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Tips on a City Job Interview

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Working in a job for the city or a municipal organization has its benefits, good pay and job security, so many people try to get these when they're available. Applicants should keep certain tips in mind when trying to get hired working a city job.

Research the Job

Knowing as much as possible about the job you are interviewing for is always important but especially when applying to work for a major city. Research all programs the city has, what their annual profits and losses have been in recent years, who the top city officials are and what platforms they ran on. The more you can prove how seamlessly you can become integrated into the working environment at the city offices, the better chance you will have at landing the job in many cases.

Dress Properly

First impressions are always some of the most important, especially when it comes to job interviews. Wearing something nice and conservative are always the best ways to go when first meeting your potential boss or employer, especially in a corporate or political environment, like working for a city or municipality. Men should wear suits and ties, or at least a suit with a nice shirt. Women should wear business suits or an attractive but conservative outfit, which makes them memorable but not distracting when trying to get work done.

Answering Questions

Before you are hired and in each interview you do, you will be asked a myriad of questions, ranging from business to personal. Answer business questions in the most confident way possible. Give your potential employer an idea of your own sense of self-worth and that you see yourself achieving things in the next five years, that you are working towards a particular goal. Personal questions should be answered in the same manner, that you are working towards similar goals personally as you are in business. Showing you are a person who is willing to work hard for their own personal goals is something most employers want.

Ask Your Own Questions

Once you have gone through the majority of the job interview, it is also a good idea to ask your own questions about the job, to show your prospective employer that you are interested and curious about the job and what was going on before they were looking to hire someone. Who had the job before you and why did they leave? Or were they fired? Questions should also be asked about having to work on weekends or work overtime regularly, just so that you are aware of the requirements of the job. It's important to know these details because even if you are hired, the job may not be right for you in the long run.

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Writer

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Daniel Westlake has written under pen names for a myriad of publications all over the nation, ranging from national magazines to local papers. He now lives in Los Angeles, Calif. but regularly travels around the country and abroad, exploring and experiencing everything he can.