labellementeuse | please please please please hire me

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please please please please hire me

I'm applying for a couple of summer internships with The Government or, actually, that much more scary part of it known as The Public Service, this is terrifying the shit out of me. They are asking me questions like "Please briefly describe a project or task that you have initiated, organised and completed which had difficult obstacles to overcome in order to complete it." and "Describe a situation where you had to work effectively with others in order to complete a task or achieve a goal. What was the outcome?" and "If you were a chief policy advisor in the agency [in which you are applying for a position], what is a major policy issue you'd provide your Minister with advice on and why?" I am having a crisis of confidence in a MAJOR WAY.

I mean, I'm looking at my work history, and it's like, Caltex, Starmart, Caltex, Starmart, Starmart, Spotless Services, Next Stop Earth, and you know, I was thinking that it looks good to have the same people keep re-employing you every time you turn around, like, hey, consistency, but then I was like, hey, it's probably less good when it's STARMART and they're hiring you because THEY'RE TOO LAZY TO TRAIN MORE IDIOTS. And really this whole thing is a giant plea that reads OMG DUN MAKE ME WORK AT STARMART FOR THE FOURTH SUMMER IN A ROW PLZ.

what can I do to make myself look employable? they don't actually speak to me (AFAIK) and I don't include a CV or a cover letter or anything. this is making me craaaaaaaazy. dear flist who works in the public sector, what are some major do's and don't's (other than... don't have political commitments.) SO THE WRONG TIME TO BE ASKING FOR HELP RIGHT. dear public sector, I actually don't give a SHIT about your neutrality except that it's OK I suppose in a way, please please please please hire me. I am clever and hard working and I'll probably give you my firstborn if I can just please leave customer service this summer.

TELL ME I'M FABULOUS OR I'LL SLIT MY WRISTS. OMG. alternately give me lots and lots of good advice that will lead to me being hired. also, I'm really annoyed that I won't be able to use, like,

myriadwords, because I am proud of my work there and I think it's something I have accomplished. But I'm guessing the state services commission probably wouldn't see it that way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a) You're fabulous and have almost the same amount of work experience that I did when I got an *actual* long term job in the public sector.

b) You're a university student, you get to cite the projects that you've done at uni as relevant experience (in fact they're probably expecting you to).

c) How about volunteer stuff? They're looking for experience, not whether you got paid to do it.

d) When all else fails, high school stuff is a possibility.

Below is all of the stuff that you probably know anyway,

Do:

Empahsise your communication skills (and back this up by making sure your writing is clear and concise)

If it's relevant, cite treaty knowledge (at stats, it's important because the information we release can have an impact on treaty claims)

Think about what you'd be looking for if you were reading the letter.

Read your letter out loud and get someone else to read it.

Don't:

Come accross as negative about previous employers/co-workers(you prolly already know this)

Waffle (again, I suspect you don't anyway).

Include any spelling or grammer mistakes (well duh...)

I really appreciate all of this advice!!

I haven't done any projects at uni. and I don't volunteer except for... the Labour party. and. and. *feels inadequate* fortunately, I did HEAPS of crap at school. thank you again! this is really useful.

Quite honestly if you have relevant project based experience volunteering for the Labour party then cite that.

They don't expect you to have no politics at all, they just expect you to approach your job with neutrality.

I'd be happy to offer what advice I have, but can I ask exactly which Departments/Ministries/Crown Entities you are applying for?

any three of these (http://www.jobs.govt.nz/vacancies/searchresult.aspx?categoryid=119). still not sure which yet. :-/.

Hmm. Quite a lot there. This is mostly for my curiosity, but do you see a career as a civil servant as something you might want to do with your life? Or will the answer in part depend how this pans out?

I don't have a lot to add to what Anna's said. Generally you want to portray yourself as somebody who solves problems, not causes them. If the job in any way involves interacting with the public, emphasize your customer service skills - think of an example when you went the extra mile, and then some more, for a customer (even if you were swearing under your breath at them) and bring it up. If you're interested in the policy area the department manages, play that up. If not, pretend you are.

Don't worry about whether or not treaty knowledge is relevant. It's -always- relevant. That being said, you won't get a job based purely on your treaty knowledge, but it's a definite plus. Te Reo is even better.

Generally a lot of management speak goes down well. Don't, as Anna said, waffle, but don't be afraid to use cliched terms like adding value, benefiting the community, etc etc. That's the sort of thing they're looking for.

Quite a lot there. This is mostly for my curiosity, but do you see a career as a civil servant as something you might want to do with your life? Or will the answer in part depend how this pans out?

No kidding! And I'm not sure, in many ways I think it will depend on how much I like this if I do get it. On balance, I don't think I'm made for the apparently astringent neutrality the public service demands. However, there are a lot of things that I think are really important and exciting about the civil service and, well: I kind of will have a degree in talking and writing. I'm not funny and I'm not brilliant and I don't want to teach, so the civil service kind of looks like a good fit for me.

This is all really really useful advice and I thank you! I had, BTW, already included some stuff about the treaty. It's all in my CV and stuff already but we don't get to include that so I put it both in interests and skills. *fingers crossed* I really am committed to te tiriti, so hopefully that comes through...

I don't think I'm made for the apparently astringent neutrality the public service demands.

What makes you say that? Just remember, I manage it, and I have many more bones to pick with the way things are run around here than you do... of course venting on LJ helps.

And, seriously, it is difficult to undervalue the Treaty. I've seen people getting crash courses in it specifically in order to get a public service job.

Neutrality is only required at top levels (extremely senior managers etc), as long as you aren't seen to be speaking for your department (or with priveleged information from your department) you're free to campaign for whoever and whatever you want.

I don't know, a little management speak goes a *long* way.

Oooooh Stats is down there =)
Seriously, some aspects of it can get boring but chances are you'd more responsibility earlier and be able to point to a project at the end of it.

These are pretty much the questions I was asked in interviews for my current job, and although they sound terrifying a huge part of what they're looking for is (a) the ability to speak/write coherently; and (b) honesty. And, honestly, the fact that you can formulate what you're thinking into language that is clear to other people will probably put you a fair way ahead of many of the other applicants.

My office doesn't formulate policy, though, and my job doesn't involve any analysis deeper than, "No, seriously, that heading HAS TO BE IN BOLD." So--I don't know, I wish I had something more to offer. Good luck!

Aaaah... honesty. There goes my LIE LIKE A LYING LIAR plan. But what am I supposed to say? am rich white kid who has never had an obstacle in life? Maybe if I say it super-articulately!

I seriously wish appropriate bolding would help me with this. That would be awesome.

Thank you for commenting, seriously. :)

When is the deadline? I may have some help for you if you can wait until this evening.

That would be spectacularly awesome. Shockingly, it's not due until Monday, so compared to my usual, I have scads of time!

Am going through same process for same jobs. Had similar freak-out. Hurrah for employer-mothers who know what to look for! That advice that that first person gave up there sounds plain super. I suspect they ask the hard questions to weed out the people who are just going for a nice gig. You (and I, hopefully) shall prevail!

oh my god, I'm competing with my flist, this CANNOT END WELL. you are all so super-smart and talented that I can't deal! Good luck :D

tell them about your trip to NY and that type of shit. Do they have one of the goal things? i've forgotten what they're called, but just relate everything back to their main action plan thingy

Oh dear gods mission statements...he's absolutely right, most departments have them (or departmental values or something like that) and relating most of what you say back to them is a really good idea (they're even used as a criteria in analysts promotion rounds).

mission statement, that's it.

Good luck, you'll do great

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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