Flat-out asking for a government contract during a cold call: feasible or terrible?

June 11, 2009 8:50 AM

Flat-out asking for a government contract during a cold call: feasible or terrible?

I have a BA and I'm considering taking a college course in Public Administration. (In Canada, college is one level down from university and tends to be more applicable to getting a job.) I spoke with a girl who took the program and now works as a policy analyst.

She told me that she got a placement with the Gov't of Ontario (required by the program) by cold-calling managers and asking them for a 5.5 month contract. She seemed to think I could do the same: just cold-calling them, conducting informational interviews and then.... ??????

Well, this is where I'm confused. How do you parlay a cold-call or an information interview into "Will you consider me for a 5.5 month contract?"

I'm worried that it will seem rude but she was quite confident and it worked for her.

Shouldn't there be a lengthy interview process? Is that just for permanent positions? Can this approach actually work? Had anyone had success or failure doing this?

posted by cranberrymonger to work & money (3 answers total)

To be hired on as a full-time public servant, yes, there's a huge and onerous procedure the government has to follow. But to be hired as a contractor/term/casual, no. And your friend lucked out by calling a manager who was willing to go out on a limb to hire a complete stranger.

There's no harm in cold-calling and asking, but do a bit of informational digging first. Get this friend of yours to inquire about policies regarding the hiring of terms/casuals at the provincial level. At the federal level, hiring people on contract has been pretty much shut down altogether. Perhaps if you explain it's to complete the requirement for a course at college, they might be more apt to take you on.

At the federal level, by the way, there is a program called FSWEP that is exactly for this purpose; getting kids in university and college summer work in the government.

Good luck!
posted by LN at 9:13 AM on June 11, 2009

I have worked for government (not in Ontario, but in another province in Canada) in three different ministries at three unrelated positions. I got the first position by cold calling, but I would call it "networking" instead. I wanted to work as an "analyst" (actually, it was a skilled front-line, entry-level position, and I was sure there would be a couple of openings across the public service for this position say, every three months) so I started calling up "analysts" in this field to ask them about what it was like to work in that position.

I started things off by getting introduced by a friend to an analyst, whom I then phoned. That analyst introduced me to more people, and I figured out more info about the position, where openings might be, and who the hiring manager was. I eventually (after about 2 months) connected with a hiring manager and was invited to submit a resume. I got hired.

I did not start out cold calling managers.

I worked another job for government as a contract project manager. I got that job because I met someone at a networking event, and we worked on a small project. His wife was a manager who had a project to do, and I was once again invited to submit a resume.

For the job I have now, I had worked quite closely while at a different employer with my current employer, and I was offered the job, but it was also a hidden job market/networking opportunity.

Contracting is the way to go, as full-time entry-level positions are usually unionized, and have to be posted for competition, which is a real waste of time for job seekers. The provincial governments are easier to get into than the federal government in Canada, but consider the fact that Ontario is currently in crisis, with large budget deficits, and no clear way to get out of its mess but to cut costs, which includes slashing staff. The next five years will be lean times for the public service across Canada (but, once again, short-term contracts may become normal).

I've noticed that many of the ministries I work with hire entry-level staff (not clerical, but instead junior analysts, etc) right out of MPA co-op. The challenge is of course because of deficits, many departments are unable to hire even co-ops.

When choosing a ministry to work for, you might want to choose one of the bigger ones: health, transport, education, resources. Ministries with bigger budgets typically have more places to slash costs rather than slashing staff. Smaller ministries (for example, Health might have a $2B budget while Environment has a $25M budget) have fewer places to cut costs, and therefore can't hire.

In summary, I would recommend networking (which includes cold-calling) to find these jobs. Start at the bottom of the food chain in order to gain information so that you can present your best possible "brand" to the hiring manager. Only cold-call a hiring manager when you're reasonably sure they might have an opportunity if not today, then 3 months down the road.

Phoning up hiring managers when you don't have any information will irritate folks, and you won't get a job.

Make sure you keep networking, and gathering information.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:33 AM on June 11, 2009 [1 favorite]

It's not as crazy as it seems. Ask people to meet and to find out about their job and career. Sell yourself and your career goals. Ask them for advice and if they have a need for a short contract that you could help out with.

Because the full hiring process is so long, sometimes managers are very happy to be able to bring someone on board that they have met and like, rather than ordering someone from a temp agency or doing long painful interviews for short contracts.
posted by Gor-ella at 12:04 PM on June 11, 2009