Public Sector Jobs and Interview Feedback

The Staffing View

On business, the workplace and employee relations

August, 2011





Micro Tech's Featured Job Openings for August

Third Shift CNC Machine Operator, East Providence, RI

Salary: $20-$25 per hour

Responsibilities include maintaining production of critical CNC machining centers for second shift initially and third shift long term, including performing and recording accurate quality checks, formulating machine offsets and sustaining run efficiencies in a safe manner and programming



Office Administrator/Receptionist, Sudbury, MA

Salary: $17 per hour

Short Description- Face/voice of the Customer Very fast paced seasonal business looking for a hard working professional to handle all of the administrative support functions (meet/greet visitors, order supplies, track/validate expenses, answer multiline phone system Must be able and willing to work six days per week during peak season (Monday through Saturday)



Mechanical Assembler, Nashua, NH

Salary: $14 to $16 per hour

Candidates should have the ability to use hand and pneumatic tools, read prints and schematics, work on prototype builds and perform in-process inspection on subassemblies



Java Developer, Boston area

Salary: 100,000 annually

This young company offers an exciting startup environment in an ideal location Interested in serious and passionate java developers only



Very Long-Term Unemployed

The frustrating aspect of the economic recovery is not just that the national unemployment rate has remained high - 92 percent in June - but that so many workers have been jobless for long periods of time The federal Labor Department calls those who have been out of work for 27 weeks or more as "long term" In June that group accounted for 444 percent of the total unemployed



But the Labor Department also keeps track of the really long-term unemployed, those out of work 52-weeks or longer In a handful of states, including Georgia and North Carolina, more than 30 percent of people without a job have been unemployed for more than a year All of the "30-plus" had state unemployment rates above the national average of 92 percent in June, but since they come from the East, South and Midwest, the reasons for their high long-term figures vary



Georgia is second on the list with 368 percent of its unemployed out for more than 52 weeks in June There the state's struggling housing market continues to be a drag on the economy According to a new report from Wells Fargo Securities, home prices are down 24 percent statewide from their peak of July 2007 In Atlanta, the nation's top new home market during the boom years, prices remain 30 percent below their peak Home prices in Macon and Gainesville are down 26 percent



In New Jersey, which is tops on the list with 371 percent of its jobless out of work for more than 52 weeks, some observers speculate it is because unemployment benefits are higher than the national average On average those out of work received $39446 in weekly unemployment benefits at the end of 2010 That compares to the maximum weekly benefit of $330 in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Labor Yet both states are above the nationwide average of $29628



Are jobless benefits a factor? In its 2010 annual report, economists at the Federal Reserve said the availability of extended jobless benefits can affect how long someone remains out of work, primarily because it enables job-seekers to wait for better offers The Fed report notes a survey that said increased jobless benefits adds to the average duration of unemployment But the estimated impact of extended benefits was still well below the actual 18-week increase in the average length of unemployment that occurred during the recession of 2008 to 2010 In other words factors such as the inability of older workers to find a job played a role



At Microtech we continue to help qualified workers move into appropriate job openings though thorough screening and constant contact with local employers




Asking for Feedback When You Didn't Get the Job

Have you been through a series of interviews for a job, felt as though they went well, but then didn't receive an offer? No doubt it left you scratching your head wondering why Was it the resume, your answers to questions, your experience or a mismatch of skills to needs?



In other words, post-interview feedback would be helpful Though it's not often that a job candidate will contact a hiring manager or recruiter after they've been passed over, it's not a bad idea The information they receive could make a difference with the next job opportunity Was it a lack of qualifications that caused them to lose out or was it the way they interviewed?



How much feedback you receive can depend upon your attitude when you call back Sounding resentful or angry won't prompt a fruitful conversation Remember that at the very least your resume was compelling enough to land that first interview There was an initial level of respect for what you've done and who you are



Make notes about the interviews you had before calling the company What do you recall about the experience? Were there moments during your meetings that you felt were more revealing than others about yourself or your abilities? If so, did the hiring manager or recruiter feel the same way?



The company you're calling could have a policy of not providing feedback It's easier to avoid a discrimination claim by a disgruntled applicant than to help with their interviewing skills On the other hand, a rejected job candidate who follows up and politely asks for some feedback could make an impression If another job opens up you will have presented yourself as someone interested in their company and a person open to constructive criticism That's a positive when envisioning you as an employee



Asking for feedback after you've been rejected takes some nerve Your confidence may not be able to handle an honest appraisal If not you might be better off with a follow-up letter to the hiring manager or recruiter thanking them for their time, mentioning the parts of the interview that you felt went well and expressing your continued interest in working for that firm You won't receive what could be a valuable critique, but you'll end that experience on a positive note



State Employment

Employment in the public sector has often been more stable during recessions than in the private sector During the recent Great Recession, massive spending by the federal government to offset revenue declines for state governments, helped to save jobs among teachers, police officers and other public employee groups




But that federal aid has been exhausted and the trend has changed during the current economic recovery Though private sector employment was still nearly 6 percent below its level at the start of the recession as of June and state-local government employment was off two percent, private employers are slowly expanding their payrolls while the public sector continues to cut



In fact the loss of federal assistance, state tax revenues slowly returning to pre-recession levels, and emerging weakness in property taxes and other revenues to local governments and school districts, are prompting a rollback in public employment According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, total state and local government jobs had declined in 39 states in June compared with a year earlier and increased in 11



In fact, according to the BLS, among the last five US recessions, only the 1980 downturn rivals the Great Recession for length and depth of public employment losses If current downward trends continue - as seems likely - current state and local government job losses will surpass those of the early 1980s



In some cases the cuts in public employment are deliberate and not necessarily lamented by all In North Carolina, for example, the Republican-controlled legislature recently approved a budget to close a $25 billion shortfall by cutting spending Many expect it to lead to more government job losses



Here's a look at how government employment had changed at states within the Microtech service area during the second quarter compared to the same period in 2010



Georgia (-48 percent)

North Carolina (-45 percent)

New York (-28 percent)

Maine (-15 percent)

Massachusetts (-13 percent)

New Hampshire (-04 percent)

Rhode Island 10 percent

Virginia 30 percent