Greater Milwaukee Jobs

2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • October 16, 2014 staff whose office promot- ed from within or hired an intern whenever possible. That chief started as an intern himself and pro- gressed up the chain, land- ing in the top spot after 10 years. Since many jobs are entry level, offices picked people to be groomed for more senior positions. "You aren't just hiring someone to answer the phones," said a senior House chief of staff. "You're hiring them to take on for bigger things." One former Democratic House legislative director refused to hire for an entry level position without Capitol Hill intern experience: "I didn't want to pay someone to learn how to do the basics of front-desk work. That is what interning is for." Exception To The Rule Interns might be the go-to candidate for entry level jobs, but for positions that require a specific experience, such as a press secre- tary, or years of expert- ise, such as a legislative assistant with commit- tee experience, offices often look outside to find a match. Positions that require a strong policy background, such as a Senate or committee leg- islative assistant, benefit from years of work in that policy arena. One Senate legislative director said he preferred a familiarity with Capitol Hill when hiring a legislative assistant; actual Capitol Hill work experi- ence was not as crucial. Beware Of Job Postings Oh, those job announce- ments. We've all seen the ones making the rounds on listservs, asking for cover letters and writing samples. For an aspiring job-seeker, this seems like the best place to start, right? Wrong, unfortunately. Many House offices do not advertise any of their job openings. The ones that do send a job announce- ment often eschew the public list and instead send an email to trusted col- leagues, which includes current and former staffers and people connected to the district or state. One office preferred asking other member offices it worked closely with, either on a committee or within a delegation. Some offices sent job announcements more widely to lists such as "Democratic House Chiefs." "If you post a job widely, you get 300 résumés. They all look the same; everyone went to college," said a Democratic chief of staff who preferred not to send out a job announcement. The sheer number of résumés to wade through would be "a waste of (his) time." Those that did send out a job announcement widely often had a candidate in mind already. "You want to see what the environment is like," said Chris McCan- nell, a former House chief of staff who now leads the financial service practice at APCO. "You want to see who else is out there on the market and make sure you aren't missing anyone." McCannell preferred hiring internally, but he did send occasional job announce- ments to his office's net- work, including the Demo- cratic leader's office, and through paid sites. For a senior position, external candidates often served as a comparison point for the internal candi- dates, who were still con- sidered front-runners. "If you keep promoting from within, you want to make sure that you still have the best candidates in your office," said one House Democratic chief of staff. "Everyone should have to compete for a job and go through an interview process," said a senior House Democratic chief of staff. She had already decided on an internal pro- motion, but went through a larger job search and inter- view process to make sure the member of Congress was on board. "It's good see SECRETS. . . page 6 Dealing with a chatty, unfocused supervisor By Liz Reyer Star Tribune (Minneapolis) & A Q Q. I have a good boss, but she is very chatty. At meetings, we never get through my agenda items and it's hard to get her focused enough to make decisions. This makes my job more difficult. How can I handle this without making her mad? Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. A. Focus on what you want rather than explain- ing what you don't want. THE INNER GAME This type of day-to-day issue can get under your skin, so take stock to ensure that it isn't damag- ing your relationship. It sounds like you're looking for improvement to a good situation, and that's the point of view you'll want to hold onto. Spend some time think- ing about your boss' behavior. Are there times when her talkative nature is an asset? Perhaps it's useful to set people at ease. Consider what drives it, as well. If she is more extroverted by nature, she may just operate this way instinctively. Or it may be a coping mechanism, for example, if she's nervous during a conversation. Reflect on tactics you've used that have been suc- cessful with her or that have worked for you in dealing with others. Also notice other people's strategies for managing her.Your co-workers may have figured out some ways to get her focused. Notice your role in the dynamic. Do you tend to be talkative, too, and get distracted? Or are you being more passive than is beneficial? THE OUTER GAME If you've identified some tried-and-true approaches, then make a plan to use them consistently with her, and that may address the issue. However, if you're just starting to take steps to manage this, here are some ideas to consider. First of all, talk about the dynamic with her. Use "me" statements so that you don't put her on the spot. For example, you might say, "When we run out of time to discuss all the items on our agenda, I feel anxious because I won't be able to move for- ward on my projects." Draw her out on her feelings about your meet- ings so that any changes don't leave her less satis- fied than she is now. Then explore steps you could take to get the outcomes you want from your meet- ings. If you don't have a written agenda, consider always developing one for your meetings with her. OTHER IDEAS INCLUDE: • Start each meeting with a summary of what you need in terms of advice or decisions. Come to agree- ment that you're both on board with the agenda. • Put your agenda in prior- ity order so that you cover the most important pieces right away. • Assign an amount of time to each agenda item. If you're not a firm time manager in general, now's the time to start. Do fre- quent check-ins during your meetings and be assertive about moving the conversation along. She may already be aware of this tendency, and you may encounter open- ness to change. In that case, you can use some humor : "There you go again, Susy!" to help rein her in. THE LAST WORD Be positive and clear about your needs in any meeting to help build pro- ductivity. A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-513-2698 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Donna Armstrong 262-513-2698 darmstrong@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dwayne Butler 262-513-2626 dbutler@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 6 October 16, 2014 To place an ad: Call us at 262-513-2698 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays The Town of Merton (pop. 8,383) in Waukesha County is seeking highly qualified applicants for a full-time position of – The Clerk is responsible for reporting to the board, carrying out statutory municipal clerk duties including but not limited to, strong knowledge of election procedures, records manage- ment, tax collection, record keeping, municipal licenses, attend meetings, website maintenance and various other administrative tasks. Candidates should have a strong knowl- edge of computer skills, the ability to multi-task and problem solve. Candidates should demonstrate qualifi- cations in a related field or have a Certified Municipal Clerk Certification. Compensation includes a full benefits package. Salary to be determined based on qualifications and experience. Please send your resume and cover letter, qualifications and salary requirements by November 17, 2014, to: Town of Merton, PO Box 128, North Lake, WI 53064 or email to: clerk@townofmerton.com TOWN CLERK 2 4 0 7 9 6 0 0 6 • O F F I C E & C L E R I C A L Secrets. . . from page 1

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