Trying to find employment in the City Manager field to no avail... can anyone offer suggestions?

Question

I have been looking for a change of work environments for the past couple of years. I have sent out resumes applying for quite a few positions none of whom I have received an interview from. I have 12 years experience in municipal government in a very large city and I cannot understand what I need to do to spark interest in my resume. It has all the key words and ideas that I think would pertain to such a job. Everyone in the field tells me that there are many people retiring from city manager work and very few young people coming in, so their are more positions than people to fill them. Why can't I seem to find one of those positions? Can anyone offer me some advice?

I have an MPA and I have been in a managerial position here for about 7 years.

and mainly I am looking for Asst. City Manager positions.

Answer 1

Have you tried a headhunting firm that specializes in municipal employment? Many times, city managers rise from the ranks (or at least are assistant city managers before becoming a city manager).

Have you been in a management position in a city before? You say you have 12 years experience in municipal government, but that doesn't mean anything to me...what type of positions did you hold before?

What degrees do you have?

Answer 2

In my experience, many jobs like that go to people that the mayor or city council members know--sad but true. I agree with the headhunter for the few areas where patronage is not the source of employment. Also consider checking out state government (the executive branch) and the judiciary. Sometimes there are also liaison positions between city and state, for instance. Broaden your job search to areas that use your skills rather than focus on the exact job description.

Answer 3

Geography.

Where do you live or want to live?

There are a finite number of cities within a commute you are willing to make 10-20 times a week.

List the cities. Look at www.city-data.com to get a census overview for those cities.

Pick five you don't want to work at and five you do -- for starters. Attend open meetings (city council, work sessions, etc.) at the five cities you don't want to work in. Practice your "meet and greet" skills and get a feel for how hirings and promotions work.

Then take your newly honed skills to meetings in cities where you DO want to work.

You need to learn about the current managers and assistants in ALL of the cities you're willing to work in. You'll learn who's retiring, who hires only from within/never from within, etc.

Go to THEM, don't wait for them to come to you.

Sending out resumes, by and large, doesn't work.

Sending a resume into an office you know something about, then following it up with a phone call, and repeated phone calls if there's an opening coming down the pike, will work.

PS: Most cities are looking for a certain skill set--"rescue skills" if you will. For example, the manager in our city is a financial genius. Keeps the town solvent and invests for the future. He makes decisions when the numbers work. That's not always what a city needs. It might need people skills to pull department heads together or charm to woo the community. Think about your expertise and how it compares to the problems you see in the cities you review.