An Organized Approach to Applying for Jobs in the Public Sector

Posted on April 20, 2022April 20, 2022 by Edna Crane

Questions

Are you looking to get employed in jobs in the public sector, like government offices, state facilities, or school districts?
Are you looking for some tips and advice on how to go about applying to increase your chances of landing a position?

If you answered yes to these questions, keep reading!

Public Sector Jobs

Public sector jobs are otherwise known as “government” jobs. These include:

School positions (teaching and non-teaching)
Emergency services
Park maintenance
Armed forces
Post office operations
Safety – police and fire
Regulatory agencies
City operations
Civil Service
Tax-related services
And more

If you have ever dealt with the IRS, Department of Motor Vehicles, the court system, Social Security Administration, the Sherriff’s Department, you have received services from someone who is working for the public sector.

Unlike the private sector, public sector jobs are not revenue-driven. They are funded by tax dollars. The jobs are for businesses that are owned or controlled by the government, whether it’s federal, state, or local.

Generally speaking, public sector jobs do not pay as well as private sector jobs. In other words, the salaries are lower. However, the benefits packages that they offer make it worthwhile to look for employment opportunities. Public sector jobs are also more stable. While profit-based companies are prone to closures and layoffs due to reduced revenues, public sector jobs are more stable because they are backed by the government.

To get into a position within local, city, state, or federal government facilities, there are certain things you must consider before applying. For example, it takes time to land a position. You might have to wait up to 3 months to hear back about a position you applied. Your application must meet the minimum qualifications for the job posted on the job description. If not, your application will be screened out. There are tests to take for almost every position to see if you meet minimum requirements. Also, background checks will be required for these positions.

Applying for Jobs in the Public Sector: 8 Tips and Ideas

Ask yourself questions.

Here are some examples:

Am I getting enough satisfaction from my current job?
Is my job what I always wanted to do?
Am I living with purpose?
Am I unhappy with my body image?
Are my personal finances making me unhappy?
Am I upset with myself for not having obtained more education?
Would I be happier if I moved out of where I am currently living?
Is there someone I admire and wish to emulate?
For those whom I look up to, what do they have that I want to have?

Take time to truly understand what aspects of your life you want to change to be happier, and more content. This process might take a few months. However, do not keep questioning and questioning yourself without your questions leading to any solutions. Be decisive and take charge of your life to make improvements!

An Organized Approach to Getting a Job in the Public Sector

To increase your chances of success with landing a job in the public sector, keep these ideas and tips in mind. Remember, you will increase your chances of finding employment if you are organized, thorough, consistent, and efficient with the process!

Look for jobs in 1 to 3 search engines consistently.

Mark your calendar to visit these sites every 3 days to search for new opportunities that get posted. This is how you will build consistency. Write down your usernames and passwords for easy access.

USAJOBS.gov
Edjoin.org
USA.gov
State jobs (depending on the state): jobs.mo.gov for Missouri, calcareers.ca.gov for California, twc.texas.gov for Texas, and more. Type “public sector jobs in ___________” whichever state you are in to see what search engines come up.

Apply for jobs for which you meet minimum requirements.

Many institutions, both in the public and private sector, use software programs that scan applications and resumes automatically to screen out those who do not meet minimum requirements. If a position asks for 5 years of driving experience, for example, you must actually write that in your application or resume. If you do not, you’ll be screened out. Be as organized as possible when it comes to meeting the minimum job requirements to increase your chances of being selected for the next step in the process.

While you are applying, start preparing for the next steps.

Once you submit an application, you are waiting to receive a call or an email telling you that you need to take a test or have an interview. Be as proactive as possible. Start preparing for interviews. This is especially important if you have not interviewed for a while. Search for types of interview questions they might ask and get ready with possible answers. The more you practice, the better you will become!

Work on self-development to increase your chances of landing a position.

Self-development means increasing your skillset or education. For example, if the job you want asks for a bachelor’s degree, go back to finish your degree. If it asks you to know graphic design, take classes at the community college where you can earn a certificate. Remember, the more you have compared to everyone else who is trying to apply for the same job, the higher your chances will be of getting employment.

Monitor your progress with each application.

Have a tracking system to know how many jobs you have applied for each week, how many interviews, and how many tests you have been invited to take.

Have someone look at your resume and printed application for possible mistakes and errors.

If you are one of 50 people who has applied for a job and only 10 are being called for an interview, your application and resume will be looked at in detail. If you have spelling and punctuation errors that you overlooked or did not realize you made, your chances of being screened out will be higher. For example, if you wrote, “I insure that reports are correct before submitting them,” is wrong. The proper phrase should be, “I ensure that reports are correct before submitting them.” Many people make these types of mistakes unknowingly. Have someone who has strong language skills look at your resume and application for possible errors.

Get your references and letters of recommendation in place.

Depending on the job for which you are applying, you might be asked to provide references and letters of recommendation. Collect up to 3 letters of recommendation from people you have worked with, even on a volunteer basis. Also, contact 3 people with whom you have worked to make sure they know you are putting them down on your applications as references.

Research three to five sites each week to improve your job-seeking skills and knowledge.

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Conclusion

Searching for a job in the public sector could be time-consuming and cumbersome. Use an organized approach when applying to become more efficient and consistent with the process. Here is a checklist you can use:

One: Look for jobs in 1 to 3 search engines consistently each week. Two: For each job, look at the minimum requirements to make sure you have stated in your application you meet them. Three: Take 1 class or work on 1 new project every 3 to 6 months to improve your skill set and knowledge base. Four: Each week, practice answering interview questions with yourself or with a partner. Five: Monitor your progress with each application. Six: Have one to three people look at your resume and printed application for possible mistakes and errors. Seven: Research three to five sites each week to improve your job-seeking skills and knowledge. Eight: Get 3 references and 3 letters of recommendation ready.

The same checklist appears on https://efficiencyandorganization.com/career and has a downloadable PDF.

Remember, it takes time and do not give up. Just get better and better at the process. Work on your areas of where you need to improve. Also, keep in mind that if you do not get positions after you interview, it may be that someone from within the organization got promoted. This can be disheartening to you as an outside applicant but again, do not give up. There will be an opportunity presenting itself to you when the time comes!

Author’s Bio

Ruzanna Hernandez, Ed.D. is a public-school administrator, author, and small business owner. She is the creator of efficiencyandorganization.com, a website that provides steps, strategies, tips, and techniques for living every aspect of life in an organized and efficient manner to achieve more.

Hernandez has achieved many challenging goals in her life, thanks to her systems and processes. She shares her strategies on her Youtube channel and her website to help everyone live life fully and without regrets! To learn more about her story, please visit ruzannahernandez.com. Her book, Efficiency and Organization, is available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers.

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Employed vs Self-employed: Pros and Cons

Posted on January 6, 2022January 6, 2022 by Edna Crane

While employed and self-employed, people both have their own pluses and minuses. One of the things to take into consideration when thinking about this topic is whether or not it would be more advantageous to work for another company versus being an entrepreneur.

Pros for being employed:

The advantage of having a steady paycheck that puts food on the table
Steady hours that ensure an employee is paid for all of the time they put into their job
A company will most likely provide benefits such as health care, life insurance, retirement plans, and vacation time. This is one of the hardest parts of being self-employed.
The ability to work in a team environment and the support of having co-workers to collaborate
Having a smaller chance of being replaced by another employee due to the fact that you have been there for some time and your superiors believe that it would be too much of a hassle or cost more money to train a new worker for the job that you do
Steady pay and work allow an employed person to save more money than they would if they were self-employed.

Cons for being employed:

One of the hardest parts about having a steady paycheck is not getting fired from your job. This could happen due to the fact that an employer might decide to cut costs if they are losing money.
Companies can change management, be bought out, or go under, which could result in layoffs.

Pros for being self-employed:

Freedom is one of the biggest pros for starting your own company. Having your own business allows you to make all of the decisions and do things as you feel they should be done.
Having a new idea and turning it into an actual product is one thing that many entrepreneurs dream of. They would love the chance to create something from scratch and see it become successful.
You will not have a cap on how much money you make, which can result in extremely high profits.
With this freedom and flexibility, you can choose the hours that you want to work and take time off when needed.

Cons for being self-employed:

One of the biggest cons would be the lack of security that someone has when they are employed at a company. This can be from not being able to rely on steady pay to have no one else who will watch your back if something goes wrong.
Another negative aspect is that you have to contribute a larger portion of your income toward taxes and self-employment insurance. When you work for someone else, your company will most likely take away a percentage of your money to cover these contributions for you.
The biggest con would be the risk factor involved with starting up a business. There is no guarantee that an idea will work, and there is always the chance of failure, which could result in losing all of the money and time invested into the idea.

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In Closing

You can choose to be self-employed if you have always wanted the freedom to do things your way. Yes, there are always risks involved with being an entrepreneur, but some people would rather take the chance of success over security any day!

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How To Improve Your Chances Of Getting Your Dream Job

Posted on January 5, 2022January 5, 2022 by Edna Crane

You’re probably reading this because you’re not happy with your current job, and you want to have a role where you feel like a valued member of the team and where you’ll often have a fresh set of challenges to keep you motivated and productive.

The trouble is, you’re unsure of the best way to achieve that goal. What you don’t want to do is end up with another job that’s just as unfulfilling as your current one. With that in mind, what should you do? Take a look at the following hints and tips for some inspiration:

What’s Your Definition Of A Dream Job?

Before you start looking for a new job, you first need to think about your definition of a dream job. For example, is it one that’s local to you, or is it a remote job? Is it a job that has a specific work culture at the workplace? Is it a job that pays a particular salary?

Those are just some of the many things that can define a dream job for somebody. As you can appreciate, each person’s definition is different, so you need to consider which factors would complete your definition of a dream job.

Once you’ve worked that out, you can then start looking for jobs that fit within those parameters. Of course, you’d need to be realistic about your expectations. For instance, it’s unrealistic to assume you’d get a $1 million salary working as a dog walker!

Think About Your Ideal Niche Or Industry

The next thing you need to do is consider which niche, industry, or sector appeals to you the most. You may have decided that your current industry doesn’t appeal to you anymore or that you’d have better career progression opportunities in other sectors or markets.

If you have specific niches or industries in mind, it makes sense to speak with someone that works in them as they can give you a real-life account of what it’s like to work in them. After all: you don’t want to move to a new niche and then find it doesn’t meet your expectations.

Build Your Skills And Qualifications

You will undoubtedly have an array of skills and even qualifications under your belt already. But, you may find that you need to build on them to achieve the goal of working in your dream job.

For example, if you’re a software developer, it makes sense to have some further training to learn about different software development methodologies or programming languages. You can usually get certifications or qualifications that will get recognized by future employers.

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Update Your LinkedIn Profile

One final thing you can do to boost your chances of landing your dream job is update your LinkedIn profile. The thing about LinkedIn is that many employers and headhunters actively seek out potential new candidates to fill new positions. What might surprise you is the jobs they want to fill don’t actively get advertised. Instead, they’d rather look for potential candidates themselves through LinkedIn or other pools of professional networks.