To ensure a level playing field, uniformity and consistency are important when interviewing job candidates

Local government officials need to be highly visible when they recruit new talent to replace experienced pros, says Dave O’Reilly, COO at CivicPlus. The firm offers technology to governments in the form of a modern civic experience platform. The company’s tools enable one-stop, frictionless interactions for residents. The firm’s systems also help staff collaborate and work efficiently. In addition, O’Reilly’s organization helps local governments create and launch custom-branded websites that foster civic engagement, promote a community and empower city and county staffs and residents.

“The key to recruiting new talent as experienced professionals retire is for public officials to get active in their local communities. This can be done by attending a variety of career fairs and networking events, establishing and maintaining a relationship with local universities, and showing up to events hosted by local professional groups,” O’Reilly tells Co-op Solutions.

He adds that there’s a crucial need in local government to create a more diverse workforce and recruit more professionals from underrepresented communities. These include women as well as Black and Indigenous groups. “Public officials can better access these communities by exploring local groups that are specific to underrepresented populations. These communities host a variety of events and networking opportunities. By attending different events, local government leaders can learn about what these individuals want and need in a workplace.”

O’Reilly says that the public sector can take several steps to aid in creating a work team that truly represents the whole community. “For state and local government workforces, having a consistent and structured interview process will aid in boosting diversity and inclusion for recruiting, hiring, onboarding and training. This means that prior to interviewing prospects for any role, leaders must ensure that everyone is receiving the same set of interview questions—and that the same panel will be present for each candidate for the specific role. This will provide an opportunity for each candidate to be evaluated in an equitable manner.” O’Reilly adds that the same procedure should be used for other steps in the recruiting schedule. “It should be a standardized process across the workforce that also covers training and onboarding.”

There are plenty of good venues that organizations can go to when they want to recruit new talent to add to the team, O’Reilly says. “Some of the most beneficial places include colleges, universities and trade schools. However, outside of an educational environment, organizations can look to local professional groups, workforce agencies, Departments of Labor offices, local military installations and community groups that include underrepresented talent.”

Cooperative agreements may offer some relief to overworked and understaffed public procurement teams. O’Reilly describes them as “the next big fix.” He explains: “These contracts can help procurement departments save time and streamline the hiring process, as they provide a connection to a larger talent pool and additional resources that may not be accessible at the individual departmental level.”

OMNIA Partners, who sponsors this page, offers a robust portfolio of cooperative contracts in the public procurement space. The firm lists a number of cooperative contracts under the keyword “engagement.”

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].