The Results-Oriented Government Affairs Workplace

Government affairs jobs, whether compliance, regulations or tracking legislation, are involved in a lot of detail. When government affairs people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Government Affairs Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this government affairs job accomplish for the organization?

Government Affairs Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Government Affairs Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Government Affairs Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Government Affairs Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, government affairs jobs--

MAINTAINS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS by

monitoring and tracking legislative, regulatory, trade, and public affairs issues; tracking political action contribution filings and reporting deadlines; presenting information, observations, opinions, and arguments to federal, state, and local legislative and regulatory agencies; reviewing compliance with regulations.

Types of Government Affairs Jobs

Some government affairs jobs lobby regulatory agencies through personal and staff visits. Other jobs review and analyze proposed and adopted federal and state legislation and regulations, and determine compliance positions for complaints, investigations, and administrative proceedings.

Still other jobs clarify regulatory filing requirements, conduct legal research, and gather and organize government, regulatory, and compliance data. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the government affairs people and processes.

Government Affairs Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how government affairs job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Government Affairs Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Government Affairs Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the government affairs results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Government Affairs situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Government Affairs recommendations are ready when needed.

Government Affairs Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future government affairs issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver government affairs recommendations by 10% by (date).

Government Affairs Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each government affairs job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Government Affairs Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Government Affairs Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Government Affairs Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present government affairs recommendations."

The Government Affairs Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Government Affairs Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Government Affairs Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her government affairs work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the government affairs job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Government Affairs Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Government Affairs Job Description and Government Affairs Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the government affairs job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the government affairs job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving government affairs processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new government affairs system controls.

Government Affairs Career Links

Opportunities in Public Affairs, Capitol Hill Job Guide

Types of jobs available on Capitol Hill, addresses for House and Senate, where to look for jobs, jobs/news services, internships, and other resources.

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, Careers and Internships

Profiles of alumni, fellowships, salary information, internships, links to job resources.

Public Affairs Council, Job Information

Information about jobs in the field of public affairs.

Claremont McKenna College, Job Links

Job links to directories, agencies, information sources.

PubAffairs, Public Affairs Networking

Public affairs, government relations, policy & communications network, networking gatherings, job listings.