Insights into the Emergency Management Hiring Process

Part 2: Tips for New and Aspiring Emergency Managers

May 9

In my second LinkedIn post of this series I sought to gather information for Aspiring and New Emergency Managers. I asked a series of questions aimed at hiring managers to understand their evaluation criteria so I could help educate others on how to leverage themselves better in the hiring process.

I do want to note that while these responses were gathered from hiring managers, I always recommend working with a career coach who can help you in a more personalized manner to define your skills and talents, and frame them in a job lens. They can also help you prepare for interviews with guidance and/or practice.

You can find the full post here, and the questions and responses below.

Hiring Process Questions

🔷 What is unique or different in the EM selection process compared to the business world?

🔷 What places candidates higher on your list, during an interview or application screening?

🔷 What are misconceptions or obstacles that cause candidates to not make it through the hiring process?

🔷 Is there a difference in what you look for between public, private, and consulting roles?

Response Summary

I have summarized the responses into three (3) areas:

Attributes
Background & Skills
Application & Interview Process

Attributes

Personality
- The ability to jive with team members. Teamwork is difficult if nobody gets along with each other.
Be a collaborator, not the sole expert
- Don't be the smartest person in the room (or even if you are don't brag or parade it, someone can always do something you can't).
- Think and act beyond yourself and your experiences. Other people will have ideas and experiences that are necessary for successful planning.
- One should bring in a whole community approach and lead with empathy and compassion.
Characteristics of extreme ownership
- Own your mistakes and lessons learned.
- Have the ability to own a project and figure out a path forward even with ambiguous or unclear directions.
- Independently research and problem solve.
Resourcefulness under pressure
- Demonstrate problem-solving, critical thinking, and innovation.
Soft skills
- Think about leadership and followership, interpersonal communication, empathy vs apathy, initiative, creativity, and problem-solving.

Background & Skills

Experience not solely in Emergency Management (EM) but in the applicable industry. The EM skills can be taught if you have the right industry knowledge and experience.
Ability to work on multiple projects for multiple clients and be able to shift between them easily. Not to be confused with multitasking.
Cross-functional experience. Application of other skills and knowledge not related to Emergency Management (EM). Application of data-informed decisions.

Application & Interview Process

Demonstrating Emergency Management knowledge and practice in an interview will trump Incident Command System (ICS) certificates any day.
- Being able to translate ICS/EM theory (and other skills) to practice is a key skill. Don't just say you understand, demonstrate how you understand.
Candidates may have misconceptions about the interview and assume that because they have certain experiences, skill sets, and attributes listed on their resume they don’t need to demonstrate those skills through the conversation and interview.
Writing a targeted resume (not general) and cover letter will make you noticed for that role.
- Use it as an opportunity to highlight your fit and desire for the role and address any concerns a hiring manager may have.
Ask thought-provoking questions to understand the role and future growth better. Think about questions that you would want to know the answers to when you are in the role and expected to lead.

Are you an Emergency Management hiring manager? Provide your own feedback on what you are looking for in applicants during the hiring process.

Are you a candidate? Share what you did that placed you at the top of the list to get hired.

The Emergency Management Network