When a job you want finally opens up, the interview prep that matters most has already been happening, or hasn’t, for months. If you work in local government and hope to move up or move over someday, here’s what I’d tell you to start doing now, long before any posting appears.
Keep a running list
Keep a running list of your projects, writing examples, cross-department initiatives, and times you worked with a team or led as a peer. Don’t trust yourself to remember them later. Memory fades, and the work you’re proudest of is easy to lose track of in a busy year.
For each project, document the details the way you’ll need to deliver them in an interview answer: the outcomes, the challenges, and the impact, with specifics. What did you do, what got in the way, and what changed because of it? Numbers help when you have them.
This list pays off twice. It gives you ready examples for a future interview, and it makes your annual evaluation easier, because you won’t be trying to recall twelve months of work in an afternoon. Keep each year’s notes and look back through them when you’re preparing for an interview. It brings your most challenging and proudest moments to the forefront.
Raise your hand for stretch assignments
If the next role requires experience you don’t have, look for ways to get it. Don’t have budgeting experience? Volunteer to assist with the development of the annual budget. Don’t have interdepartmental project experience? Look for opportunities to help with things like employee recognition events or staff committees. Small assignments add up, and they give you real examples to talk about.
Stay visible to the organization
Attend lunch and learns and other trainings, and engage thoughtfully while you’re there. Ask good questions and contribute. People notice who shows up and who adds value, and as we’ve talked about before, you’re interviewing every day.
None of this requires waiting for a posting. The candidates who seem effortlessly prepared are usually the ones who started well before the job opened.
Insider tip: Set a reminder to update your list once a month. Five minutes while the details are fresh is easier than an hour trying to remember them later.
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