One of the many challenges facing all levels of government is consistently finding new techniques to innovate and undertake policy and project necessities while saving the taxpayers’ money and employing individuals. Local, state, and federal government all have strict...
Public Service: A Passion
When I started the University of North Carolina MPA program in August 2013, I knew that I had a passion for public service and that I was attracted to government work. But I wasn’t sure what level of government would be the best fit for my interests. In a previous...
The Psychology of Unemployment
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.5 million people fall into the category of the long-term unemployed—defined as those individuals who have not had a job for 27 or more weeks. To put this into greater perspective, the long-term unemployed make...
Resume Writing: Aim for the Right Target
Your resume should be written with the reader in mind, and that means you need to understand who the reader will be. Therefore, beyond the usual advice on avoiding writing mistakes, you need to aim for a resume that will be read easily, give a professional impression,...
Why Mentors Matter
I consider myself fortunate to have had some great bosses over the years. Even when I was 18 or 19 and working for a large telecom company during the summers, I had someone that I felt was looking out for me and would "show me the way". But good bosses come in and out...
Active Duty Mindset For Human Resource
Entry into the military is difficult. The training you receive will break you down, than rebuild you back up to become a basically trained combatant, than leader, and finally a specialist within an array of occupational fields. This process is where we lose the...
Police Chief: Getting Hired
At the end of a police chief selection process, decision-makers should have done their best to select the best person to fill the vacancy. For those of us who have climbed the promotion ladder toward executive-level positions, the distinction between ‘best person’...
Fire Service Resume: Is It Good Enough? Pt. 5
You will start many projects during your lifetime and only be able to finish a handful of them. The best you can do is think, plan, develop and execute…! In our last installment (Pt. 4) we covered Certifications and Qualifications. These designations and essential...
Lessons From the Possum
I once had a possum on my sorting line. Weird way to start an article I know but bear with me. The possum had come in the back of a garbage truck with a load to my transfer station. Who knows how he got there, one can only guess it was in the container when the...