Opportunities for Public

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• Opportunities for Public
• Administration in a
• Global World

By Professor Evan M. Berman Distinguished
University Professor International Ph.D. Program
in Asia-Pacific Studies Department of Public
Administration National Chengchi University
evanmberman_at_gmail.com
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This Presentation

• An Introduction
• Opportunities in a Global World
• How Students Can Get International in PA
• Promoting Yourself in a Global World

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About Me

• My Background
• Ph.D. in 1988, taught at 3 major U.S.
  universities, wrote 100 articles and 8 books.
• Professional Association American Society of
  Public Administration (ASPA).
• Editor-in-Chief of ASPAs Book Series in Public
  Admin. and Public Policy (Taylor Francis)
• Senior Editor of Public Performance Management
  Review
• Interested in Promoting PA Scholarship in East
  Asia

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ASPAs Book Series in Public Administration and
Public Policy
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A Global World in PA

• Citizens and businesses know what goes on around
  the world - Countries, Counties and Cities
  Compete.
• Top Managers know what goes on around the world
  Taiwan students and managers learn from abroad,
  and travel abroad.
• Professional associations go international
  American Society of Public Administration (ASPA)
  CSPA/Taiwan is the first international PA
  association to join ASPA!

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Opportunities for Students

• Include international content in your studies
  (include intl examples and readings).
• Go to international conferences in your area of
  interest incl. presentations of foreign
  practitioners and scholars in Taiwan
• Email people abroad (e.g., other MPA students or
  professionals) in your area of interest
• Improve your English
• Study abroad for a semester (exchange student)
• Get your MPA or Ph.D. abroad.

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Promote Yourself in a Global World

• Who do you want to be? What difference do you
  want to make? What experiences do you want to
  have?

Source Berman, E. et al. (2009). HRM in Public
Service (Thousand Oaks, CA Sage), 3/e, p. 142.
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The Professional Commitment Statement (PCS)
Exercise

• Step 1 State what difference you want to make,
  and explain why you are qualified and driven to
  do so.
• Step 2 Improve your resume
• Step 3 Make an appointment and visit with 4-6
  people who are qualified to hire you when you
  complete your studies. Ask them about the career
  path and qualifications.
• Step 4 Stay in touch with them.

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The Professional Commitment Statement (PCS)
Exercise

• Step 1 Putting it down on paper

Example

• more

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The PCS Exercise
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Step 2 Improve Your Resume
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Step 2 Improve Your Resume
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Step 3 Interviewing
Interview 1Tommy SmithAssociate
DirectorOffice of Budget and PlanningI met
with Mr. Smith on March 11, 2007. I had a number
of questions about the field of budgeting along
with the state budgeting processes. He was able
to clarify my understanding and offered advice on
job opportunities in the field. When reviewing my
resume he noticed it was not tailored to a
specific job and stressed the importance of doing
that. He also suggested that with my background
and current experience in Accounting I needed to
consider accentuating my budgetary experience. He
also recommended listing references and the
importance of a strong cover letter. He said a
masters degree is a must to start a career in
budgeting. Upon graduation he said expect to
start in an entry level position with a one year
training period, as the budget cycle is a year
long process. Mr. Smith gave me a few contacts in
the Division of Administration Office, but
recommended I not contact them at this time due
to current activity with the states budget. He
let me know that he would be available to answer
any questions I may have on these topics in the
future.
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Interviewing Outcomes -1
Of all the assignments I have had in my 7 years
of higher education, this has been the most
practical. To actually learn about a technique
and then being able to implement is priceless.
From this experience, I have a new outlook for my
future. As an employee at LSU since my
undergraduate career here, I have felt that my
current career choice was unintentional and
hindering. From my talks with these
professionals, I can see that my current position
is an opportunity. This job has given me so many
skills and introduced me to so many other
professionals that I will be able to do whatever
I want to after I receive my MPA. While focusing
on Student Affairs now, I can use the skills in
this field to pursue a career in nonprofit
management or become an entrepreneur. Now after
these interviews, I am thinking more about
working with nonprofits because when I spoke
about this - I felt more passion than student
affairs. Maybe I can tie them together somehow.
With this network of professionals that I am
developing, I plan to use them as a source for
ideas, encouragement, and valuable resources that
they have access to.
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Interviewing Outcomes -2
Overall, I found these networking experiences to
be extremely valuable and quire enjoyable. I
probably should have began networking like this
several months ago, but I am glad that this
particular assignment forced me to get out and
make valuable contacts at this stage of my
career. On the whole, I was very surprised at how
receptive everyone was and how they all seemed
quite willing to offer advice, assistance, and
career guidance. Scheduling the interviews was
also surprisingly easy, as everyone was willing
to meet with me only one or two days after I
first contacted them. During the interviews
themselves, everyone spent an incredibly generous
amount of time with me, ranging from forty-five
minutes to over an hour and a half. Doing this
assignment has tremendously decreased my anxiety
level about finding a full-time job in the near
future and has given me greater overall
confidence about my career goals. Now that I
realize that networking is not nearly as
difficult as I feared, I plan to initiate contact
with a few administrators who work in nursing
homes, assisted-living facilities, and retirement
communities, in order to learn more about the
long-term health care field and seek out many
more valuable contacts to help me get started in
my career.
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How the PCS also helps
Common Interview Questions "Tell me about
yourself.""Why do you want to work at this
organization?""What did you like/dislike about
your last job?""What is your biggest
accomplishment?""What is your greatest
strength?""What is your greatest weakness?""Do
you prefer to work with others or on your
own?""What are your career goals? or "Where do
you see yourself in five years?""Tell me about a
time that you had a lot of work to do in a short
time. How did you manage the situation?""Have
you ever had to work closely with a person you
didn't get along with? How did you handle the
situation?"
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Conclusion

• The world is globally connected Public managers
  are part of a global world, and are expected to
  be familiar with best practices globally.
• Public managers travel abroad, and belong to
  interactional associations
• Public managers define their purpose and
  identity, and tell others of it.
• Students should state what difference they want
  to make, and begin working towards that and
  telling others of it.
• Students can take advantage of international
  opportunities.