Readers' Comments
Total Comments: 21
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Working for the Government: Stereotypes and Realities
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March 21, 2010
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Recruitment
DoD
Fri Sep 5, 2008 7:30 AM
Post Reply
Why constantly pick on the govt's recruitments efforts? I don't see where corporations are sponsoring/attending job fairs. Everything is done electronically--send a resume to Monster.com, Headhunters, etc. And, talk about sending a resume into a black hole when applying for govt positions, it's worse for the above named job sites. Rarely do companies nowadays accept walk-in applicants, get over it.
Govt. job recruitment
USDA
Fri Sep 5, 2008 8:11 AM
Post Reply
We recruit at job fairs alongside the private companies. College students will say I am going with XYZ as they are offering a higher salary to start. I give them a business card and inform them to contact me when they get fed up with the long days they will be working. Many of these people have contacted me a year or two later as the 14 hour days and 80 hour weeks are killing them. Govt jobs don't pay great when you first start out but over a few years they tend to out pay and the benefits are outstanding when compared to private industry.
Re: Govt. job recruitment
USACE
Fri Sep 5, 2008 10:13 AM
Today's Hornestay article
OPM
Fri Sep 5, 2008 8:13 AM
Post Reply
Mr. Hornestay has merely repeated what countless similar such effusions from various gurus, experts, and consultants have been saying for years. The problems are well known, innovative suggested solutions that have a reasonable chance of engaging said problems are few and far between. This article seems to suggest that it be left up to the "career-seeking person" to conduct personal research on agency websites to find the agency or program that would suit him/her. That seems to beg the question: what would motivate such a "person" in the first place to embark upon such research. Certainly not our public notice materials. I would encourage anyone to go to OPM's USAJOBS website and call up at random 5 - 10 announcements and go through them with a critical eye. I can virtually guarantee that most would be found unclear, jargon-laden, poorly organized, and generally unprofessional in tone and content from a recruitment standpoint - with grammatical and spelling errors not unknown.
Incentive - Student Loan Repayment
USDA/DOE/DOD
Fri Sep 5, 2008 8:27 AM
Post Reply
I've worked for three different Federal Agencies in my 9 years so far with the Federal Government, and being one of those members of students who went to law school who believes in public service, I had been encouraged to here about the student loan repayment programs. Not one agency has yet to actually follow through on these programs. My student loan monthly payments are the equivalent of a mortgage payment and I'm in the Acquisition Field, which needs to keep people with my skills not encourage us too leave. I could take what I know about Federal Acquisitions and Negotiations to the private Sector and probably double my salary. However, I am still a firm believer in my commitment to my community and public service. It would just be nice to have money at the end of the month.
Mostly True
USPS
Fri Sep 5, 2008 8:50 AM
Post Reply
I worked for the Postal Service for 28 years. In that time, I heard all the jokes and told a lot of them myself.
Most of my career was in management. I was and still am surprised at the shabby way upper management treats its lower management. They consider them still union employees and do everything in their power to create more disgruntled employees. They never grasped the concept of treating people as they wished to be treated. It is still largely a Good Old Boy mentality.
Because they promote from within, they don't get the best people and those people simply clone other dysfunctional people who couldn't lead a dog on a walk.
Youth in Service
USDA
Fri Sep 5, 2008 9:27 AM
Post Reply
One thing that the author left out was the issue on pay for performance. I started with the gov in 04' at age 22. One of the biggest hurdles is having to wait for time in grade and having to compete for advancement. No one that I know in my age bracket has even heard of such a rediculous practice. In the private sector I never had to compete for my own job just to get a raise. Not to mention that politics play a big role because it makes it harder to bring in new blood when agencies are constantly losing FTE's due to funding cutbacks.
Re: Youth in Service
Army
Sat Sep 6, 2008 4:15 PM
Stereotypes and Reality
Federal Agency
Fri Sep 5, 2008 9:42 AM
Post Reply
Just another opinion on why there are problems with Federal hiring.
I've been in the HR field for my entire career and frankly my big issue is that today people think the government is LIKE business and industry. We are not!
Yes we have cumbersome policies and procedures and problems in getting people interested in working for the Federal government. The burden to fix these problems is on Congress, not the HR community. We've been crying for help for years.
One thing I note when talking to students today is that their goal is to get a job and make lots of money. They also want someone to do everything for them - like mom and dad are continuing to do. Grow up, you are about to join the REAL world.
And, when you do hire them, keeping their attention on the work at hand is not so easy since they have a hard time staying focused.
We also see new employees being hired and immediately begin looking for more money without learning the job they were hired for.
Re: Stereotypes and Reality
DoD
Fri Sep 5, 2008 10:22 AM
Re: Stereotypes and Reality
DOD
Fri Sep 5, 2008 3:53 PM
You wouldn't believe some of the student helpers we've had in here the last couple of years. Two of them started bawling in the office because of crap like someone asking them to do something differently. One came in here and started thinking she ran the place. She was all sugary to those she thought could help her and nasty to others. Tried to play big dog with me, which is pretty stupid when you look at the seniority and status involved. One of them was hired under a special program in DC and had literally almost NO skills. Apparently all they looked at was whether or not someone could use a computer. It's not just in the feds, either. My mother's accountant had an office helper that started bawling because someone asked her to staple some papers in a different corner! She didn't want to work in a place where people were so mean! I'd like to give them something to cry about.