Please help an NFP girl transition to work in the public service.

November 24, 2010 4:20 PM

I am looking for hints, guidance or advice from the hivemind related to transitioning into a public service job after almost 10 years in the NFP and community sector. Can anyone help?

I have recently accepted a one year contract to work as a provincial public servant (a project advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Energy if that matters). I know the energy field well, but almost all of my work experience has been in the "third sector" - aka NFPs, co-operatives, community work, etc. The government environment is one that is completely new to me, and I'd like to make the best first impression I can. I'd be grateful for any advice or hints that people could provide for making this transition and being successful in this new position. Thanks!

posted by Cyrie to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Best answer: I made the same transition several years ago. In my case, I moved from a NFP to a provincial Crown agency, which means it was at arms-length from government, and operated in a grey zone between industry and government.

From my vantage point, I found government to be process-oriented (as opposed to results-oriented). Government can also be status-oriented. The name of the game for some people is climbing the ladder, and building personal empires.

Government departments tend to be siloed. There's not much thought of collaborating with other silos. I was often reminded of the Sopranos and different gangster factions. For some loyalty, rather than doing what is right, is key. It's something to be aware of.

A lot of attention focused around discretionary budgets, or the control of specific programs and budgets. There were many rivalries in the same space (especially energy), where different ministries might compete to "control" a specific policy area (especially energy).

The energy file really seems to attract "power-hungry" individuals, if you'll pardon the pun. There is lots of money at stake.

The BC government under the BC Liberals and the Fed government under the Tories are top-down affairs. The PMO runs the show federally, and everyone else, from Directors-General to Deputy Ministers to Executive Directors to Directors to Managers - all the way - down - serves to do the gruntwork of a higher master.

Under the BC Liberals and Gordon Campbell, the BC provincial government is the same. Directors and ADMs are maxed... out... There is little or, usually, no autonomy, not even for Ministers.

I don't know what Dalton McGuinty's government is like.

===================

My advice to you is to be cautious, be quiet, and listen. Every single successful government worker I've known (managers and directors) have been quiet.

Try to understand what motivates people higher up the food chain, and try to determine if what motivates them conforms with your core values. Understanding personal agendas is important.

Seeking out opportunities to collaborate and share resources (intel or budget or personal connections) is a powerful way to succeed in any workplace. But you need to make sure that whoever you offer assistance to will a) reciprocate at some point in the future and b) will use your assistance responsibly.

At the end of the day, smile and have fun. Seek out opportunities to network and enjoy the company with people in the energy community, even folks who are playing on a different team.

And if you are guided by a strong desire to affect positive change, for the good of the public, remember to hold on to that, and to listen to your inner voice about doing what is right, rather than what is politically (in the context of a workplace) expedient.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:07 PM on November 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Get a copy of The First 90 Days (the '...in Government' flavour if you can, no dramas if you can't). Summary here.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:18 PM on November 24, 2010

Best answer: When I first started working for a government agency (after working in the private sector), I found it terribly restrictive. There were so many rules. It took me a long time to develop a public service ethic. By that, I mean it took me a long time to realize that the money I made was paid for by the public and if they felt like they wanted to put a lot of rules in place to control how I use their money, then so be it. Once I came to this understanding, I stopped railing against the rules so much and have been much happier in my government job since then.
posted by eleslie at 4:10 AM on November 25, 2010

Not to sound totally cynically, but there are also people in the public service who genuinely care about building a better province/country, etc.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:14 PM on November 25, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions and advice, everyone! I've marked them all as best answers because they were all useful.
posted by Cyrie at 12:41 PM on November 26, 2010