Career Planning and Placement

When should an MPA student begin planning for a public service career?

 

Planning should begin early, ideally no later than the first semester of graduate study. Some MPA students have a good idea about what they would like to do and where they would like to work even before applying to graduate school. Most do not, but rather are committed in general to a career in public service.

 

What’s involved in planning? 

 

Public Service Motivation:  Most MPA students choose to pursue a career in public service because they want “to make a difference.” That is, they want to make a significant contribution to society. This primary motivation should not be overlooked.   The ability to make an important contribution to society during one’s career is a major source of satisfaction for public service professionals.   Thus, MPA students should always ask themselves the following question: What can I do that will make a difference?

 

Three Questions to Ask:  MPA students should ask themselves the following questions? What do I like to do? What are my strengths? What’s out there in terms of career opportunities?   You want to find yourself doing something that you like to do, something that takes advantage of your strengths, and something that is highly valued by employers. Apart from their strong public service orientation, MPA student vary in their likes and dislikes.    For example, nearly all public service professionals enjoy working with other people, but some occupations require more interaction with people than others (e.g., personnel director).   MPA students vary in the strengths and weaknesses. For example, some occupations such as budget director or policy analyst, require strong quantitative skills. 

 

It is helpful to think about things that are highly valued by employers.   A variety of factors affect the demand for public service professionals. All of these are beyond the control of MPA graduates. Overall economic conditions impact public service organizations and their ability to hire. For example, poor economic conditions in the State of Michigan in recent years have impacted state and local governmental revenues and their ability to hire new employees.   The age structure of currently employed public service professionals affects the number of retirements. For example, in the federal government, a large portion of civil servants will become eligible for retirement in the next decade. An expected tsunami of retirements likely will mean additional hiring. Finally, occupations vary in the extent to which they are subject to short-term or long-term changes in demand. For example, the demand for governmental budget analysts will be relatively constant over time, because the number of governmental units does not change much over time.  Important events such as the terrorist attacks of 9-11 led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and significant hiring in this area. Until a few years ago, most of the growth in state government in Michigan was in the Department of Corrections due to laws enacted by state government that affected sentencing. The demand for persons with training in new occupational specialties, such as E-government, geographic information systems, or quality assurance, may increase rapidly. 

 

What types of public service occupations do MPA graduates hold? 

 

Local Government:

 

Budget analyst

Administrative assistant

Planner

Services director

City manager and assistant city manager

Department director

Program coordinator

Financial officer

Personnel director

Public information officer

 

State Government:

 

Policy/research analyst

Budget analyst

Director or assistant director

Legislative analyst

Financial officer

Quality assurance specialist

Personnel director

 

Federal Government:

 

Program administrator

Legislative director

Program manager

Policy analyst

Program evaluator

Coordinator

Director, assistant director

Budget analyst

Personnel director

 

Nonprofit Sector:

Director, assistant director

Program specialist

Development officer

Marketing and communications

Gifts coordinator

Financial administrator

Quality assurance specialist

 

Academic:

Research associate

Professor

Affirmative Action Officer

Research Grants Manager

 

Private Sector:

Director, assistant director

Community relations

Contract consultant

Development officer

Reporter

Public relations specialist

 

 

What resources exist to help me in career planning?  

 

MPA Faculty Members: All MPA faculty members, particularly the Director, are available to provide you with guidance in planning a career.   It is your responsibility to contact MPA faculty members for this purpose. They may be of help to you in thinking about and finding answers to the three questions listed above. They may help you to identify internship possibilities. They may suggest that you talk with a public service professional, perhaps with one of the MPA program’s graduates. They will furnish you with advice on professional development.  

 

Career Services, Wayne State University: The Office of Career Services is located in 1001 Faculty/Administration Building. Their telephone number is 313-577-3390. Their website is: http://www.careerservices.wayne.edu . This office can be helpful in developing a professional resume. They also offer career counseling and several job search resources. 

 

Mentors: A variety of professionals may be helpful in providing you with guidance. These include internship supervisors, in-service students in the MPA program, graduates of the MPA program, and local area public service professionals.   Although there is no formal mentoring program for MPA students, the Detroit Metropolitan Area chapter of the American Society for Public Administration is planning on developing such a program in the near future. 

 

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Information (NASPAA): The student section of the NASPAA website http://www.naspaa.org  provides valuable information on careers in public service.   The section profiles the careers of the graduates of NASPAA accredited MPA programs.   In reading about the careers of these MPA graduates, you may identify with and be inspired by one or more of them. The section will give you an appreciation of the wide range of career opportunities for MPA graduates in government, in nonprofits, and even in the private sector. The section also provides information on salaries of different occupations in different public service organizations. 

 

Department of Labor: The website of this government department, http://www.bls.gov, provides valuable information relevant to occupations in all sectors of the economy. Particularly useful is the Occupational Outlook Handbook that provides information on earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions. 

 

How do I choose a concentration? 

 

MPA students must choose a concentration at the time they submit a Plan of Work. This must be done after finishing 10 credit hours in the program. The student should meet with the Director to discuss their career plans. A concentration should be chosen that complements those career plans. Great care should be taken in selecting courses for the concentration. Many of these courses are offered by other departments at Wayne State University. Some may not be offered on a regular basis.   Students should contact the relevant department for information on how often a course is offered and the semester or semesters in which it is generally offered. It is advisable to take courses that are not offered every year when they do come up. The MPA Handbook provides guidance on particular concentrations and courses associated with them.   It should be noted, however, that some courses, although they remain in the Graduate Bulletin, are no longer being taught, and that new courses are developed and taught every now and then. Sometimes the name of a course may change, or it may no longer be cross-listed. Consulting a current edition of the Graduate Bulletin will be helpful: http://www.bulletins.wayne.edu/gbk-output/gbk-index.html .

 

What do public service professionals say about career preparation and beginning a career?

 

In addition to studying, doing high quality work on your course work assignments, and achieving academic excellence, there is a consensus among public service professionals regarding the three most important things to do in preparing for and beginning a career. These are:

 

(1) Internships are a must to learn skills and to meet people who can help

you.  Paid is good, but work for free is you have to in order to get

experience.

 (2) Professional networking is a must.  Figure out where the people in jobs

where you want to be go and join these networks.  If you are interested in

local government, they often suggest you start going to council meetings to

learn the issues facing public managers.

(3) Do not expect to do what you want when you start out.  Be willing to do

"lesser" things in order to learn new skills.  Be flexible and think long-term.

 

What is meant by professional development?

 

This refers to the socialization of public service professional—the education, community involvement and service, organizational membership and participation, and study and reflection that contribute to acquire the knowledge, skills, professional norms and ethical values, and personal relationships that are distinctive to the public service professions.   For MPA students, things that contribute to professional development include participation in MPA program activities, attendance at Department of Political Science and Wayne State University events, membership and activity in professional associations, attendance and participation in community and public service related meetings and organizations, and the reading of newsletters and journal articles.  For MPA students, professional development contributes to the acquisition of what is often called the “professional edge.”   It is the sum of qualities that define excellence in a public service professional. 

 

An important MPA program activity is the annual Lent Upson Lecture and Public Administration Honors Banquet.   The Lecture alternates between a prominent academic and a prominent administrator. Occasionally, the Department of Political Science has been a sponsor or cosponsor of a conference, such as one held in Fall 2005 on Inter-local Government Cooperation.   Brownbag lunches on topics of local policy issues are held regularly by the Center for Urban Studies.   Units of Wayne State University often bring in public officials for lectures or other events.

 

There are many organizations for public service professionals. The largest and most important is the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). All MPA students are encouraged to join this organization. There are various benefits to membership including a bi-monthly journal, Public Administration Review, a monthly newsletter, PA Times, and electronic access to various journal publications.    MPA students who read articles from the journal and the newsletter will stay abreast of developments in public administration and their knowledge in the field will be up-to-date.   The Detroit Metropolitan Area chapter of ASPA is an organization of about 80 members. It holds three or four program meetings annually in addition to an annual meeting.   These meetings afford opportunities for MPA students to learn about important issues and interact with other MPA students and local area public professionals. MPA faculty members and graduates have served as officers in the chapter. 

 

MPA students also should consider joining other associations relevant to their career interests. For example, local managers typically are members of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA). 

 

Local governments and community organizations hold meetings from time-to-time that are open to the public. For example, city councils and local school boards schedule regular meetings. Other community organizations also sponsor meetings that are of public interest. Attending such meetings may afford opportunities to talk with experienced public service professionals. 

 

How do I prepare a resume?

 

You will need to prepare and/or update your resume. As indicated above, Career Services at WSU can be helpful here. For pre-service students especially, it can be helpful to indicate on your resume your GPA (especially if it was very high), your concentration, and the skills that you learned that are relevant to public service jobs (e.g., Microsoft Excel and Word, SPSS, interviewing and survey research, budgeting, policy analysis including forecasting, benefit-cost, and cost effectiveness).   A description of your internship experience may be useful.

 

Some MPA programs now require students to compile a portfolio of their work. Although WSU’s MPA program does not, it may be helpful for you to retain copies of your work as a student that you can show prospective employers, should a situation arise to do so. For example, students in PS 7480 write a “Quick Policy Analysis” paper and give a “PowerPoint” presentation. These can be kept on a flash memory and shown to an employer who would like to see examples of your work as a student. 

 

Where can I get information on specific job openings? 

 

It still may be true that most applicants find out about specific job openings for which they obtain interviews by “word of mouth.” It’s important to participate in and build personal and professional networks throughout a career.   An internship can lead to a permanent job, as can information about job opportunities acquired from membership and participation in professional associations. MPA faculty members, especially the Director, may be alerted by MPA program alumni and other public service professionals about job openings, particularly locally. The Director will post information on such openings on a bulletin board outside his or her office and distribute information about such openings by e-mail.  

 

The internet has become more important in recent years. The most comprehensive website for federal jobs is: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov . The website for State of Michigan government jobs is: http://www.michigan.gov/mdcs .    At the local governmental level, use a search engine to locate the websites of specific governments to determine if they post job openings. If you know somebody who works for a local government, a telephone call might help.   A number of professional organizations now list job openings. For example, the Michigan Municipal League posts job openings: http://www.mml.org . So does the American Society for Public Administration: http://publicservicecareers.com .  

 

Finding out about job openings in nonprofit organizations is more difficult. Using personal and professional networks may be particularly important here. Newspapers list some openings.   

 

There are a large number of services today where job seekers can post resumes. These services are valuable to some employers, but it’s probably too soon too judge their worth to persons seeking jobs in professional service organizations. 

 

How should I conduct myself in a job interview?

 

There’s a lot of advice for those who have a job interview. You should dress like a professional. Some employers are known to ask a standard set of questions, and you can think ahead of time about how you will answer those questions.     The employer likely will expect that you know something about the organization, its mission, and the position for which you are applying. They may use the interview to verify information on your resume, especially your education and employment experience.   They will assess your level of motivation, your commitment, and whether or not you can fit into and make contributions to the organization. After an interview, it may be useful to write a thank you note, indicate your continuing interest in the organization, and if you do not hear back in some time, make a follow-up telephone call. 

 

What should I do if offered a job?

 

It may be useful for you to ask further questions if there are any uncertainties about any of the following: name of the position; nature of the work and employer’s expectations, wages or salary, the potential for salary increases, hours of work; opportunities for professional development, benefits of the position (health care, retirement, vacation, day-care, etc.), the stability of funding for the position, probationary period, opportunities for career advancement. Generally, there will be an employment contract, and you should read it carefully before you sign.   

 

As indicated above, it is unlikely that your first professional job will be your “dream” job. All jobs have their pluses and minuses. You should carefully consider these before accepting or rejecting a job offer. You were extended an offer because the employer concluded that among the applicant pool you were the best person for the job.   For nearly all jobs, however, there are multiple applicants, and you will be competing with other applicants, and some of these may be as qualified as you. 

 

Commonly, employers give those offered a position a deadline date to either accept or reject an offer. You should respond before the deadline, either accepting or rejecting the offer. If you need more time to decide, you should negotiate with the employer before the deadline, indicating your need for more time.

 

It is uncommon but not rare for a person to accept an offer for employment but, shortly thereafter, be presented with a better offer. This creates an ethical dilemma, especially if the person has signed an employment contract. In such a case it is unethical without the consent of the employer to back out of the contract. 

 

A number of professional organizations such as ASPA and the ICMA have a code of ethics that provide general guidance on your responsibilities as a professional. For example, the ICMA code specifies that those persons who are hired as city managers should commit to a minimum period of 2 years employment. 

 

What should I do if I am not given an offer?

 

Naturally, this can be discouraging. Occasionally, nobody is hired because funding for the position disappeared. On other occasions the employer may have misjudged the job market, having asked for professional qualifications and a level of experience that are in short supply, or advertised a salary level and benefit package that was not competitive and become disappointed with the pool of applicants. 

 

Some employers may be helpful to you and provide you with reasons why you were not the best person for the position. They are not obliged, however, to do so. Often, these reasons have little or nothing to do with you and your qualifications but rather the employer’s understanding of the nature of the position. They may give you suggestions for improving your performance in future interviews or other suggestions for finding a job. 

 

You will become better in the interview setting with experience. Due to such experience, the probability that you will receive an offer should improve the larger the number of interviews you obtain. 

 

How long will it take to find a professional job after I graduate?

 

It is impossible to predict accurately how long a job search will take, since individual circumstances vary so much as do factors related to the market for public service professionals.   Some MPA graduates have family or other responsibilities and cannot move or cannot move far from where they currently live. Some MPA graduates have initial salary and/or benefit expectations that most entry level jobs do not offer. A host of factors related to the market for public service professionals was discussed above.  

 

What percentage of recent MPA graduates of the WSU program find professional employment within a year or two of graduation?

 

The MPA program periodically monitors the careers of its graduates. The most recent study was conducted in preparation for a Self Study Report submitted in connection with re-accreditation by NASPAA. Note: The MPA program was reaccredited for a period of seven years in July 2006.

 

 Among 29 graduates of the program from academic year 01-02 through 04-05, all but two were employed as professionals. One of these graduates had moved and could not be located; another was voluntarily unemployed (Table 39, p. 137).   Thus, 27 of 28 or 96% were employed.   More recent graduates have also been successful in finding professional employment. 

 

Where do MPA graduates of the WSU program work?

 

A survey of graduates over a longer period of two decades found three working in the U.S. federal government, five for state government, three in county government, eight in city government or another local government jurisdiction, one in a regional government, two in the judiciary, one in the military, four in a college or university, ten in a nonprofit agency, one in a law firm, two in private industry. Four worked as a consultant either in a nonprofit organization or a business. One worked in a managed care organization. One worked for a K-12 school district. Two were self-employed in business (Table 40, p. 138). 

 

I would like to teach? Can MPA graduates find teaching jobs?

 

A few MPA graduates work for educational institutions, mostly colleges and universities. While there are many opportunities for persons holding the master’s degree to teach part-time in local community colleges, these positions pay very little and typically do not lead to a career.   A few community colleges also hire full-time faculty with master’s degrees, generally in areas of high demand. These are very desirable career opportunities.  Teaching loads tend to be very heavy, but there are few requirements to conduct research and publish.

 

The doctoral degree is now essential to obtain a full-time, tenure-track academic job at a four-year college or at a university in the United States and in many other countries. A few graduates of the MPA program apply for and are admitted to the Ph.D. program in political science and offer the sub-field of public administration as the major field and two other sub-fields within political science as minor fields.   This is an opportunity that is generally not available at other universities offering  the MPA degree.  The Ph.D. program is not for everyone. Only those with a strong academic interest in political science and the sub-field of public administration should consider pursuing this degree.   The 39 credit hours earned in the MPA program must be supplemented with a minimum of 21 additional course credit hours. Ph.D. students must take written and oral exams, and they must write and defend a dissertation that involves original research.  Tenure track positions for those earning a Ph.D. in political science with a major concentration in public administration and/or public policy are plentiful and generally easier to find than in other sub-fields where there is much greater competition.  There are some positions for those with the Ph.D., but fewer in number, in governmental, nonprofit, and research organizations.   In a tenure track academic job, newly hired faculty members tend to be hired on a renewable contract. They are given a number of years (typically, a maximum of six) to develop a professional record of teaching, research, and service that is worthy of tenure (a commitment by a college or university to continue to employ a faculty member).