“Management Analyst II” Sounds Like The Most Boring Job In The World
 
“I have been asked many times, when I’ve been introduced as a City Manager, ‘What do you do?’ I’m never sure whether I should laugh or cry at that question!” – Carol E. Giovanatto, City Manager, City of Sonoma
We’ve talked a lot the past several weeks about the Silver Tsunami, the pending retirement tidal wave of almost two-thirds of California’s and the nation’s city managers. We’ve explored some of the potential causes, some more preventable than others. We looked at succession planning and showed that, when combined with an effective outreach program, it can produce positive results.
But what we barely touched on is this sad reality: As long as clean water is provided, streets are drivable, and a general sense of public safety exists, local government does not maintain a high presence of mind for local residents. It’s a classic case of “you don’t miss it until it’s gone.”
In some ways, especially in the suburbs and small towns, government is a victim of its own success: everything runs smoothly enough that it doesn’t occur to young people that there is a man (or woman) behind the curtain. For students and graduates in bigger cities, local government is often perceived as the problem rather than the solution: public officials are under fire for pensions; city agencies are under federal receivership or oversight; streets are filled with potholes; the phone is always busy; the line at the office is always out the door. What right-minded person would sign up for that headache when there’s a major corporation right down the block?
In short, local government has a major image problem. The question is, how do we make a career in local government “cool”?
“But, but” sputter city workers everywhere, “Local government IS intellectually stimulating! We ARE making a difference!”
Tell that to the average college student, who (to the extent they consider it) thinks of local government as the place where you pay your water bill and get a license for your dog. We need to reach out to young people and let them know that a) Local government is a legitimate career path and b) It does not consist of a bunch of boring paper pushers and bureaucrats. Let young people know that the issues that are important to them – be it rising rents in the Bay Area, water usage in farm communities, or police presence in the community in Los Angeles or Oakland – are issues that are decided at a local government level.
We’ve already discussed a lot of the ways we can reach out to college students and encourage them to at least consider a local government job. It might make sense to start even sooner, reaching out to students in high school and encouraging them to be involved as student liaison on the school board or youth representative in the parks and recreation department.
Post job openings where students are looking – on college’s job boards and on Craigslist. Re-think job posting themselves – “Management Analyst II” sounds like the most deathly boring job in the world, if you could even figure out what that person does. Posting a job as “Affordable Housing Program Coordinator” or “Entry-level Fiscal Analyst” is going to attract a lot more interest from the average college graduate than “Management Analyst II” ever will.
For too long, local government has been hiding its light under a bushel, getting no credit when things go right and becoming the bad guy when things go wrong. We know that the work we do is fulfilling and that it makes a difference in communities, regions and eventually, the world. We just need to get better at communicating that truth to the next generation.
If you are looking for a partner in the recruiting process, call BOLT Staffing today.
At BOLT Staffing we believe that positive change and innovation is a good thing. We partner every day with cities, counties, and special districts providing them with both long term and short term staffing solutions that are cost effective, productive, and solution oriented. We invite your comments below.
This article is the fourth in a series about city managers.