focus your efforts.

Next comes the choice of industry. Think of an “industry” as a collection of goods or services generally under an umbrella term. So we have the healthcare industry, the defense industry, the service industry…you get the point.

Then, and only then, should you think about the specific organization you want to target.

While that approach is different from the military way of managing people’s careers, it not only works in the civilian world, it’s a wonderful way to concentrate your efforts and build a long and rewarding second career.

For instance, in the Seattle area where I live, there are several different local government agencies that all have a fairly different application process:

• The City of Seattle has a straightforward application via their website, www.seattle.gov, in which you fill out a profile on their website (powered by NeoGov), answer basic questions about your eligibility to work, education, skills and so on, and upload your resume. You can attach a cover letter but it is not required. In some applications but not all, you will be given a 30-minute online “test” which asks some very simple questions:
  • Whether you have relatives working for the City
  • EEO data
  • Vouching for the truth of your application

The whole application (not counting the time you need to write a good cover letter) is very quick.

• King County’s application process, also using the NeoGov system, can be more complex. There can be restrictions on who can apply, limiting applications to current King County employees for example. King County takes its tone from federal applications, going into “knowledge, skills and abilities” required for the job. The job specifies whether it is a union position. The application can include:
  • Numerous “supplemental questions” asking whether you meet the requirements of the job (one job I saw asked 27 questions).
  • Some of the questions were multiple choice (choose how many years of experience you have, etc.), but others require essays, such as “Please provide an example of a human resource issue you handled in a unionized environment. What was the issue, what policy or law did you apply, what was the outcome. Please list your job title at the time, the name of your employer and the approximate date.” Or “Please explain in detail your experience in advising in at least one of the following: employee relations, labor relations, Human Resource policy, performance management, progressive discipline, training and development, FMLA/leave management, and/or recruitment (hiring, selection, and compensation). Please provide your job title, employers name and approximate date for your experience.” You still have only 30 minutes to complete all the questions.
  • Some of the questions were very interesting, like “Have you used marijuana in the last three years?”
  • Interestingly, because both City of Seattle and King County use NeoGov, my data was pulled from my City of Seattle test application into the King County one.
  • The demographic questions were much more detailed, and ask about veteran’s preference (City of Seattle didn’t ask about that).
• Sound Transit seems to be somewhere in between City of Seattle and King County in its level of complexity. It also uses NeoGov:
  • Some jobs have supplemental questions, some don’t.
  • Those that have them ask for essays
• City of Tacoma, only about 30 minutes’ drive from Seattle:
  • Asks about veteran’s preference—and gives specific numbers of points based on the type of service
  • Asks about relatives who work for the City
  • City of Tacoma has a civil service process, which means most staff are protected by civil service protections. In addition, for some staff, one has to pass a civil service exam to be hired, and be placed on a list of “eligibles” to be considered for an interview.
  • Similar to federal hiring, candidates are scored on a scale of 70-100 points.
  • There are usually residency requirements—you must live in Tacoma to work for the City.
  • Many positions are only available for current staff (as promotional opportunities).
  • Details on the complex personnel rules can be found at http://cms.cityoftacoma.org/cityclerk/Files/MunicipalCode/Title01-AdministrationAndPersonnel.PDF#Chapter_1.24

“More?? You want more??!” is the cry we remember from Oliver Twist’s warden when poor Oliver asks for more gruel at the orphanage. Well, this is actually not the common response from employers when candidates have negotiated their salary, even in this economy.

I have coached several job seekers in the last month to successfully increase the salary of job offers. Two come to mind in particular, both in local government jobs which officially had hiring freezes. In one of these two cases, the candidate was offered a position at a level 2 grade and wanted to make the case that he was worthy of a level 3 grade because of his master’s degree. I actually called one of my contacts at the human resources department and asked how salary grades related to education and other credentials, and was told that the grades don’t necessarily correlate with anything except the length of time an employee is in the job (in this particular city government). The HR representative actually said “I seriously doubt whether he would get any more than what is offered, because we are laying people off and have a hiring freeze.”

I conveyed all this to the candidate, but added that since he had already been offered the job and the department members were all very enthusiastic about him, he really had nothing to lose by just asking for a higher salary. We worked on a pitch in which the candidate emphasized how excited he was about the offer and how well he fit (and even exceeded) the requirements of the job. He made a strong case that his education and experience would allow him to bring the position to an even higher level than was asked for, and in the end he was successfully granted the level 3 grade of pay, which was significantly higher than the offered level.

My general advice about salary negotiation in this economy is that candidates should be especially respectful and careful about how they go about negotiating, and they might even start the conversation with a statement like “I’d like to make sure that I wouldn’t jeopardize my offer with you by just asking about salary.” After getting reassurance that asking the question wouldn’t lose them the offer, the candidates can then go about negotiating the same way as usual, emphasizing how they exceed the requirements of the job, and/or how the average salary in the field might be more than what is offered (after doing research on salaries). If an employer doesn’t have the budget to give more than the offered salary, they can say so, and you still haven’t lost anything. They can even laugh at you! But it doesn’t matter as long as you’ve at least tried.

The part that is the hardest in this economy isn’t the negotiating of salary, but the landing of an offer in the first place. That part is starting to look up a little bit, too. More candidates are getting interviews now than they were at this time last year. It still is taking months longer for candidates to land jobs than it did in the better years in recent memory like 2006-7, but there are some glimmers of hope on the horizon.

Source: Career Thought Leaders Consortium.

1. I know local governments have been hit hard by the recession. How has hiring been reduced? Have there been layoffs or furloughs?
The City of Eden Prairie has definitely seen an impact from the recession. For the first time, we had layoffs last year, in 2009; and some vacant positions were frozen or eliminated.  We also have a pay freeze for 2010. There is much less turnover in positions, too.  We would normally turnover 20-25 career positions a year, but last year we filled only 1-2 positions. Most of the turnover is from retirement.

We have about 270 career positions (regular full and part time employees),  and then there are what we call PTS employees – part-time, temporary or seasonal employees – who work at the city’s liquor stores or in parks and recreation. The PTS positions don’t qualify for benefits, and are temporary or work 20 hours or less per week. We might have 350  PTS employees during our busiest months in the summer.
2. What positions do you hire for the most?
We do a lot of hiring for PTS positions. In terms of career positions, in a normal economy, the largest group is in the police department. In a hot economy, we saw a lot of turnover in positions that could cross over to the private sector like HR, IT, and communications and so did more hiring for these positions.  Positions that don’t easily transfer to the private sector, like urban planning, assessing, or parks/recreation, don’t have as much turnover, since our city is one of the premier employers in our metro area for these occupations.

We are very open to people coming from the private sector.  For instance, in the HR department, we have hired employees from Target and  Best Buy without public sector experience; people in IT, facilities, and communications come with mostly private sector experience. Volunteer experience in the public sector can be a good way to make the transition. Most of our Fire Department is staffed by volunteer firefighters who have day jobs in the private sector. The employees who hold the handful of full time fire positions were former volunteers who used that experience to land a full time job.
3. When candidates apply for jobs, can they submit a regular resume and cover letter, or do they need to write application essays or fill out questionnaires?  Do they need to fill out any special application forms?

Under Minnesota law, we have to formally “score” applications to give preference points to veterans. HR scores the applications based on the qualifications of the job. In this economy, we may have 300-400 applications in front of us for one job. To be a good candidate, make it as clear as possible how you fit the requirements of the job, rather than relying on the HR person to connect the dots. For instance,  put in the cover letter a box with two columns; one column that lists each requirement and another that explains how you meet it.

Typically, we don’t use special application forms, but we do use an online application. Candidates have to complete the online application and can attach their cover letter and resume. There may be some questions in the application to help with initial scoring but they are usually brief. The scoring varies by position and includes points to make sure we meet the veteran’s preference law. For certain jobs with fewer applicants, it could be that 70+ points gets you an interview; for jobs with many applicants, you would most likely need more points. We review all applicants with the required minimum number of points with the hiring manager.  Generally well qualified veterans and other underrepresented groups are slated for an interview right away. The hiring manager has a lot of discretion in determining who gets the remainder of the interview slots from the candidates who were determined to be well qualified as a result of the scoring process. If you have a lot of points but have a red flag – like being fired from a prior job – you might not get the interview, especially if we have a lot of well qualified candidates to choose from.

4. Does your city use a civil service hiring process?  If so, are there examinations? What kind of exams (written, in-basket exercises, physical exams)? Are there any tips for candidates to prepare for the tests?

We do not have a civil service hiring process. Typically, the next step after your application is an interview. There are some exceptions. We give tests for firefighter and dispatcher positions.  Our interviews are behavior based —questions include things like “tell us about a time when you successfully resolved a conflict”; or “tell us about a time when you managed a project from start to finish.” There usually are some technical parts of the job interview; but we also place a great deal of emphasis on our City’s shared expectations of teamwork, customer service, flexibility, initiative, public stewardship and results orientation.  We look for those attributes in all hires.

5. Are most staff unionized?

Less than most Minneapolis area cities. About 25% of the staff is unionized, representing the maintenance employees, i.e. parks and street maintenance, water utilities.

6. Do candidates have to be residents of your city in order to apply, and/or need to live there in order to be employees? No.
7. Any other tips for candidates looking for jobs in local government in general?

What’s different in public sector vs. private sector: we tend to use panel interviews. Virtually always. Typically in the private sector, you go through a series of one-person interviews, but at  our City you are likely to have 3 panel interviews, with at least 3 people per panel. Be prepared for the interview, because it is more intimidating to be panel interviewed. Really reflect on the organization, visit their website and learn about their values, and  think about how your experiences demonstrate those values.  Also look at the job ad, reflect on how your past experience demonstrates how you fill the requirements. Think of examples in advance. Practice if you have the opportunity.
8. Can networking help?

It can’t hurt! If you fall in well-qualified category and were referred by a current employee, it can help to set you apart to reach the interview stage. But a referral  doesn’t guarantee anything; if you are not well qualified it won’t get you an interview.

Many thanks, Scott!

1. I know state governments have been hit hard by the recession. How has hiring been reduced? Have there been layoffs or furloughs?

Yes, hiring has been reduced over the last few years actually, even before the recession.

Maryland is a “balanced budget” state, and its employees are its largest cost, so each request for hire must be approved by budget officials first, which has slowed the rate of hiring for the last 6 years or so.

With the recession, we have had some periodic layoffs (perhaps a thousand or so, all told over the last couple years).

Last fiscal year and this one all state employees were also furloughed a certain number of days related to their salary (for a salary reduction essentially), plus a certain number of standardized furlough days next to holidays that everyone takes.

You can find out the specifics of this here.

2. What positions do you hire for the most?

The top six jobs we hired for in FY2010 were:

1-Correctional Officer

2-Family Investment Specialist I

3-Direct Care Trainee

4-Office Clerk Assistant

5-Correctional Officer Sergeant

6-Registered Nurse

3. When candidates apply for jobs, can they submit a regular resume and cover letter, or do they need to write application essays or fill out questionnaires? Do they need to fill out any special application forms?

Depends on the job being recruited what they are required to send in to apply. It can be everything you’ve mentioned and more.

4. Does your state use a civil service hiring process?

Yes, we have a merit system process encoded in law (basically Titles #6-12 of the State Personnel and Pensions Act), though it’s been decentralized mostly to the agencies and most recruitments are position specific (not class based), so its effect is diluted. EEO monitors every recruitment also.

If so, are there examinations? What kind of exams (written, in-basket exercises, physical exams)?

The vast majority of our ‘exams’ are either simply ratings of applicant’s resume/application; or training and experience evaluations, some of which require questionnaires.

We do most of the large scale written exams in our overseer department mainly (like the Correctional officer Test, which has several components, from online BioData/Personality testing to watching videos and taking multiple choice questions, etc)

There are some other multiple choice exams for classes where they recruit a lot, like revenue examiners, which are handled by the agency that has that unique job class.

And there’s the very occasional in-basket exam which is used primarily for police type classes–but extensive testing processes have become quite rare in our State, not like it was when I started back in 1980.

There is a physical exam for certain police positions also, like Natural Resources Police.

And we do have a number of “interview and hire” job classes also, where the test is the interview itself.

Are there any tips for candidates to prepare for the tests?

If it’s a written multiple choice or knowledge-based exam process, the general areas to be tested will be listed on the job announcement.

Other than that, none that I’m aware of (however, what the agencies are doing we don’t generally know, we just receive their final eligible list after the process.)

5. Are most staff unionized?

I don’t know how many belong to a union, I don’t have access to those figures. We have several unions that represent the state workforce and we have some bargaining agreements with them, but I’m not aware of what they are.

6. Are there any hiring preferences, i.e. for veterans?

Yes, definitely.

Brief explanation of our ‘scoring’ system—every applicant will receive a final score (if they minimally qualify) between 70-100 points–regardless of what type of ‘test’ they take, which can be everything from just giving them 100 points if they minimally qualify (our ‘streamline certification’ lists, where everyone gets a top score), to elaborate 5 part exams where the tested points have weights, need to be tallied, etc.

But everyone will wind up with 70-100 points after they’re ‘tested’…

Then for preference, we give veterans 10-12 extra points above their ‘test score’ (depending on whether they are disabled or not) when they provide a copy of their DD214.

(However, once they’re a state employee, this preference goes away.)

Currently there is also an outreach effort to recruit veterans from the Gulf, Iraq and Afghan wars. We also are acquiring stats on how many we hire each year to provide data for the Governor on this.

We also give a five point preference for any citizen of the State of Maryland who applies (which winds up giving 97% of everyone five extra points)

We also have a five point preference for Public Safety applicants only, if they live in certain counties where the unemployment rate is above the state average.

We also have a five point preference for the Department of Juvenile Service applicants who live in an election district that has a youth center—or an election district tangential to that district.

(I had the lovely task of attempting to program that for our HRIS system)

We also give each State employee a quarter point for every year of State service up to 20 years or five points (seniority points).

7. What makes an applicant stand out positively?

The main things are the most obvious and simple—Being a very knowledgeable candidate, following the exact directions on how to apply, providing all the detail we ask for and in the proper format (resume, application, etc), responding to interview letters, showing up on time, and appropriately and professionally attired for the interview, etc. Basic stuff.

8. Any other tips for candidates looking for jobs in state government in general?

Aside from what I said in # 7, paying attention to the current recruitments on our website, checking in at least once a week to see if there’s a job for you.

Here’s our job listing link.

1. I know local governments have been hit hard by the recession. How has hiring been reduced? Have there been layoffs or furloughs?

We have had layoffs and a hiring freeze on positions.

2. What positions do you hire for the most?

Clerical support is the largest position we recruit for.

3. When candidates apply for jobs, can they submit a regular resume and cover letter, or do they need to write application essays or fill out questionnaires?  Do they need to fill out any special application forms?

We only accept on-line applications that allow for a resume and cover letter to be attached. Some recruitments use a selection tools of a training and experience questions which would require attaching a written essay.

4. Does your county use a civil service hiring process?  If so, are there examinations? What kind of exams (written, in-basket exercises, physical exams)? Are there any tips for candidates to prepare for the tests?

We follow a merit process so we use some type of test for every recruitment and the tests will differ with each recruitment based on the job analysis. An example a Deputy Sheriff or Firefighter would require a physical ability test along with a written test where as a clerical position might only require a written test.

5. Are most staff unionized? Yes
6. Are there any hiring preferences, i.e. for veterans?

They would get an additional point as part of testing.
7. What makes an applicant stand out positively?

One of the most important ways is to fill out the application completely. List all of the applicant’s experience and how it is related to the position they are applying for.

8. Any other tips for candidates looking for jobs in local and county government in general?

Read all the information posted about the job before you start the application process. Make sure you understand the requirements and express in your application and/or resume why your experience makes you the best person for the position.