THE FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT FINANCE.

The world of local government is changing at a pace that hasn’t been seen in memory. As a result, people who seek to advance their careers in the public sector, including public finance, are well served by being aware of the fundamental routes to success. 

There are ample opportunities available for careers in a number of public sector fields. In public finance for example, there are lots of jobs and room for advancement for budget analysts, grants managers, data analysts, internal auditors, pension analysts and capital finance and infrastructure specialists.  

But what are the attributes you should have – or can nurture through training – to build a thriving career? Increasingly, there’s not necessarily a need for a college degree to advance in public sector jobs. “Government has really led the way using skills-based hiring as opposed to needing a degree,” says Melissa Barker, Vice President of Practice Development at the Duffy Group, a national executive search recruiting firm. “That has certainly expanded the candidate pool to people who couldn’t afford to get a degree but really want to contribute to their community. Government is really good at on-the-job training and continuing education to help employees rise to the next level.”

Of course, the requisite skills that must be developed, “differ from state to state and from city to city,” says Henry Bartholomay, senior manager for Opportunity@Work, a non-profit organization that fosters skills-based hiring, as opposed to hiring based on a narrowly focused degree.

Though that’s certainly true, there are some universal skills that will apply wherever you work. Perhaps the most important of them is ease and familiarity with the latest technologies.  Data literacy is crucial. The need for government employees to understand data – and evaluate its credibility -- has become especially critical for those who are using it to make decisions or monitor the programs in which they’re involved to take steps to improve them.

Additionally, though many of its practical applications have yet to emerge, preparing for a day when AI will likely infiltrate every corner of the government space is crucial.  Even if an individual job is not directly connected to AI, it’s crucial to learn how to ask a question that will elicit a genuinely helpful answer.

Written communications skills are also increasingly vital. As Leslie Scott Parker, executive director of the National Association of State Personnel Executives. points out “In a day when people aren’t necessarily forced to be in the same room – because technology enables less person-to-person discussions – there’s a recognition that it’s important to build strong skills in communicating through other ways,” whether it’s through reports, memos, e-mails or even texts. 

These are, of course, skills that can be acquired through training. But perhaps most important for advancement is true dedication to public service. As Mike Mucha, deputy executive director of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) says, “The overwhelming majority of people going into a career in local government see local government as an opportunity to contribute to their community. . . They're people motivated by public service and solving problems.”

One of the most effective ways for people to advance or demonstrate competence with important skills or knowledge for today’s environment – with or without a college degree – are through certification programs, which are frequently offered by universities and permit people to acquire new sets of skills that they may not have had before. GFOA is a national leader for public finance certification with its Certified Public Finance Officers program. It’s a rigorous effort and to get the certificate it offers, participants must pass individual tests in seven disciplines: budgeting, accounting, debt, treasury, compensation, procurement and risk.”

 But even though gaining specific skills is critical, there’s been a growing recognition that the key to advancing in the public sector are the so-called soft skills, which can be developed over time.

Following is a review of three of these attributes which are among the most important: Adaptability, Collaboration, and Attitude. 

Adaptability: People need the capacity to pivot between tasks or learn new tools or ways of doing things,” says Kelsey Earle, finance director of Auburn, Maine. “The necessity to make those pivots often happens in local governments. Organizational shifts can often come along with new councils or mayors being voted in, for example, entirely new goals can be put in front of you and things that we've been working toward for a couple of years can all of a sudden be things we’re not working towards anymore.”

Not only is it important to be able to adapt to unexpected situations, it’s often also necessary to be able to adapt to pressure.  Says Erica Broome revenue planning manager for Rock Hill, South Carolina, “You’re going to hire people with a good attitude under pressure -- somebody who can be transparent and trusted, because it's going to be chaotic in some types of situations. And if you've got somebody that's going to fly off the handle or just can't handle a little bit of stress, you're going to be in a bad situation.”

As the speed with which many local governments are changing accelerates, adaptability is particularly important. Krista M. Watt, finance director of the Township of Moon Pennsylvania, explains, “There are elements of finance positions that didn’t even exist five years ago. With the increase in the use of technology and AI, we’re seeing less manual work being done and more management of the work that is being done. So, employees that are more valuable tend to have more knowledge of the operations than just one element of finance operations”

Collaboration As people rise through the ranks in cities, counties and states, the more important it is for them to be able to work well with others (that’s something people are graded on in kindergarten, too). “People need to learn to work as a team and learn from one another says Chenese Strange, controller of Irving Texas. “Especially when a department is understaffed, we have to get our work accomplished and that means being willing to work with others and if there’s downtime to learn what their role is and being able to help.”

Collaboration can sometimes be particularly difficult when dealing with cross-generational teams who may have different approaches to work. For cross-generational teammates you’ve got to have curiosity without being defensive,” says Broome. “You cannot treat feedback like a personal attack. You must value the experience of your long-time employees, and the tools and perspective newer hires add.”

In order to collaborate most effectively it’s important to build connections, says Jennifer Fairweather, Chief Human Resources Officer in Jefferson County, Colorado, “Building relationships and trust, are things that will set you apart. Sometimes, people focus on their work product, which is important as well, but the people who can get ahead often have been able to build relationships, whether it’s with difficult customers in the community or different internal customers. These relationships are something that AI will never be able to replicate”

A positive attitude -- This can be particularly difficult in stressful times, but it’s sure to pay off in advancing a public sector career. Says Watt, “When you have that positive attitude, you’re able to collaborate better because people will want to be around you. People will want to share.”

A positive outlook on work doesn’t necessarily mean walking around the halls with a pasted-on smile on your face. As Watt says, “I don’t always come off as the most bubbly, friendly, happiest person, but I have an attitude that’s like let’s make this better for all of us. And when I have that attitude and I share that attitude, we tend to find a common ground with others in our department and other departments within the organization and outside of the organization”

One important element of demonstrating a good attitude in the workplace is by being a problem solver, not just someone who points out the problems. Says Rita Reynolds, director of public sector at CAI, a global technology services firm and formerly CIO of the National Association of Counties, “If someone says I’ve got a problem, I will listen, but I want them to bring me some solutions. Don’t just bring it to me to complain. A positive attitude is all about finding solutions.”

This article is supported by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The article, by Barrett and Greene, is also available in the February issue of GFOA’s Women Public Finance Newsletter. 

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