CA State Gov't Interviews - what are they like?? (Sacramento: transfer, pros and cons)

[MisterCali]

Hi All - 4 months ago, I applied for a middle-management position (they classify it as as "Staff Services Manager") with one of the larger California State agencies, based in Sacramento. Yesterday, they called me to schedule an interview for this week. They certainly took their own sweet time and then gave me very little notice. But, it seems like a good opportunity and the pay is surprisingly competitive for this particular function.


I've got 12+ years professional experience in the private sector in this job function. I have never worked in the public sector. I've never interviewed for a CA State job. I asked the HR coordinator if he could give me an idea of how this type of interview would vary from private sector interview and he - surprisingly - told me it would be just like a regular interview. I'm... not so sure.


Already they've told me that:

- The interview will be exactly 1 hour
- I will be interviewed by a panel of 3 people, including the hiring manager
- This will be the 1 and only interview for the job - no follow up or "final" interviews
- 20 mins before the start, they will provide me with a list of questions which will be asked during the interview (this one is new to me!)


Although I'm sure this varies from agency to agency and from vacancy to vacancy, can anyone give me a rough idea of the types of questions I might get? Will it be largely behavioral questions? Will it be very specific questions about my function and industry knowledge?


And what is the interview actually like? In the private sector, I've found that the best interviews are ones where a natural conversation evolves, but I'm getting the impression that in this case, it will be a very dry affair in which I'll be asked several standard questions and that if I don't use keywords they're expecting, I will be scored poorly and fail to qualify for the job.


Help me out, what should I be prepared to talk about?

[JohnS_15]

The interview will be more like an oral exam than an interview. It's unfortunate that it has to be this way but there are set rules and regulations for how these things work. Will you be traveling far for the interview? Most of the time there are no reimbursements for travel expenses to/from interview... but you could probably request it by phone.


Most public sector interviews are this way. I interviewed for a bunch of city/county positions and it was so different from private sector which is what I was used to. You went in for one hour and just reeled off as many keywords as you could for each question. I got better with experience but I bombed the first couple as I expected more back and forth.


They will grade each candidate based on pre-designed grading criteria for the position. Each candidate has their answers scored for each question and the end of it whoever scores the highest gets the job. The types of questions they ask really depends on the position and how creative the interview team get with the questions. For any management position there will for sure be questions on "team work" and "experience managing people/projects".


If you are used to private sector work environment etc. then working in the public sector will be a big change. There are pros and cons... for instance your statement "They certainly took their own sweet time and then gave me very little notice" - leads me to believe you will be frustrated with the process a lot in the course of the hiring process and within the job. And that is because it is really frustrating. That being said there are great things about working in the public sector.


Good luck - you should carefully evaluate if you want a government job. I don't think it's a great stepping stone if you ultimately don't want to work in government for the long-haul. The benefits don't really start to payoff until you've worked the job for a decent amount of time...that's how they get and keep people. And there is very little individual flexibility.

[WizardOfRadical]

Government worker here, but for local agency not state.I definitely feel you on the take their sweet time and give you little notice. I've literally been asked the same questions at different localities and agencies, LOL.


As another person said, keywords are crucial! Just the typical generic talking points type of key words. Like 'team work, experience, conflict resolution, creative solutions', all that jazz.

My first government job I came from the private sector. I was so dynamic and ahead of them that I think I just blew them away and they hired me. Second one I knew the game and it was easy to land the job. I actually did horrible on the interview I thought, I was nervous and out of practice. But I rattled off those keywords, LOL.

That's the thing, half the time their mind is nearly made up before you walk in the door when you have government experience. That is the thing, while their is little mobility, the benefits and paid time off is fantastic. And once you have worked for the government in the past, they will look out for you in the future and it is much easier to get other government jobs. It's all a trade off.

[justducky2]

Did you already have the interview?

If not...remember...they have pre-worded questions so that every single applicant will get the same questions. They will take notes on your answers. Think keywords that were listed on the SSM job announcement; spit it back to them how you have that experience. And at the end, when they ask if you have anything else to add, if you remember something that you should have answered from a previous question, by all means, go back and add on to it. They want you to.

I just transferred from one agency to another...so just went through this. I was told I by far answered the questions better than the other candidates. What did I do? I looked up the specifics of the knowledge that they needed the person to have, and I memorized the answer (a step by step process, in my case). On the one process I didn't know by heart, I admitted it readily but told them that I'm resourceful, and where I would go to to find the answer.

Best wishes! Just know that the wheels of government turn slowly, it can takes 6 months to 2 years to get a job with the State. Get on as many lists as you can and apply for as many open positions as you can. It may not be your dream job; but you get your foot in the door. Stay for a year and then look for something else. It is pretty typical to move around within and between agencies. Don't give up!