It is important to investigate employer biases for internal candidates, size of government and goegraphic location of experience before going too far down the interview path. California and Texas, in particular, seem to be very closed off so I am not sure why cities in these states conduct "national" searches. Unfortunately, these types of things are often not revealed to the applicant/candidate until after the recruiter or municipal official cite them as the primary reason for not being selected. It would have been better and more honorable for the employer to acknowledge these biases up front before the applicant consumed substantial vacation time to pursue the opportunity. Also, two prospective municipal government employers took more than two months to reimburse for travel expenses and a third (not a government agency) took more than three months (still waiting). Late reimbursements with no explanation and contracry to initial representations also seem less than honorable especially for a personnel related matter.
I am fastly approaching a similar situation. I experienced a layoff due to municipal budget shortfalls. Even with a dual background in Architecture and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, I have not been overly successful in landing a position. I have exhausted local, county and state positions. Most states even have public notices on their job vacancy boards stating "hiring freeze" etc. This is a terrible market to be looking for employment. Even worse when you have a new baby boy on the way.
Judy - 2 years ago
Should have had a category of a year or longer, I wonder how many fit into that category (such as myself) :( Being relatively new to local government and bound by location makes it incredibly difficult to find work in the field, at least that's what I have found.
It is important to investigate employer biases for internal candidates, size of government and goegraphic location of experience before going too far down the interview path. California and Texas, in particular, seem to be very closed off so I am not sure why cities in these states conduct "national" searches. Unfortunately, these types of things are often not revealed to the applicant/candidate until after the recruiter or municipal official cite them as the primary reason for not being selected. It would have been better and more honorable for the employer to acknowledge these biases up front before the applicant consumed substantial vacation time to pursue the opportunity. Also, two prospective municipal government employers took more than two months to reimburse for travel expenses and a third (not a government agency) took more than three months (still waiting). Late reimbursements with no explanation and contracry to initial representations also seem less than honorable especially for a personnel related matter.
I am fastly approaching a similar situation. I experienced a layoff due to municipal budget shortfalls. Even with a dual background in Architecture and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, I have not been overly successful in landing a position. I have exhausted local, county and state positions. Most states even have public notices on their job vacancy boards stating "hiring freeze" etc. This is a terrible market to be looking for employment. Even worse when you have a new baby boy on the way.
Should have had a category of a year or longer, I wonder how many fit into that category (such as myself) :( Being relatively new to local government and bound by location makes it incredibly difficult to find work in the field, at least that's what I have found.