How to Get Hired and Have an Impact in NYC Government

On April 22, the Institute of Global Politics (IGP), SIPA’s Career Advancement Center, and the Urban and Social Policy program at SIPA cosponsored a convening to highlight career opportunities for SIPA students in state and city governments.

Ester Fuchs, director of the Urban and Social Policy Concentration, welcomed the attendees and panelists: three SIPA alumni with senior positions in New York City Government. Annika Lescott-Martinez MPA USP ’15 is the chief financial officer and executive vice president of finance at the NYC Housing Authority. Sarah Peterson MIA EPD ’01 is managing director of the Real-Time Scaling Lab at NYC Public Schools, a think tank developing new educational initiatives to improve literacy and student retention. Michael Sedillo MPA USP ’16 is the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services.

Few of them had initially planned to work in municipal government. Sedillo, who is responsible for procurement for all non-profits delivering social services for the NYC Government, recalled advice Fuchs had given him when he was debating a career in public service: “Do you want to talk about doing stuff, or actually do stuff?”

Several of the speakers highlighted significant overlap between work at the international and federal level, and work in local government. Peterson studied international development and spent several years working in post-conflict reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina before returning to New York. “Every tool that applies overseas applies here,” she said. “People see it in research and policy shops in city governments. It’s a special toolkit.”

Lescott-Martinez, who spent her Presidential Management Fellowship after SIPA working in the White House, advised students that a career in either federal or city government would give them important portfolios. “While in the Obama and Trump White House, I worked on national housing policy, and then I saw that in effect when I got to city government,” she said.

An Executive MPA student in attendance asked how to get a job that matches their skills without starting at the bottom. The panelists agreed that getting a job is not a straightforward process. Many jobs require a civil service title, so the speakers encouraged students to visit the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and take the civil service exam.

Another option is to get a “blank title” from DCAS, a provisional title used by agencies to modify existing positions. A hiring official can then exchange the titles if they want a particular candidate. As a backup plan, the panelists advised students to look for noncompetitive jobs, such as deputy commissioners and chiefs of staff. Discouragingly, getting any job can take up to eight months, even after being selected, but panelists urged students not to give up. “If a hiring manager wants you, they will find a way to get you in,” said Peterson.

With New York City on the cusp of its own mayoral election, Sedillo advised seizing the initiative by taking part in mayoral races or joining during the transition when new mayoral administrations have enormous staffing needs. In fact, going in sooner, during the campaign, is often better than at the start of a new administration, he said. But not all jobs in city government are at stake when a shift in administration occurs, noted the panelists. Directors and analysts face fewer issues at transition — it is only the top 1 percent of management jobs that change.

The panelists emphasized the importance of being very skilled at whatever position they hold, because that excellence is what got them recognized. Sedillo’s reputation as the most prepared person in every meeting won him his current job at City Hall, he recalled. He has also taught himself a lot about procurement, a topic few people were conversant in, but was essential for government operations.

“Understand negotiation,” he advised. “It’s not confrontation, it’s about how you use 90 percent of your questions to try to understand their needs, and to connect their needs to yours.”

Where to start? “If you’re interested in being in service,” Peterson said, “approach everything with humility. It’s not about you. But it would be a beautiful thing; the city needs people like you.” Lescott-Martinez added: “Hone the value that you bring. What will stick out is the passion for what you do. That is your guide to where you can be most effective and creative.”