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One thing I've noticed over the years is how many people that work for the state or federal government had parents or siblings who did the same thing. I'd like to see some sort of survey done because I believe its a very high percentage. I think their family members learn "tricks of the trade" that make getting a job easier. Perhaps, they "tip off" their family members when there is an opening, so they can get an application in. Of course, they may also have some pull in terms of getting the people in a department or agency that is hiring to "interview" their family member instead of sending out a routine letter of denial. Of course, if the family member has served in the military as well, they get "veteran's preference" when it comes to hiring. Their family members know just how good the health insurance and retirement benefits working for Uncle Sam are and they'll play games for years just to "get on" the public payroll as a secretary or a file clerk.
I concluded that unless you have an "in" with someone important in the agency, your prospects of being hired are slim to nonexistent.
I admit, I'm a little bitter about this subject. When I was younger, I applied for a score of jobs with state and federal government agencies. Seldom did I even get an interview. I remember interviews that were obviously totally perfunctory. They knew before I even set foot in the room they weren't going to hire me and it was obvious from their attitude. At one point, I took a civil service test or examination. I scored at the 95th percentile. Didn't matter. It didn't result in a job after I had filed at least twenty applications. The truth is that there probably aren't a lot of job openings and even years ago, there were probably a lot of applicants for each position. It doesn't make things easier. However, I'm convinced that people running this agencies can "find a way" to do about anything they want to do. If they want a family member hired, they can get around nepotism laws. If they want someone who scored low on the civil service examination, they'll find a way to hire them.
I've worked for myself for the last twenty-five years and a big part of it is that I just couldn't stand these kinds of games. Now, I'm the one doing the hiring.
They "tip off" relatives that there's a job opening so that they can get in an application? Surely, you jest.
If you're referring to Civil Service vacancies, there's a procedure for public notices for job openings, pursuant to Civil Service law. No one has inside information which would benefit them because an employee works there.
With respect to non-competitive appointments, that's a different story. They all do it, and it sucks.
There's nepotism in all work settings to some degree. The worst I've experienced personally was in a private-sector job where the senior VP had his wife, all three daughters, all three sons-in-law and several of his old college buddies all in high-level management jobs. It would have been fine if any of them were competent, or even just nice to be around, but unfortunately neither was true.
I'm currently in a public-sector job. I was a complete ringer when I applied; the hiring manager was quite certain that she was going to select someone she knew in the agency who had also applied, but my civil service exam score was the highest of all the applicants, and the interview panel voted my interview the strongest, so under the hiring rules, she had to give me the job. Fortunately for both of us, it has worked out pretty well.
At the appointed level of the public-sector entity for which I work, nepotism is far more widespread, but at least for the classified civil service positions, the hiring rules make it harder to play favorites. Civil service exams are graded by a panel, interviews are conducted by a panel (different people from the exam panel), and a hiring manager who tries to choose someone other than the person deemed by the two panels to be best qualified is generally not successful. The biggest challenge is usually trying to get a pool of qualified applicants, because public-sector jobs pay less than private-sector jobs do. It used to be that the good benefits made up for less pay, but over the past decade or so, benefit cut-backs have pretty much eliminated that advantage.
I love how crooked big business use the “equal opportunity employer” card when there is obviously nothing “equal” about anything at all when only the buddies and relatives of the higher ups get the pick of the jobs, bypass the resume filters etc. Youre resume won’t even see a set of human eyes and will quickly be discarded into the trash can. Even though you probably have more value and experience than the managers friend or relative that is quickly hired
We need to rename America to the United States of double standards and hypocrisy
It happens everywhere. But st least you get far better job security and a retirement in the public sector. In the private sector you’re just thrown to the street once you become to expensive and you have no connections at the company. Even if you bring more value than 99 percent of the connected morons that stay on
Today I received an email saying I didn't make the cut for one of the transit operator positions. The email said "more qualified candidates" which sounds crappy to me, considering how they empathized how they hire everyone. I think it was just a front to put people off guard. I guess several years of customer service and a CDL isn't relevant to the position? And the fact there were several veterans applying, who get preference. And maybe it was that I circled "other" for my race, which isn't as good an answer as "native american" or "african american" or any other race that's non-white (I'm half white and honest about it).
I went there for a video test, which I know I scored very high on. I'm not saying I scored the highest, but what ticks me off is how the guy who interviewed me was so full of crap. I think he knew who was getting hired before I even stepped into the room. He asked why I was interested in the position. I said "obviously the benefits... ::: he cuts me off:::... " he wasn't interested in my response, he cut me off and said he'll let me test (as if he's doing me a favor). Way too much of the video was a preface of an attorney warning the viewers about copyright infringement, since they believe their video/tests are so wonderful, if only somebody was testing them on if they hire based on merit.
Note to interviewees. When asked why you want the job, do not reply with, “obviously the benefits”! If an employer is hiring on MERIT, they will want someone who: 1) Is eager and wants the POSITION, 2) Understands the POSITION, and 3) Is qualified for the POSITION.
The LAST thing they want to hear is the primary reason you are there is for the benefits. This person lost this job on the merits and is in total denial of that fact. Don’t make the same error! I’m over-generalizing to make a point, but in government we find there are generally two types of people. The “givers” who genuinely want to do a great job, improve themselves and their skills and take pride in their work, and then there are the “takers” who generally are low performers and require or demand a higher degree of attention and notoriety and work on the part of their supervisors. These folks are usually recommended for promotions because their supervisor wants to make them someone else’s problem.
This is where nepotism can enter because hiring family or a “known entity” to the hiring manager brings a level of comfort that this new hire will be easier to manage. Now this is just my opinion from hiring folks for nearly 30 years. The family candidate has senior relatives that can apply pressure to the candidate should things go south. To the hiring manager it is more about creating an environment of less risk to themselves than pleasing someone else.
This can easily be overcome by remembering the 3 tips above (Want it, get it, and have the skills and experience to do it). If you are at the top of your “game” when being interviewed, you will overcome the unfortunate bias nepotism can bring.
I've worked both public and private and seen nepotism equally as bad.
Sometimes it is the worst when family or friend help you get in and then they go against you, to make sure they keep their job secure, not knowing you are better then them. I've seen it all.
I had a family member get me it, or so they though, but it was really an outsider who got me in, ex-boss who pulled some strings, but he didn't really have to pull so hard because of my skills and qualifications.
I came across this story and it just about made me sick! As if affirmative action weren't enough, apparently nepotism is another obstacle to get around and from talking to others I've heard it's rampant in the pubic sector.
I once worked as a private contractor at a government agency and I found it odd that, with all the test and strict hiring practices, there were so many employees that had sisters, uncles, cousins all working at the same department, it all makes sense now.
" When Sacramento County advertised three openings for stationary engineers in March, 55 people applied for the jobs paying $68,500 annually plus health and retirement benefits. One job was given to the son of Jeff Gasaway, who runs the county's facility and property services, the division that was hiring. Another job was given to the son of Larry Vice, who heads two sections in the division."
In Tejas, cronyism and nepotism reign supreme. If you're not part of it, good luck breaking through that barrier. I haven't noticed much of it here in PA. I don't doubt it exists in certain industries.
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