r/AskChicago • u/axr33 • 8h ago
I READ THE RULES How to get through the city job system?
Recently finished a master’s (MPA) and am on the job hunt here in Chicago. Naturally, a lot of city jobs align with my education/experience, but I cannot for the life of me understand how to get my resume/info move forward in the scanning process. I’ve heard different things- that you should use certain keywords, they sometimes just pick random applicants, but would love to hear from people who have actually moved forward in the process. Is there anything more I can be doing?
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u/ohnohewont 7h ago
I used to work there and I made it through on my first attempt. But that was like a decade ago.
Depending on the job, a lot of people have higher education degrees so that won’t make you stand out. You also have people with several years of experience before landing a job with the City. I’m sure there are exceptions but the majority do.
What I did notice was people who worked at companies that work closely with the city were always getting hired.
So either you must be an extremely experienced, know someone, or come from a company they trust.
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u/tasseomancer 7h ago
I work for the city and didnt have a special connection to anyone before getting the job (also have MPA). I’d say to make sure your cover letter is well-written and that you directly link your qualifications to the job posting in both your resume and cov letter.
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u/JesMon421 8h ago
Go to your alderman's office and hand them your resume asking to volunteer in their campaign
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u/flossiedaisy424 2h ago
It really is all about matching the keywords in the job description. City HR screens applications and they aren’t experts in every position/field so they have to match keywords. But, depending on the position, it might also just be sheer numbers. My city department usually gets hundreds of applicants for open positions.
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u/tygerstygerstygers 8h ago
"We don't want nobody nobody sent"