About Andy Expertise I can help prepare candidates for job interviews; assist in discussing problems with your supervisors or peers; help in creating a resume that gets results; answer general work related questions.
Experience I have been in a management leadership role for the past 30 years. I have extensive knowledge re: the interview process, problem solving, team building, communcation with executive management, company mergers, downsizing, outsourcing of jobs, project management, disaster recovery, office politics, management consulting, business ethics,career changes, job relocation to another part of the country & becoming an agent for change within a corporation.
Question Thanks I appreciate your help. I was recently offered the position. Now the
question is how flexible is the city/goverment with salary. How Would I find
out if they are negotiable?
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
I have been selected to attend an interview for a recreation coordinator
position for a city job. Along with the interview letter they sent me 2 pages.
on the front of the first page it states that it is a written scenario which is very
vague. It basically says "You have been hired as a director of a summer
camp, plan your first week and everything you will need to have things go as
scheduled." the second page is just lines to write on My question is how in
depth should I get with this question. I was planning on bringing charts and
doing somewhat of a report on it, but would I be doing to much and just
Keep It simple? Your help is appreciated
Mike
-----Answer-----
Mike,
I don’t see a problem with being prepared to present both. I’d take the
opportunity to build a calendar based schedule showing the daily activities &
their timeframes. For example, a 5 inning softball game could be scheduled
on your calendar Monday morning. On a 2nd presentation I would list all of
the items you would need such as bats, balls, bases etc. Monday afternoon
may be something like a hiking trip & in that presentation, you could explain
the wonders of nature & perhaps have samples of items native to that area.
I would do a simple calendar of events & then wow them with your chart
presentations as well as a list of items that you would need prior to meeting
with the children like emergency phone #’s, camp rules & regulations etc.
Never lose the opportunity to show your knowledge when given the
opportunity to do so. Your calendar may so overwhelm them that your
prepared charts would definitely knock their socks off.
Size up your interview audience & as you go thru your calendar of events ask
if they would like any additional info on any of the events. Of course, then be
prepared to do so.
I hope this advice is helpful & that you get the recreation coordinator job. I
wish you the best of luck. When time permits, I would appreciate you filling
out the allexperts.com questionnaire.
Regards,
Andy
Answer George,
That’s great news that you got the job!
The government is very, very structured in almost everything they do. Their compensation is based on grades & Quartile system. Let’s say the Grade for your position is an 8. Within this Grade 8 position, they have a Starting salary that goes up to the 1st Quartile. That range may cover $10,000 from lowest to the top of that 1st quartile. Let’s say the starting salary was $20,000, the top of the 1st Quartile would be $30,000. From the top of the 1st Quartile ($30,000) your next level of compensation range is the Midpoint quartile. That range may go from $30,000 to $45,000. From the top of the Midpoint Quartile you move to the top of the 3rd Quartile or from $45,000 to $60,000. From the top of the 3rd Quartile, you move to the Maximum for this grade. Now here you’ll see a much greater range than previously seen. With the top of the 3rd Quartile being $60,000 in our example, the Maximum may be as high as $90,000. This large range allows the government to continue increasing the compensation of a steady but not necessarily an over-achieving employee for many years.
Now the government’s offer will be based on your years of experience, what the market calls for in your part of the country & how badly they want you to join their team. Some county governments actually post the salary ranges for given positions within their organizations as it should indeed be public knowledge. I would take a look on the Internet & see what you can find. It will allow you to be better prepared when the compensation offer does indeed come. The salary you’ll be offered will have been approved by at least 3 different levels of management & also be based on what the budget will allow. In essence, it leaves little room for negotiating as you can in private businesses. Hope this info helps & congrats again on nailing that job!
