Veterans Guide to Finding a Job 

in Local Government 
 

CONTENTS 

Task Force Members 3 

A Note to Veterans 4 

What Is Your Level of Experience as a Veteran? 6 

Why Should You Consider a Career in Local Government? 7 

Chapter 1: Understanding City and County Posiঞons 11

Other Agencies 12 

Posiঞons in Local Government – What They Are, What They ‘Do’ 13 

Animals 14

Businesses 14 

Rules and Regulaঞons 15

The Environment 16 

Equipment 17

Ideas and Plans 18 

Numbers 19

People 20 

Check Out Other Local Governments 21 

Chapter 2: Skills Translaঞon 22 

Enlisted-Based Skills Examples 26 

Offi cer-Based Skills Examples 26 

Chapter 3: Building Your Resume 27

Chapter 4: Handling the Interview Process 33 

Prior to the Interview 34 

The Interview 35 

Post Interview 36 

Chapter 5: Focusing on Professional Development 38 

Develop a Plan...This Is a Conঞ nuous Journey 39 

Look for Professional Development Opportuniঞes 40 

Find a Mentor 41 

Social Media Branding 41 

Pay It Forward 41 

Get Credenঞaled 41 

Chapter 6: Stories from the Front Line 44 

Appendix A: Cover Le er Sample 51 

Appendix B: Resume Sample 53 

Appendix C: Resources 56 

. 
 

ICMA Task Force on Veterans 

Guide to Finding a Job in 

Local Government 

ICMA thanks the members of the Task Force on Veterans Guide to 

Finding a Job in Local Government, who are listed below with their 

affiliaঞons at the ঞme of service on the task force: 

TASK FORCE CHAIR 

John Dean, city manager, Ovilla, TX 

TASK FORCE CO҃CHAIR 

Catherine Benne , organizaঞonal 

development administrator, 

Athens-Clarke County Unified 

Government, GA 

TASK FORCE MEMBERS 

Stacey Almond, city manager, 

Lake Worth, TX 

John Caulfield, city manager, 

Lakewood, WA 

Ed Evere , reঞ red manager 

Derek Ferland, county manager, 

Sullivan County, NH 

Eric Garrey, city manager, 

Mexia, TX 

Brian Gramentz, city manager, 

New Ulm, MN 

Dwayne Gray, member in transiঞon 

Cindy Holmes, assistant sustainability 

manager, Raleigh, NC 

Joanna Clark Laws, employee 

development manager, Abilene, TX 

Marianna Marysheva, assistant city 

manager, Riverside, CA 

Fred Meurer, owner, 

Meurer Municipal Consulঞng 

Dusঞn Rief, city administrator, 

Orono, MN 

Mike Riley, program manager, 

Edgesource Corporaঞon 

Steve Riley, town manager, 

Hilton Head Island, SC 

Kathy Rodriguez, deputy historic 

preservaঞ on offi cer, San Antonio, TX 

Jon Ruiz, city manager, Eugene, OR 

Don Stolberg, management analyst, 

St. Charles, MO 

Darrin Tangeman, city manager, 

Woodland Park, CO 

Christopher Vaz, borough administrator, 

Seaside Heights, NJ 

Lisa Ward, The Mercer Group 

Robin Weaver, senior advisor, 

ICMA/ILCMA 

Carroll Williamson, planning director, 

Cayce, SC 

ICMA STAFF ASSISTANCE 

Samantha Wagner, senior manager, 

markeঞng and content 

Kathleen Karas, senior editor 

3 
 

 

 

 

 

A Note to Veterans 

You’ve been in the military for 6, 12, or even 20 years, but now a transiঞon 

to civilian employment is upon you. The job you performed in the military 

will always be important and helped mold you into the stellar soldier and 

future asset to any local government organizaঞon. The challenges you face 

during your transiঞon period to civilian employment are something you can 

overcome by keeping the following in mind. 

First, be aware of tunnel vision. The more important the goal, the more 

likely you are to focus too much on it. Don’t allow your military job, or your 

rank, to define your civilian career path. Trying jobs that are idenঞ cal to your 

military career is never bad, but don’t eliminate those that are diff erent. 

Make a list of 10 to 12 local government careers you think you might enjoy 

and draw addiঞonal skills sets from those. Local government employers are 

always looking for great leadership; teach yourself how to fit the bill and stay 

moঞ vated. 

Second, approach your transiঞon with an open mind. Many former military 

members leave acঞve duty with very high expectaঞons only to fi nd their 

dream job wasn’t waiঞng for them on the other end. Don’t feel defeated and 

never ever give up; you weren’t trained to quit! Start charঞ ng your course! 

Some local government posiঞons may require you to start one level below 

what you’re capable of doing. Don’t take offense to working your way up to 

a job more commensurate with your age and experience level. This provides 

an opportunity to build on your experiences just as you did in the military. 

Take the risk, while it may hurt fi nancially at fi rst, seম ng your goal and 

achieving it will be worth it in the end. When you iniঞally interview with a 

local government agency, inform them of your willingness to accept a lower 

starঞng salary with the intenঞon of working hard, proving yourself, and your 

desire to be promoted a[er obtaining the skills and training necessary. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 4
 

 

Third, it will be uncomfortable, and at ঞ mes very overwhelming. We’re all aware 

the transiঞon itself isn’t that difficult; lots of paperwork, medical appointments, 

clearances, etc. The overwhelming part is all of the transiঞoning happening at once. 

This is why preparaঞon is a priority. Start early, complete your educaঞon, and conঞnue 

learning throughout your military career. The transiঞon process begins months—even 

years—before you are ready to separate. Always invest in your future self; a end a 

trade school, take the extra leadership course in the military, ask your command staff

to support your training requests. 

Fourth, tell your individual military story because it’s one of the most important 

things about you. Don’t be afraid; pay aenঞon to what your audience (prospecঞve 

employer) wants and provide pointed details that make you shine. The opportunity to 

relate your military career to the posiঞon you’re applying for will present itself, and 

when it does, don’t shy away. Provide prospecঞve employers with those important 

job-related connecঞons, capitalize on your strengths, as they relate to the posiঞon 

your applying for, and never omit the leadership qualiঞes that have been so valuable 

to you throughout your extensive career. Your military experiences are individual to 

you. Be able to effecঞvely communicate and prove to the prospecঞve employer that 

your skills are top-notch. 

In closing, you can successfully maneuver the transiঞon from military life to a career 

in local government. Remember to be aware of tunnel vision and try not to focus 

on only one career path; branch out, and take some risks. Always approach your 

transiঞon with an open mind and be prepared to take one step back to eventually 

move two steps forward. Prepare to be overwhelmed; but know it will pass. Educaঞon 

and job-related training is the best investment you can make in yourself. Lastly, 

tell your story, make it relatable, and provide those valuable connecঞ ons. Take this 

informaঞon and go forth, like the Army slogan says, “Be all you can be.” 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 5 
What Is Your Level of Experience 

as a Veteran? 

EARLY-CAREER VETERANS 

Your military skill sets are most common with 1 to 10 years of service. 

You’ve been given immense responsibility in austere and poliঞ cally sensiঞve 

environments at a young age. You’ve managed budgets and cross-funcঞonal 

teams that are larger than an enঞre local government staff. You are great 

under pressure and rarely inঞmidated by complex problems or issues. You are 

the perfect fit for a local government job. 

MID-CAREER VETERANS 

Your military skill sets are most common with 10 to 16 years of service. As a 

mid-career veteran, you know what it’s like to run cross-funcঞonal teams, like 

those in local government organizaঞons: human resources, fleet and faciliঞes 

maintenance, budget and procurement, logisঞ cs, operaঞ ons management, 

informaঞon technology, and civil affairs. 

Your experience and maturity make you an incredible asset for conflict 

management with a demonstrated ability to solve complex local government 

problems. You will succeed in any local government role off ered to you. 

SENIOR VETERANS 

As a senior veteran, you may have a myriad of city- and county- managerlevel leadership experience in strategic planning, operaঞ ons, budgeঞng, 

logisঞ cs, transportaঞon, and city/base operaঞons. You have excelled in 

leading a diverse team of talented people that involved signifi cant interacঞon 

on a daily basis with the local city and county governments, school boards 

and chambers of commerce, as well as businesses and the general public. 

Further, you worked with the state and federal levels of government during 

state and naঞ onal emergencies. 

Let’s get started. 

6 VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 
Why Should You Consider a 

Career in Local Government? 

While many who are transiঞoning out of the military naturally gravitate to 

careers in law enforcement or choose to return to school to learn a new 

profession, there are actually many opঞons within local government that might 

be appealing to veterans. For some, having a lower-stress job, or one where 

you’re not on-call all of the ঞme, is one of the greatest pulls toward some 

government jobs. According to Chris Taylor, assistant director of transportaঞon 

in Abilene, Texas, he was looking for “a lile or no stress career” when he was 

transiঞoning out of a nearly 27-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps. Iniঞ ally, 

he says he wanted “a career where I would look at my watch at 5:00 p.m. and 

could go home for the day. A career that would enable me to have weekends 

with my friends and family.” Ulঞmately, Chris says he “didn’t go into that 

career. Instead I went into airports,” but there are lots of other opঞons for folks 

who are looking for a slower-paced, less stressful environment within local 

government, especially within many entry-level posiঞons. 

Fortunately, the diverse training that most in the armed services receive can 

help them have the needed skills for a variety of jobs. As Perry Tucker, a 24-

year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a member of Abilene’s traffi c signals 

department, relates, “It was easy for me because I had been tasked in so many 

diff erent posiঞons (i.e., aircra[ maintenance, safety, logisঞ cs, management, 

etc.) throughout my military career that I could apply for many diff erent jobs.” 

While it can be hard to “translate” those military skills over to civilian jobs, the 

wealth of experience and training military folks receive opens them up to lots 

of job opঞons. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 7
 

 

 

 

TROUBLE WITH “TRANSLATING” SKILLS 

While you know things will change once you leave the military, being able to 

successfully navigate that transiঞon by geমng the credit you deserve for all of the 

work you’ve done can be parঞcularly challenging. Because the military uses such 

specialized vocabulary (and lots of acronyms) for many of its jobs and skills, it can be 

difficult to know the equivalents in “civilian-speak.” According to John Hardy, a 21-

year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a code compliance officer in the stormwater 

division of Abilene, 

“I found it extremely diffi cult to arࢼculate the levels of responsibility I had 

during my service to individuals with limited or no knowledge of military structure. 

I also had some trouble explaining the correlaࢼon between the jobs I had in the 

military and the posiࢼon I was trying to get.” 

To make the translaঞon easier, be sure to take advantage of the transiঞon services on 

your installaঞon, and check out our skills matrix on page 13. 

LAUNCHING THE CIVILIAN JOB SEARCH 

As you get ready to leave your post for the last ঞme, there are several things you can 

do to help make your civilian-life job search successful. Be sure to take full advantage 

of the transiঞon resources your installaঞ on offers, but also do some of the things 

civilians do every day when looking for a new job. Search the Internet, network with 

your friends “on the outside,” take advantage of local workforce centers, and aend 

local job fairs. Just be aware that you’re starঞng over in many ways, and don’t be 

frustrated with how new and strange that may feel. John Hardy of Abilene shares, 

“I really didn’t know what to expect with any job outside the military; it was 

scary and exciࢼng at the same ࢼme. I would compare it to my first job search 

as a young adult.” 

Many veterans want to conঞnue a career in service in some way, and that’s o[en 

why work in local government can seem so a racঞve. Be sure to check out your local 

SLOW DOWN, SOLDIER 

government’s webpages and job posঞngs to see if a career in a highly structured, 

service-oriented local organizaঞon might make you feel right at home. 

You know on some level that your working life is going to be very diff erent once you 

get out of the service, but what exactly that’s going to look like is hard to tell. One 

thing that has frustrated more than one veteran is the much diff erent pace within 

local government. According to Perry Tucker of Abilene, things in local government 

“move very slowly, unlike the military, where things happen as you speak.” While the 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 8 
 

 

differences in speed of execuঞon can be jarring at first, local governments o[ en have 

many more hoops and hurdles to jump through and over when implemenঞ ng new 

projects and iniঞaঞ ves. 

To help provide a context for that seemingly glacial pace of government change in 

the public sector, you can get educated on your local government and its structure. 

Learning more about how your government works and the different roles the council 

or board, mayor, city or county manager, and others have can help you understand 

their decision-making and reporঞng structures and the ঞmelines they o[ en operate 

within. 

THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL (OR IN THE MILITARY) 

One of the toughest things for many veterans to navigate when entering the civilian 

workforce is the “really thin skin” civilians have, according to Adam Esquivel of 

Abilene’s streets division and a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Many 

veterans have noted that others view them as parঞcularly abrupt, callous, and sharp 

when they are new to the workforce because the tone and expectaঞ ons within the 

military are much diff erent. 

In order to adjust your tone and vocabulary and to develop your more sympatheঞc 

side, spend a lile ঞme each day as you transiঞon out of the military talking with and 

listening to other people. While you need to speak to other adults as adults, slowing 

down your pace, warming up your tone, and finding kinder, gentler words will help 

others receive your messages more easily. 

A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY ... 

RIGHT NOW 

Like the military, most local governments do not offer the best pay, but try to make 

up for it with a good benefits package. For those transiঞoning out of the military a[er 

a few years of service, having access to these benefits can be a real benefi t to your 

family. And for those who have transiঞoned to the reserves, you will o[en fi nd that 

local governments are very understanding of the commitment this will entail. Perry 

Tucker put it well when he said, “If someone is looking for a job with security and 

benefits that will offer a secure future in reঞrement, then the city [or county] may be 

where you want to be. But, if you are more interested in short-term fi nancial gain, 

then you should look somewhere else for employment.” Because budgets are limited, 

jobs within the public sector o[en don’t pay as much as similar jobs in the private 

sector. 

A perk for most civilian employees is the package of benefits—medical insurance, life 

insurance, and such. If you’ve le[ the service before reঞrement, these benefi ts will 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 9 
 

provide help and support to your family. However, if you’ve reঞred from the military, 

your reঞ rement benefits cover many of the same things the local government may 

offer at no cost to you, so hearing about a robust benefits package in your new job 

might be a bit graঞng. However, there may be some supplementary products your 

organizaঞ on offers that your family may want, and remember, medical insurance 

“on the outside” will cover dependent children unঞl they are 26 years of age. Also, 

whatever isn’t being deducted for benefits from your paycheck goes straight to you, so 

maybe that can take some of the sঞng out of the whole “less money” thing earlier. 

There is a trade-off for those who aren’t rolling in dough right now that occurs down 

the road. One of the best things about working for a local government is that most 

organizaঞons have really good reঞrement plans. Even for those who remain in the 

reserves hoping to one day earn a pension, or have already qualified for a military 

pension, the addiঞ onal reঞrement funds that will be available when you reঞ re from 

your local government job will provide a wonderful safety net for you and your 

family. And, for many organizaঞons, your years in the military may count toward your 

vestment with the new organizaঞ on’s reঞrement, helping you get more credit and 

money more quickly. 

Now that you have heard from fellow veterans on things that they have experienced, the 

following secࢼons will provide you with more specifi c informaࢼon on local government 

careers and how to look at matching your skills to local government jobs. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 10 
CHAPTER 1 

Understanding City and County

Posiঞons 
 

 

1. UNDERSTANDING CITY AND COUNTY POSITIONS 

Each city or county enঞty will have a unique structure. There is not a “standard” 

organizaঞon chart for how a city or county government is organized. 

Note for early-career veterans: Many ciঞes and counঞes follow a pa ern when it 

comes to an entry-level posiঞ on. The posiঞ on will o[en include the word analyst, 

operator, worker, assistant to, or technician in the ঞtle. Following are just a few of the 

‘typical’ posiঞon ঞtles you might see: 

• Management analyst 

• Water operator 

• Assistant to the city manager 

• Sewer technician. 

Many of these posiঞons are o[en open to applicants with no direct experience in the 

field. For example, a small-city sewer department might simply be looking for someone 

with vocaঞonal knowledge or cerঞficates. A management analyst posiঞ on might 

simply require an undergraduate degree in any field. The next secঞon covers specific 

posiঞons—what they are called and what they actually ‘do.’ 

OTHER AGENCIES 

Remember, also, that there can be mulঞple local governments in your area. There can 

be dozens—if not hundreds—of individual suburbs or outlying small towns surrounding 

major ciঞes. Each of these is a separate enঞty with separate hiring processes. Do not 

overlook the employment opportuniঞes in these communiঞes. 

Don’t limit your search to city and county governments. Port authoriঞ es, airport 

authoriঞes, and special uঞlity districts (just to name a few) have posiঞons that are 

similar to city and county governments. You will find many of the same posiঞ ons noted 

above in these types of organizaঞons. Here are some sample organizaঞons: 

• Port Everglades (a department of Broward County, Florida, government) 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

• Port of Galveston (a stand-alone port authority) 

• Brushy Creek Municipal Uঞlity District (a small uঞ lity district) 

• Mustang Special Uঞlity District (water and sewer district in Texas). 

12 
POSITIONS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: 

WHAT THEY ARE, WHAT THEY ‘DO’ 

Animals 

• Animal Services 

• Zoo 

Businesses 

• Economic Development 

• City Planning 

• Markeঞng & Promoঞon 

A racঞ ons, Events, 

• Exhibiঞ ons, Creaঞ ve Industries 

• Neighborhood Development & 

Revitalizaঞon 

Rules & Regulaঞons 

• Public Safety 

• Emergency Preparedness 

• Risk Management 

• Compliance 

• Accreditaঞon 

• Legal Services, Ethics 

• Historical Preservaঞon 

• Cybersecurity 

The Enviornment 

• Watershed & Storm 

Management 

• Sanitaঞon & Recycling 

• Land Use & Management 

• Sustainability & Urban Design 

• Parks 

Equipment 

• Equipment Operator 

• Treatment Plant Operator 

• Mechanic Maintenance 

• Construcঞon 

• Informaঞ on Technology/GIS 

Ideas & Plans 

• Strategic Planning 

• Performance Management 

• Engineering 

• Capital Improvement 

Projects, Infrastructure 

• City Planning 

• Economic Development 

Numbers 

• Accounঞ ng, Financial 

Planning, Budgeঞng, 

Purchasing 

• Economic Development 

• Performance Management 

& Data Analyঞcs 

• Capital Improvement 

Projects, Infrastructure 

People 

• Educaঞ on Training, Public 

Educaঞ on/Informaঞon, 

Library 

• Health, Family & 

Support Services 

• Recreaঞon 

• Public Service 

• Human Resources, 

Benefi ts, Organizaঞonal 

Development 

• Legal Services, Courts 

Icons made by h p://www.freepik.com. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 13 
 

 

 

 

The previous secঞon provided an overview of the wide variety of posiঞons in local 

government. This secঞ on off ers informaঞon on a cross-secঞon of posiঞ ons—what 

those posiঞons are and what they ‘do’ in local government. 

ANIMALS 

Animal services departments o[en handle animal control (dealing with potenঞally 

dangerous pets and animals, enforcing noise and zoning ordinances related to 

pets and other animals, picking up stray animals, removing nuisance animals from 

residenঞal areas, and cleaning up animal carcasses from roadways) and adopঞon 

services (connecঞng eligible animals with forever homes). 

Many municipaliঞes across the country have zoos that employ a range of jobs from 

zookeepers, who clean cages and care for animals, to dieঞcians and veterinary aides. 

Some off er educaঞon programs for the community. 

BUSINESSES 

If you enjoy working with business groups and people to build new businesses, 

strengthen the local economy, and encourage others to come together and make life 

beer where you live, then there are several areas of city or county government that 

might be of interest to you. 

Economic development offices are responsible for meeঞ ng with potenঞ al businesses 

to encourage and incenঞvize them to locate their business within your area. They also 

spend ঞ me scouঞng out locaঞons, working with local chambers of commerce and 

visitors bureaus to help “sell” the city or county to others, and meeঞng with city and 

county leaders to strategize about growth. 

Markeঞng and promoঞon posiঞons exist within some larger governmental enঞঞes 

to help the city or county as a whole or to help individual departments launch new 

iniঞaঞves, educate the public, and/or draw aenঞon to great exisঞ ng programs. 

People won’t use or support what they don’t know about, and folks in this career field 

help get the word out. 

If you’re interested in the arts or events but sঞll have an interest in the business side 

and promoঞon, then working in a department that plans and manages a racঞons, 

events, exhibiঞons, or creaঞ ve industries might be for you. Some municipaliঞes 

and counঞes own or manage museums or outdoor art spaces, sponsor fesঞ vals or 

community events, and/or work with producঞon companies to set up fi lm, television, 

or video shoots. Jobs in this area require creaঞvity, planning, networking, and 

promoঞon. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 14 
 

 

 

 

Planning departments are responsible for shaping the look and feel of the community. 

Planning folks consider the layout of the city or county as a whole; determine where 

commercial, industrial, and residenঞal zones should be; and help residents navigate 

the area through roads, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and more. 

If you’d prefer to focus on a parঞcular area within a city, then work in neighborhood 

development and revitalizaঞon might be for you. Folks in this area of municipal 

government make concentrated efforts to plan, design, and curate specific parts of 

town to help them become strong, vibrant parts of the community. Folks in this field 

may also turn their aenঞon to a neglected area of town and help it regain its former 

glory. 

 RULES AND REGULATIONS 

If you love living life “by the book,” then a career in one of these fi elds might 

be for you. 

Public safety may include law enforcement (police or sheriff ’s departments), fire 

services, and/or emergency medical services. While careers in these fields do interact 

heavily with people, the backbone of these fields is composed of laws, regulaঞons, 

protocols, and standards. If you’re good with details and following procedures, careers 

in this field might be a good fit. 

Emergency preparedness is all about geমng ready for what can go wrong and having 

a plan for that. While this field requires a lot of planning and communicaঞ ng with 

other enঞঞes, it is perfect for those who like to come up with detailed plans that 

respect the rights and responsibiliঞes of various jurisdicঞons and groups. Plus, this 

area o[en has to manage grants and reporঞng requirements for equipment, training 

programs, and more. 

If you’re interested in workplace and equipment or vehicle safety, then risk 

management might be the area for you. Making sure things and people are working 

properly and safely in order to avoid accidents and injuries is what risk management 

is all about. Many risk management offi ces also invesঞgate city- or county-related 

accidents and damages, and some even help to coordinate and manage workers’ 

compensaঞ on programs. 

If you like making sure others are doing what they are supposed to, then a career 

in compliance might be for you. Any area that has an ordinance or standard that 

needs to be enforced could have some sort of compliance service or department. For 

instance, some places have code compliance officers and/or inspectors to make sure 

buildings or construcঞon projects are doing things correctly. There can also be food 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 15 
 

 

or restaurant inspectors, as well as folks who check for illegal dumping and unkempt 

property. 

Various departments within a city or county might seek to aain accreditaঞon 

through their appropriate accrediঞng agency or group. Whether the accreditaঞon 

applies to the department as a whole (the zoo or the police department) or to a 

program within the department (the paramedic training program within the fire 

department), larger local governments someঞmes have staff that help with the 

accreditaঞon processes of collecঞ ng data, wriঞng reports, and coordinaঞ ng site visits. 

Keeping things honest, fair, and aboveboard is the work of legal services and/or ethics 

oversight offi cers. In addiঞon to trying cases and invesঞgaঞng possible policy or 

pracঞ ce violaঞons, careers in legal services or ethics oversight allow folks to promote 

diversity in hiring and promoঞ on pracঞces and provide training on ethical decisionmaking. 

If you have an interest in history mixed with a good measure of building codes, 

architecture, and economic development, work in historic preservaঞon might be right 

up your alley. Finding, researching, preserving, restoring, and promoঞng key historical 

sites, homes, and arঞfacts contributes to the richness of the communiঞes in which we 

live, and careers in this field help to tell the stories of our history and heritage. 

If technology and informaঞon are your forte, then working with cybersecurity might 

be more your speed. Local governments deal with a massive amount of informaঞon, 

and someone has to keep that informaঞon safe and secure. Seম ng up fi rewalls, 

establishing informaঞon permissions, and creaঞng storage soluঞons that are 

impenetrable to hackers and other malcontents are important components of this 

field, in addiঞon to establishing local policies and procedures to keep the network 

safe. 

THE ENVIRONMENT 

Local governments provide lots of opportuniঞes to have a direct impact on the 

environment and the safety and sustainability of the world in which we live. 

If you’re interested in protecঞng the creeks, rivers, lakes, and other waterways where 

you live, and the land that surrounds them, you may be interested in a career in 

watershed and stormwater management. Jobs in these areas help protect the land 

and water in the environment from contaminaঞon and harmful erosion by studying 

and guiding paths for rainwater run-off, as well as inspecঞng for illegal dumping and 

possible industrial or commercial contaminaঞon. 

If your concern is with garbage and fi nding beer ways to dispose of waste, 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 16 
 

then a career in sanitaঞon and recycling might be for you. Many city and county 

governments have trash or solid waste services, and more enঞঞes are adding 

recycling programs and centers in an effort to reduce waste and protect our earth. 

Some governments include sewage and wastewater removal and condiঞoning 

services under this heading since more enঞঞ es are finding ways to “recycle” effl uent 

water. 

Land use and management departments take an acঞve role in deciding the best uses 

for various land resources within the area. Not only does this area help to protect 

natural resources and support conservaঞ on efforts, it also helps to shape the layout of 

the city or county and to enforce various codes and standards related to how land is 

used within its jurisdicঞon. 

If land use and management sounds kind of interesঞng, but you’d rather be situated 

within a larger city, then a career in sustainability and urban design might be of more 

interest to you. Folks in this field make long-term plans concerning development and 

infrastructure for more populous areas to make sure that their communiঞes can be 

powered and run in the most effi cient ways possible. 

Creaঞng and maintaining spaces where people can come together outside are a 

couple of the major funcঞ ons of parks departments. Parks can be specialized areas for 

specific purposes, like ballfields or equestrian parks, or they can be open greenspaces 

that are designed to give residents that “back to nature” feeling. From mowing and 

landscaping to planning and building, parks work is varied but sঞ ll closely ঞed to the 

environment. 

 EQUIPMENT 

Instead of green things, maybe more industrial-type things are your idea of a good 

ঞme. There are various kinds of jobs in local governments that use tools, intricate 

machines, and large pieces of equipment to do more than make some noise. 

Equipment operators exist within many areas of city and county governments. Folks 

in this job category typically operate large pieces of equipment, like backhoes, dump 

trucks, tractors, and/or trash trucks, to name a few, and they can be engaged in a 

variety of tasks, from digging water lines and building roads to maintaining land and 

picking up waste. 

Plant operators work within city or county public uঞlity departments. Many local 

governments run their own water treatment plants, electrical plants, natural gas 

plants, and/or telephone/ telecommunicaঞ ons cooperaঞves. Plant operators might 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 17 
 

 

 

work within the physical plants where the uঞlity is housed, or they might support the 

infrastructure (lines, pipes, and such) through which the uঞlity is delivered. Many jobs 

in this area require special credenঞals, and some local governments might be willing to 

let you learn on the job. 

If you can fix vehicles and equipment, local governments are interested in you! Ciঞes 

and counঞ es need mechanics of all kinds for a wide variety of work. While most 

local governments do have fleet vehicles and specific equipment that needs to be 

repaired and maintained, many enঞঞes also have airports, rapid mass transit, and 

other specialized means of moving people around that have to be fi xed and 

maintained. 

If you can repair and maintain buildings, or systems commonly used in buildings (like 

heaঞng, air condiঞoning, electrical), then a career in maintenance can be very fulfilling. 

Work in this field can vary depending on the age of the buildings, the needs of the city, 

and the budget of the organizaঞon. 

Some ciঞ es have construcঞon crews to build small projects and/or structures to fulfill 

new iniঞaঞves, proposed expansions, and other things. If you’re a “ground-up” kind of 

person, this field might be just right for you. 

If you’re into more technological sorts of projects, then a career in informaঞon 

technology or GIS might be for you. Informaঞ on technology departments o[ en do 

everything from running cable and seমng up equipment, to troubleshooঞ ng so[ ware, 

to programming and generaঞng new code. Geographic informaঞon system (GIS) 

departments are responsible for tying electronic data to physical locaঞons, giving ciঞes 

new looks at program usage, call paerns, and infrastructure mapping. 

 IDEAS AND PLANS 

Maybe you aren’t a hands-on kind of person; maybe you’re more interested in 

dreaming, planning, and geমng things organized. If those acঞviঞes sound more like 

what you’re interested in, then consider a career in one of these fields. 

Folks who work in strategic planning are interested in looking forward into the future, 

determining the possible needs of the city, and then developing plans to address those 

needs. If you’re all about what could be and how to get there, this area might be for 

you. 

Performance management is an emerging field in local government, so more 

organizaঞons are looking for folks who are able to keep track of goals, performance 

indicators, and budgets, and to compare those numbers to the aspiraঞ onal targets 

housed within planning documents. If you like to keep tabs on how departments are 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 18 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

doing compared to their stated goals, this is the area for you. 

If you like the science and physics of designing and building things, then a job in the 

engineering department might be for you. Engineering work with a local government 

can cover a variety of projects and areas (from traffic and roads to construcঞon 

and planning). Work in this area o[en requires specialized degrees, training, and/or 

cerঞficaঞ on. Someঞmes, they will pay for your training. 

In some jurisdicঞons, there are folks who manage capital improvement projects 

and/or infrastructure improvement projects, projects that typically include large 

construcঞon or improvement projects. If your city or county is going to undertake a 

large road improvement project, a building project, or some other project that’s going 

to cost a lot of money, then someone needs to oversee design and permiম ng and/or 

manage contracts, contractors, ঞmelines, and every detail along the way. 

If you’re an “everything has a place and everything in its place” kind of person, then a 

career in planning and development might be for you. Planners help to shape the look 

and feel of a jurisdicঞon, deciding where houses, businesses, and industries should be 

located and how the flow of vehicles and people around those areas will be impacted. 

They also work with all sectors of the community, from home owners to developers 

and business folks. 

As menঞ oned earlier, economic development offices are responsible for meeঞ ng with 

potenঞal businesses to encourage and incenঞvize them to locate their business within 

your area. Folks in this line of work can have a big impact on the long-term economic 

future of a city or county. 

NUMBERS 

If nothing makes your heart sing quite like a long column of numbers, then there are 

several areas of local government that might be of interest to you. 

Local governments always need folks who can plan, make, and track purchases 

and expenditures. There are lots of opportuniঞes in accounঞng, fi nancial planning, 

budgeঞng, and purchasing that may fl ex your fiscal muscles. From determining where 

the money will come from and how to use it to actually buying and paying for things, 

careers in these areas provide great opportuniঞes for your numerical interest. 

Economic development has already been menঞoned a couple of ঞmes, but there 

is a lot of number work that goes into puমng together market analyses, incenঞve 

packages, budget projecঞons, and the other documents that make your city or county 

a racঞve to new businesses and industries. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 19 
 

 

An emerging field for many larger organizaঞons is the area of performance 

management and data analyঞcs. In this field, you’d be working directly with data to 

chart trends, track performance indicators and goals, and help the organizaঞon find 

areas of waste or improve efficiency. If you believe a good data set can answer a 

mulঞtude of quesঞons, this area might be for you. 

As previously menঞoned, folks in capital improvement projects and infrastructure 

improvement projects are responsible for big projects, and they need good numbers 

folks to lead projects to successful and on-budget conclusions. 

 PEOPLE 

Many of us are “people” people—we love interacঞng and working with other people. 

There are several areas within local government that allow us to get our fill of the 

folks in our communiঞes. 

Many local governments have opportuniঞes under the educaঞon umbrella—training, 

public educaঞ on/informaঞon, library, zoo, health department, schools, and school 

systems. If you enjoy helping people learn new skills, improve their lives, and more, 

then a job in an educaঞon capacity might be for you. 

Another area where you can potenঞally impact a lot of folks is in health or family and 

support services departments. Many of these jobs are directly related to healthcare 

or social work fields, so there’s an immediate opportunity to directly serve the folks 

within your community by providing quality healthcare, assistance in navigaঞ ng public 

and private social and safety programs, and support for folks through ঞmes of change, 

transiঞon, and growth. 

If you like interacঞng with people in a fun and supporঞve atmosphere, then a job 

in recreaঞon might work for you. Many local governments have diff erent programs 

depending on the age group being served and the needs of the community. If you like 

playing dominoes with senior residents in the morning and teaching kids games a[er 

school, then consider a career in recreaঞon. 

While many of our first responders must consider laws and regulaঞons, their jobs 

are really about serving people. Therefore, a career in public safety might be a good 

choice for someone whose heart is to help. Fire, police, and EMS personnel are on the 

front line of helping people with whatever they need, right when they need it. 

If you like to interact with people, and don’t mind a lot of paperwork, then perhaps 

a career in human resources, benefits, or organizaঞ onal development might be for 

you. Human resources professionals help hire new employees, get them plugged into 

the organizaঞon, and help them with all parts of the employee life cycle. Benefits 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 20 
 

 

 

personnel focus on insurance coverage and other perks for employees, while those in 

organizaঞonal development devote their ঞme to growing people and the organizaঞon 

in mutually beneficial and posiঞ ve ways. 

If you have specialized knowledge or skills, and you like working with people within 

legal contexts, then a career in legal services or within a court might be for you. 

Local governments need clerks, paralegals, lawyers, judges, bailiffs, and someঞmes 

probaঞ on officers or marshals to serve the local community. From traffic ঞ ckets to 

code violaঞons and everything in between, folks in these areas help people live safely 

and fairly within their communiঞes. 

So, what if all of these areas sound really interesঞng and you can’t choose just one? 

Well then, maybe you need to focus on city or county management. Folks in this field 

need to love wearing mulঞple hats, making lots of decisions, and serving all sectors 

of the community. If you like your fingers in a lile bit of everything and you have 

previous management experience, then you might consider a career as a management 

analyst, an assistant to an administrator, or as a city or county manager. 

CHECK OUT OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS 

In addiঞon to the city or town where you find yourself, or your hometown, look 

around: there may be dozens of other ciঞes within a reasonable commuঞ ng distance. 

In some metropolitan areas, the number of local governments can number in the 

hundreds. In addiঞon to ciঞes and counঞes, there are specialized governments (a 

local water and sewer authority or a parks district), regional governmental agencies, 

and offices of state and federal agencies. School districts employ far more than just 

teachers. Look at all the many local governments that are constantly looking for talent. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 21 
CHAPTER 2 

Skills Translaঞon 
 

 

 

 

 

 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

2. SKILLS TRANSLATION 

When a military veteran is geমng ready to separate from the service or preparing for 

future employment a[ er separaঞon, it is o[ en difficult to relate military experience 

to specific jobs or job qualificaঞ ons. We o[en become so rooted in trying to equate 

specific skills acquired in occupaঞ onal specialঞes, but specific military duঞ es do 

not easily convert to civilian posiঞons. However, if you break down the duঞ es and 

responsibiliঞes held by anyone in any posiঞon of military leadership, regardless of size 

or area of responsibility, you will see that many of the skills compare. 

Understanding the skills translaঞon dynamic involves three main factors. First, is the 

skill set you have based on your specific career experience. Second, there’s how you 

think those skills will fit the job you are seeking. And third, you must be mindful of 

what the hiring authority (board, council, ciঞzen panel, etc.) understands about your 

military experience and how it will translate. On this last point, you can probably 

assume the hiring authority has lile or no military experience and will not innately 

understand how your skills might fit beyond the obvious elements, i.e., overseeing a 

lot of people or budgeঞng. So, you must be prepared to tell that story and convince 

them of the uঞlity and transferability of your military experience. 

Military Skills 

and Experience How It Translates to Municipal Career 

Leadership 

Strategic Planning 

Communicaঞon 

This is prey obvious. All organizaঞons with people need 

leadership. 

Apart from seমng the tone and strategic direcঞon for an 

organizaঞ on, you could fi nd yourself devoঞng a lot of ঞ me to 

staff development. 

Also, fairly straighorward. Some municipaliঞ es have welldeveloped strategic plans and some do not. 

Geমng out and about to see people in person always trumps 

email. If you have experience leading teams or organizaঞ ons with 

mulঞ ple shi[s or dispersed locaঞ ons, you will definitely rely on 

those skills. 

23 
Military Skills 

and Experience How It Translates to Municipal Career 

Financial 

Management 

Collecঞve 

Bargaining 

Policy Review/ 

Development 

Personnel 

Management 

This will be a perceived gap in your skill set. The level of detail 

required in budgeঞ ng and financial oversight will likely exceed 

what you did in the military, unless your career fi eld happened 

to be in finance. If you are a senior veteran, you were probably 

involved in budgetary decision-making but also probably had a 

resource advisor who made the sausage for you. Depending on 

the staffing structure of your municipality, you could be expected 

to be the sausage maker. But here’s the good news: You can 

probably learn it very quickly, and a[er a budget cycle or two, 

you’ll be an old pro. And there are a lot of resources ICMA or your 

regional/state enঞty can off er. 

This will be another perceived gap in your skill set: collecঞve 

bargaining and interacঞng with unions boils down to people 

skills, which ulঞmately leads back to core tenets of leadership. 

If you listen to people, try to understand their perspecঞ ve, and 

can effecঞvely communicate, then you will be an outstanding 

negoঞator and have no problem with labor-management 

relaঞ ons. Collecঞve bargaining also requires good organizaঞ on to 

keep track of proposed changes as well as numbers, so you can 

calculate potenঞal impacts to your budget. It’s not rocket science, 

but your hiring authority will be leery of your lack of collecঞve 

bargaining experience, so be ready to discuss it. 

Remember how much you hated that staff job and how tedious it 

was to update policy documents? Every municipality has policies 

for just about everything imaginable. The bad news? You won’t be 

familiar with state law that drives those policies. The good news? 

You understand the process and can figure it out. And there’s 

more good news--your local/regional municipal organizaঞ on and 

ICMA have lots of tools and resources to help you. It’s a very 

collaboraঞ ve career field. 

Like leadership, this is another obvious skill that should be evident 

to your hiring authority. 

 

 

 

 

mid-term feedback and annual performance evaluaঞ ons, and 

recognizing outstanding work...these are all crucial skills and 

depending on your parঞ cular situaঞon, could be in great demand 

You will probably have an HR director but 

your experience with hiring and interviewing (if you worked with 

GS civilians) documenঞng substandard performance, conducঞng 

for the municipality. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 24 
 

 

 

Military Skills 

and Experience How It Translates to Municipal Career 

Event Coordinaঞon 

and Planning 

Remember all the “dry runs” and preparaঞon of the tour route, 

checking and double/triple checking the audio visual setup in the 

HQ conference room? Remember all of the meeঞngs to review 

every single detail of the iঞnerary? Here’s the good news: those 

skills might not have been in vain! You’ll probably get to host a 

visit from a senator or governor or be responsible for planning a 

conference or workshop. You’ll be the most experienced person 

on the team to get it planned and done right. 

Elected Offi cial or 

Senior Leader 

Engagement 

As you might expect, these skills will also translate very well 

as you engage with your elected select board, council, or 

commissioners. These elected officials come in all shapes and 

sizes, backgrounds, and levels of experience. But you have to be 

polite and courteous at all ঞmes. 

When dra[ing a resume specific to a government posiঞon you want to apply for, 

you need to relate your experiences with these skills in mind. Many are overlapping 

and easy to grasp, such as leadership and supervision, but others may need some 

addiঞonal thought. We use human resources skills when we counsel or discipline 

subordinates, schedule and conduct training, and approve leave and special passes. 

As a leader, you have had to budget ঞme, resources, and manpower, much like a city 

manager would. Military leaders at all levels use criঞcal thinking and problem-solving 

skills on a daily basis. We need to be able to communicate that experঞse to those in a 

posiঞon to give us an opportunity to get a foot in the door. Even a[er only a few years 

of military service, you probably have more supervisory experience (leading a team) 

and independent decision-making experience than any civilian applicant for the job. 

Talk up the experiences that sharpened these skills that you possess. 

In the military, enlisted and officers are trained differently; therefore, their skills base 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

may be translated differently. Enlisted personnel typically have stronger technical skills 

related to their military occupaঞonal specialty, while officers typically are trained in 

more general management with less technical skills, maybe excluding some types of 

posiঞons such as a pilot. It is important to understand the diff erence when translaঞng 

these skills on a resume. 

25 
ENLISTED҃BASED SKILLS EXAMPLES 

General skill: squad leader of three soldiers; translated skill: supervisor of three 

personnel. 

Technical skill: troubleshoot electrical and avionics systems of the AH 64D Apache 

helicopter; translated skill: strong problem-solving skills of highly technical and 

complicated systems and processes. 

OFFICER҃BASED SKILLS EXAMPLES 

General skill: platoon leader of 45 soldiers; translated skill: mid-level manager of 45 

personnel of varying technical specialঞes. 

Technical skill: logisঞcs commander for a baalion of 350 troops; translated skill: 

provided logisঞcs support for 350 personnel for administraঞve, training, and in-field 

operaঞons. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 26 
CHAPTER 3 

Building Your Resume 
 

 

3. BUILDING YOUR RESUME 

Let’s face it, no one likes wriঞng a resume. And when you transiঞon out of the 

military, you will run into hiring managers and human resource personnel with lile 

understanding of the value military experience provides in the areas of leadership and 

management and the transferability of those skills, knowledge, and abiliঞes to civilian 

public service. 

It’s always important to note that the art form for a veteran’s resume at any career 

stage is to structure it in the same “dialect” of English spoken in the target community. 

You want to explain how the skills or leadership abiliঞes that you gained on acঞve 

duty are the idenঞcal skills and leadership aributes sought by the community. 

Here are some ঞps on building a resume from Dr. Frank Benest, ICMA’s senior advisor 

for Next Generaঞ on Iniঞaঞ ves. 

1. Contact Informaঞon 

Put your contact informaঞon (home address, work and home and/or cell phone 

numbers, and work and/or personal email addresses) at the top of the resume. 

2. Objecঞve 

Skip it. An objecঞve takes up space on the resume plus it adds lile value. If you apply 

for a specifi c posiঞon, it meets your objecঞ ve. 

3. Length 

It depends. For entry-level jobs, one or two pages are fine. For mid-level jobs, you 

should try to keep the resume to two or three pages. For senior manager or execuঞve 

posiঞons, three or four pages are appropriate. 

4. Font 

Hiring managers are o[en baby boomers, some of whom are vision-challenged, so use 

a font size of 12 and avoid use of italics and fancy fonts. Use a clean, easy-to-read, 

and business-like font, such as Times Roman, Arial, or Georgia. 

5. Educaঞon or Professional Experience First? 

Again, it depends. If you have a fair amount of work experience, you should place 

“Professional Work Experience” first in the resume and “Educaঞon” last. If you do not 

have much work experience and your educaঞonal background is solid, put “Educaঞ on” 

at the front and then provide “Professional Work Experience.” List professional 

experience in reverse chronological order with the most recent experience first. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 28 
 

 

 

 

6. Educaঞon 

Put your most recent educaঞon first. If you do not have a lot of experience in the 

subject area of the posiঞon that you are seeking (e.g., economic development, 

environmental management), you can include several classes or major projects or 

papers in the subject area. 

Under “Educaঞon,” you should include any cerঞficaঞons earned on the job. 

7. Quanঞfi able or Verifi able Results 

Wherever possible, show tangible results from your job eff orts. Quanঞ fy your job 

responsibiliঞes and the results of your efforts or indicate verifi able results. 

8. Skills, Knowledge, and Qualificaঞons 

Don’t include a separate secঞon on skills, competencies, knowledge, or qualificaঞon 

areas, especially at the beginning of the resume. It will appear to the reviewer that you 

are trying to hide your job experience unঞl later in the resume. Resume screeners in 

the HR department or the hiring manager in the department want to see your specific 

educaঞon and job posiঞ ons upfront. 

9. Bolded Subheads Reflecঞ ng Funcঞons of the Posiঞon 

This is important. Most resume screeners or hiring managers will spend five or six 

seconds scanning your resume. They will focus on your educaঞon and job experience. 

In scanning your resume, they tend not to read a lot of verbiage, which runs together 

under each posiঞon listed. Therefore, you should use bolded subheads under your 

most recent or your two most recent posiঞons. These subheads should correspond to 

and reflect the skills or funcঞons of the posiঞons that you are seeking. For instance, 

you can use some of the following subheads: 

• Staff Supervision 

• Budget Preparaঞon and Management 

• Program Development 

• Facility Management 

• Team Leadership 

• Personnel Administraঞon. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 29 
 

 

 

 

10. Internships and Volunteer Experience 

Include internships and volunteer experience under “Professional Experience,” 

especially if you need to show skills and experience beyond your limited paid work 

(you do not need to indicate if an internship is paid or unpaid). 

If you have ample paid work experience, you should not include internships or 

community service under “Professional Experience.” You can create a separate secঞon 

ঞtled “Other Experience” or “Community Involvements.” 

Use “pro bono” instead of “volunteer” service. 

11. Professional Involvement, Affiliaঞ ons, and Awards 

Include a secঞon near the end of the resume ঞtled “Professional Involvement and 

Affiliaঞons” where you can list membership in professional associaঞ ons, especially 

if you serve as an officer or on a commiee, or have taken on some other leadership 

responsibiliঞes. 

If you have a lot of professional or community involvements, select the ones that are 

most relevant or impressive. 

If you or your team have earned any awards, list them here. 

A cauঞonary note: Don’t get carried away! You do not need to aach copies of awards 

and cerঞficates. A simple list is more effecঞve than pages of a achments. 

12. Personal Interests 

Unless your leisure or other personal pursuits are relevant to the posiঞ on, don’t 

include them. 

13. References 

Typically, you should not put references in the body of the resume unless the hiring 

agency specifically asks for them. Lisঞng references takes up space on the resume 

plus it is someঞmes hard to ensure that your references will resonate with the 

hiring manager. If the agency does ask for references, you should use professional 

references only (again, unless they ask for personal or non-professional references) 

and include them in the cover leer. Usually, you should not include elected officials 

as references unless you worked directly for them or you are applying for a chief 

execuঞ ve posiঞon. 

Assuming that you do not list references, the hiring manager or HR department staff

will request references for the finalists. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 30 
 

 

Contact appropriate references early on and get them lined up even before any 

recruitment process is iniঞated. When asked for references, you should provide 

contact informaঞon. 

If you do not have extensive work experience, some well-regarded references 

included in the cover leer may help diff erenঞate you from others who also do not 

have a lot of experience. 

14. Cover Leer 

Provide a cover leer of no more than one page in length, preferably one-half to 

two-thirds of a page. Ensure that the cover leer is not addressed “To Whom It May 

Concern” or to the “Public Works Director.” Rather, you need to find out who is 

making the hiring decision and address the cover leer to that person by name and 

posiঞon, even if you are required to submit your resume to the HR department. 

In the cover leer, cite professional experience, qualificaঞons, or unique skills that 

make you parঞcularly suited for the job or any traits that are being sought by the 

hiring authority. You need to emphasize in the cover le er your compeঞঞve edge in 

seeking the job. 

15. Online Applicaঞons 

Remember to include your resume with an online applicaঞon. Most job boards allow 

you to aach or insert your resume into the electronic applicaঞon. It is best to aach 

your resume as a pdf file. If the job board or web site does not allow a achments and 

only allows you to copy and paste the resume into the comment secঞon, then get rid 

of all special characters and text effects. Bullet points, bold, italics, and other special 

effects should be removed because they either do not come through at all or are 

turned into other characters making the resume hard to read. 

Complete any online applicaঞon without referencing “see resume,” even if some of 

the informaঞon is duplicated. You want the hiring manager to use a familiar format 

(their applicaঞon), augmented by your polished resume when considering you for a 

posiঞon. 

OTHER TIPS 

• Gear your resume specifically toward the posiঞon or promoঞon that you are 

seeking. Do not rely on a standard resume. 

• Keep a resume file and throw in notes about key accomplishments, awards, and 

possible references as you think of them. This file of notes will help you easily 

update your resume when you need to. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 31 
 

• Update your resume and keep it updated even when you are not acঞ vely 

seeking a new job. It is easier to tweak a resume than to create an enঞ rely new 

one. 

• Spell check! 

• Ask a trusted colleague or coach to criঞque your resume and idenঞfy any skill or 

experienঞal gaps that you need to fi ll over ঞme as you pursue advancement. 

• Send your updated resume to coaches so they can keep an eye open for 

appropriate opportuniঞes. 

• Send your updated resume to execuঞve recruiters and ask for an in-person 

or telephone meeঞng to explore opportuniঞes in the profession (or request 

a coach to send your resume, and then you can follow up with a meeঞng). 

Remember, requesঞng a meeঞng with a recruiter is not a burden on recruiters— 

they need “product” to peddle, especially in a ঞme of scarce talent. 

• Send your updated resume in advance of an informaঞonal interview with a 

department head or chief execuঞve or other senior manager inside or outside 

your organizaঞon. 

• Bring copies of your resume and references with you to any interview. Don’t 

assume everyone has a copy, even if you sent it in advance. 

• Use your resume to parঞcipate in LinkedIn or other social media sites. 

• When you apply online, print the applicaঞon and resume you have submi ed so 

you can see exactly what the hiring manager will see. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 32 
CHAPTER 4 

Handling the Interview Process 
 

 

4. HANDLING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS 

You have translated your military skills, idenঞfied the local government job you want, 

and submied a great resume. You filled out the mountain of applicaঞon forms and 

required documents. Now you get the phone call/email saying you’ve been selected 

for an interview. You’re excited, saঞsfied, anxious, and impaঞent—probably all at 

the same ঞme. There are a lot of great resources on the web for handling interview 

quesঞons. Here are a few ঞps tailored just for you. 

This is probably one of the biggest areas in which a veteran may have some anxiety 

because interviewing is not something that is done regularly in the military. However, 

many veterans that have made the transiঞon to civilian careers liken the interview to 

either a promoঞon or other type of board a service member may have experienced. 

So, most veterans are really prepared for the interview process, they just know it by 

another name. 

PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW 

Your military background will help you prepare. You may have been before a 

promoঞon board or an awards board before. While the preparaঞon may not be 

idenঞcal, the preparaঞon process is very similar. 

1. Do your homework (i.e., assess the situaঞ on). Learn about the city/county by 

browsing the website. In larger ciঞ es/counঞes, the department you applied to will 

probably have its own website. Prepare for sample quesঞons you know you will 

encounter: 

• How does your military experience apply to this posiঞ on? 

• Tell us about an event or project that you did very well. 

• How do you interact with others? Are you good at working on teams? 

• Why do you want to work ‘here’ (i.e., versus federal government, state 

government, or private sector)? 

2. Pracঞce the interview (i.e., ‘rehearse’ the operaঞ on). You probably found 

during your military career that “rehearsals” before any operaঞ on, while tedious, 

really helped the final product. Find someone to ask you some quesঞ ons. Look 

up your old “bale buddy,” ask your spouse, or maybe you know someone in local 

government (even beer!) . . . just pracঞce the process of ask and answer. 

3. Plan to arrive early. Plan to get to your interview locaঞon about 10-15 minutes 

early. When you get there, smile and greet everyone warmly. You probably will be 

met by someone you will eventually work with or who may be on your interview 

panel. Relax, breathe, and get ready for a great interview. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 34 
 

 

 

 

 

THE INTERVIEW 

Every interview will be different. Even if you interview for mulঞple jobs within the 

same city or county, the interview panel process may be diff erent. This handbook will 

not be able to give you a ‘standard’ interview format. That said, here are a few ঞps 

that generally apply: 

• Answer the quesঞon, but not more than the quesঞon. Think about the 

context of each quesঞon from the perspecঞve of your potenঞ al employer. 

Your interview panel (or hiring manager) is interviewing mulঞple people for 

this posiঞon, and they are looking for someone who will add value to their 

department. When asked, “tell us a lile about yourself”, don’t say “I got 

out two months ago and this looked like a good job.” On the other hand, 

don’t start with your birth and give an autobiography of every aspect of your 

military career. Find a good middle range that describes you in a way that 

will be interesঞng to the interview panel (or hiring manager). Frame yourself 

in a manner that shows how you will add value to their organizaঞ on. Answer 

quesঞons in “civilian” terms, avoiding military acronyms or lingo. Not everyone 

will know what those leers stand for, and not everyone will be comfortable 

asking you to translate. 

• Watch your tempo. You may or may not be nervous, but you have spent ঞme 

in an organizaঞ on where geমng things done quickly is valued. You may think 

you are answering the quesঞon with all the relevant informaঞ on, but your 

interviewer just hears a steady drone of facts and data. Modulate your voice, 

shi[ eye contact between panel members, ‘listen’ to the cadence of your own 

voice, and try to keep a conversaঞ onal tempo. 

• Ask for feedback during the interview. Unlike a promoঞon board in the military, 

it’s perfectly acceptable to ask quesঞons of your panel. For example, let’s say 

you’re applying for a posiঞon as a sewer technician, and you have no previous 

experience as a sewer technician. You are asked “How would you fix a leak in 

a sewer main?” You prepared for this, and you give examples from your career 

of how you were given a new task or assignment, quickly “ramped-up” on your 

own, and learned how to adapt to a new situaঞ on. Once you’ve fi nished your 

example (that was concise and in conversaঞonal tempo!), take a moment to ask 

the panel, “Was that helpful in understanding how I would take on the task?” In 

some cases, the panel may not be looking for your technical experঞse so much 

as they are looking to see how adapঞve and creaঞ ve you are. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 35 
 

POST INTERVIEW 

• Write personalized thank you notes immediately. It seems like a small thing, but 

an applicant who is perceived as grateful for just the opportunity to interview 

will o[enঞmes be rated higher than one who feels he/she is supremely qualified 

for the posiঞon. Remember, you asked them for the chance to interview, and you 

got it. That’s reason enough to off er thanks. 

• Assess how you’ve done. Make notes for yourself for the next level interview or 

the next interview elsewhere. 

OTHER TIPS 

• Connect with an ICMA coach to help you prepare for the interview. Your coach 

will provide you with beer understanding of the interview process and may 

even do a mock interview with you. 

• Request informaঞ onal meeঞngs with people who are familiar with the local 

government. Your goal is to understand the prioriঞes, issues, problems, and 

needs of the local government and the specifi c posiঞon for which you are 

interviewing. A good coach can be very helpful in guiding you in this research. 

• Prepare a short introductory “elevator” speech of no more than three minutes. 

Use it to highlight skills and show how your experience and talents would be a 

great fit for the posiঞon. 

• Know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. What do you like about 

work, what do you dislike about work? It is important to get the right fi t for you 

and the employer. 

• Make sure you give a concise and complete response to quesঞons. Many 

jurisdicঞons use the behavioral-based interviewing process, which a technique 

used by employers to evaluate a candidate’s past experiences and behaviors in 

order to determine their potenঞal for success. An example of a behavioral-based 

interview quesঞon is: Give me an example of how you exerted leadership during 

a difficult ঞme, as opposed to: What is your leadership style? (You can google 

behavioral-based interviewing for more informaঞ on). 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 36 
 

 

• The best way to answer any quesঞon is to organize your response in three 

steps by remembering the acronym E.A.R. as follows: 

E = Event: Think of an actual event or process that illustrates the quesঞon 

being asked. 

A = Acঞon: State the acঞon(s)you took during this event or process and the 

reasons for your acঞons. 

R = Results: State the results of your acঞons both in the short-term and long 

run. 

You can use this formula to respond to any quesঞon, whether it has to 

do with a technical issue (such as budgeঞng) or a management issue, 

such dealing with difficult people. It is important to provide examples in 

answering quesঞons that are relatable to local government. 

• Interviewing is an art and skill: the more you pracঞce, the beer you get. 

Ask your coach or someone you know in local government to conduct a mock 

interview with you. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 37 
CHAPTER 5 

Focusing on Professional Development 
 

 

 

 

 

5. FOCUSING ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

As you transiঞon from the military to a local government role, you should know that 

you already have one of the most important skill sets to succeed: leadership. However, 

local government professionals require a new and improved skill set that includes 

building collaboraঞve partnerships across all sectors – residents’ groups, neighboring 

communiঞes, and governments at all levels, as well as private and nonprofit 

organizaঞons. They must be adept and willing to seek experঞse and resources 

outside the bounds of their own organizaঞons. Community demands for services are 

increasing. State and federal funding for local government is at an all-ঞ me low. And 

to complicate maers is a growing list of difficult social and economic issues that 

transcend geographic boundaries. Now more than ever, local governments are on their 

own to fi nd sufficient resources or soluঞons to fully meet their communiঞ es’ wideranging needs. 

To meet those demands, it’s important that you commit yourself to professional 

development. Doing so provides you with knowledge and proficiencies needed to 

change and shape your career. Below are some professional development ঞps: 

DEVELOP A PLAN ...THIS IS A CONTINUOUS JOURNEY 

Your job in the military likely dealt with making lots of plans in order to be ready for 

every type of conঞngency that could be thrown at you. That mindset will serve you 

well as you embark on your civilian career. There are a number of things you can do to 

prepare for the task of finding a civilian job. 

First, conduct an honest assessment of your professional skills by reviewing your 

fitness reports and asking respected peers for feedback. You may recognize pa erns of 

strengths and weaknesses that others saw in you that you were not aware of. Ask your 

peers for specific examples: these will be useful for your job interviews and will come 

in handy as you prepare your resume and cover le er. 

Second, find resume-building workshops for veterans. The Veterans Administraঞon 

is a good place to start, but many other organizaঞons now offer this service. A[er 

reviewing your fitness reports, you can beer frame the work you accomplished, 

which will help to create a more succinct and clear resume that employers can 

understand quickly. Creaঞng a word picture of yourself is a great way to approach this 

task. 

Third, ask your superior officers to serve as references and keep up with their contact 

informaঞon so that is current, since they will likely be moving around and may be hard 

to find. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 39 
 

 

 

LOOK FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

Once you have a polished resume and cover leer, it is worthwhile to start at least 

reviewing the job openings at local governments. Submit applicaঞons and start doing 

your homework on these local governments by reviewing the website, a ending city 

council meeঞngs, and reading meeঞng minutes. Even if you may not feel it is a good 

fit, applying and interviewing helps to get some interviews under your belt so you can 

refine your interviewing skills. 

Conঞnuous professional development is criঞcal while you are applying for these 

posiঞons. During your self-assessment and review of local government skills, you 

likely idenঞfied some weaknesses. Seek out training to improve on those weaknesses. 

Research whether a graduate program in public administraঞon is feasible and 

beneficial for the job you are seeking. This is increasingly the best graduate degree 

to have and many universiঞes now offer the courses online or at night to beer 

accommodate a professional’s schedule. 

ICMA is commied to providing the professional development support 

veterans need throughout their local government career. Through its 

leadership and professional development programs, your new and 

improved leadership skills will help you lead the way and thrive in your 

career. For more informaࢼon on ICMA University programs, 

visit icma.org/university. 

Never underesঞmate how compeঞঞve the job market is for these jobs, parঞcularly 

the ones that require leadership experience. You will likely be interviewing with city 

staff that have no military background and it is important to not come off as arrogant 

or superior. Having an aমtude of professional curiosity in the challenges of the 

posiঞon and respect for staff, regardless of whether you think you could run circles 

around them, is criঞcal and o[en comes with pracঞ ce. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 40 
 

 

FIND A MENTOR 

Mentors will be a tremendous asset in geমng your foot in the door. They can 

range from recently reঞred city managers or department heads living in the area to 

local professors within the public administraঞon department. Offering to take them 

to lunch is a good, informal way of showing your appreciaঞon for them taking the 

ঞme to speak with you. They can provide enormous insight into the history of local 

governments and the best places to work. Ask them to review your resume and get 

honest feedback. Request to pay them for regular consultaঞons as your career plans 

progress. The good ones will refuse this offer, but will appreciate the gesture. 

SOCIAL MEDIA BRANDING 

Social media is a tool you should use, but less is best. Of course, LinkedIn is the best 

professional social media plaorm for job seekers, but keep your personal profiles 

clean of much content other than photos of your family and showing off your fine 

wood-working skills. No poliঞcal opinions or rants. Use common sense as you think 

about what your subordinates in the military would put on their social media pages 

that would get them into trouble. 

PAY IT FORWARD 

Once you’ve found your dream government job and seled into a long and 

prosperous career, don’t forget to help other veterans with their transiঞ ons. If you 

know of another veteran who is joining your organizaঞon straight out of service, offer 

to become a mentor or even just a friend to help with the transiঞ on. Conঞ nue to walk 

the mantra of “never leave a man or woman behind” by reaching out and providing 

the support to others that you wish you had. Whether you just culঞvate a relaঞonship 

one-on-one, establish a small support group in your locaঞon, or get involved in 

ICMA’s mentorship program, there are ways you can conঞnue to serve your fellow 

troops as they join you as civilians. 

GET CREDENTIALED 

The ICMA Voluntary Credenঞaling Program recognizes professional local government 

managers qualified by a combinaঞon of educaঞon and experience, adherence 

to high standards of integrity, and an assessed commitment to lifelong learning 

and professional development. Managers are recognized by ICMA through a peer 

review credenঞaling process, and this self-directed program offers an opportunity 

for interested ICMA members to quanঞfy the unique experঞse they bring to their 

communiঞes. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 41 
 

 

 

 

VETERANS’ ACCOUNT: 

WHY PURSUING ICMA CREDENTIALED MANAGER ҎICMAҁCMҏ

RECOGNITION WAS RIGHT FOR ME 

DARRIN TANGEMAN 

City Manager, Woodland Park, Colorado 

Reঞred 2015 from U.S. Army Special Forces 

Offi cer a[er 22 years of military service. 

Served as chief administraঞ ve offi cer, Pueblo 

West, Colorado, July 2015-July 2018. 

The job market for city managers, deputy city managers, and assistant city managers for 

mid-size to large municipaliࢼes can be very compeࢼࢼve with more than 100 applicants 

compeࢼng for the same posiࢼ on. O[en, job posࢼngs include expectaࢼ ons of fi ve to seven 

years of directly relevant experience in municipal management as a requirement to qualify 

for these posiࢼons. 

As a military service member, you can and should convey your directly relevant military 

experience in local government management when applying for city manager posiࢼ ons. It 

can greatly improve your compeࢼࢼve advantage when an objecࢼ ve third party validates 

your experience. The ICMA Credenࢼaling process represents an opportunity for an 

objecࢼve third party with experࢼse in city management to validate your military experience 

and recognize you as an ICMA Credenࢼaled Manager. This recogniࢼon can go a long way 

to establish qualifying experience with human resource managers or local government 

recruiࢼng firms. 

A veteran can qualify for ICMA Credenࢼaled Manager within three years of post-military 

service if the ICMA Credenࢼaling Advisory Board validates the following criteria: 

• Compleࢼon of a master’s of public administraࢼon or master’s of public policy 

• Must have served last three years post-military as an execuࢼve in local government 

(full credit posiࢼ on). 

• Board must validate half credit for eight years of military service in demanding 

execuࢼve roles leading military cross-funcࢼ onal teams. 

• See the ICMA Credenࢼaling Advisory Board policies and procedures for addiࢼonal 

scenarios that qualify for Credenࢼaled Manager status. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 42 
 

 

 

 

My own personal credenࢼaling story began eight years prior to reࢼring from the U.S. Army 

Special Forces, when I chose to pursue an MPA in order to improve my chances of a second 

career in local government. Although I didn’t know it at the ࢼ me, the compleࢼon of an MPA 

would help me accelerate my ࢼmeline for recogniࢼon as an ICMA Credenࢼ aled Manager. 

A[er deciding to reࢼre from military service, I spent more than six months applying for and 

interviewing for local government execuࢼ ve posiࢼons. I was ulࢼmately appointed as chief 

administraࢼ ve officer for a local government in Colorado where I served three years before 

receiving ICMA Credenࢼaled Manager status in July 2018. 

I feel strongly that the ICMA credenࢼaling process can provide a compeࢼࢼ ve advantage 

for veterans compeࢼng for city manager posiࢼons throughout the United States. I highly 

recommend that veterans seeking second careers in local government management begin 

preparing for the credenࢼaling process before they leave military service by compleࢼ ng an 

MPA or a master’s of public policy. 

For those veterans interested in pursuing ICMA Credenࢼaled Manager status, applicaࢼons 

are taken four ࢼmes a year by the ICMA Credenࢼ aling Advisory Board. The first step in 

becoming an ICMA Credenࢼaled Manager is to verify that you are eligible, take the Applied 

Knowledge Assessment and receive results, and complete the credenࢼ aling applicaࢼon. 

The Advisory Board review process typically takes 3.5 months to send feedback on your 

status. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 43 
VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER 6 

Stories from the Front Line 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. STORIES FROM THE FRONT LINE 

The following stories were shared by ICMA veterans taskforce members and other 

veterans in the local government management profession. 

JOHN OLINGER 

CITY ADMINISTRATOR, LINDSTROM, MN 

“I grew up in Golden Valley, Minnesota. As a 17-year-old rebellious teenager, I entered 

the Air Force in 1976. My iniࢼ al moࢼvaࢼon for the military was my serious dislike of high 

school, my parents, and myself. I went to high school half a day, and the other half I was in 

the school work program working at a gas staࢼon. I remember thinking one day while I was 

at work that I didn’t want to get a job that went nowhere. I liked airplanes, so in 1975, at 

17 years old, I signed up for the Air Force. Six days out of high school, I was in basic training. 

A[er basic training, I went to tech school in Rantoul, Illinois, to learn aircra[ mechanics 

over four jet engines. At a young 18 years old, I worked on the flight line on KC-135’s and 

B-52’s in the Strategic Air Command staࢼoned in Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Eventually, 

a[er six months or so, I was promoted to the crew chief of a KC-135. Looking back, I don’t 

think that was very wise, but that is what makes the military unique—they can work with 

less than great material. I was proud, undisciplined, and had lile self-control. I was not a 

good soldier. 

A[er 18 months, because of my own bad choices, I decided the only way to escape sure-tocome consequences was to be reassigned. I signed up for the quickest way to move, Alaska. 

I was so desperate I signed up for an addiࢼonal year because the assignment was for three 

years. I spent three months at McChord AFB, Washington, training on cargo aircra[ for the 

Military Airli[ Command: C-141’s, C-5’s and C-130’s. In 1978, I finished my tech school, 

and with two others in my unit heading for Alaska, we took off on the AlCan Highway. I had 

a Ford F-250 four-wheel drive truck with 50 gallons of gas, and my friend had a GMC fourwheel drive truck with 60 gallons of gas. Our third friend shipped his four-wheel drive on a 

boat. We towed each other unࢼl we ran out of gas, taking turns driving, then we’d stop . The 

rule was no drugs, no drinking, and just driving. 

We made it to Quenelle, Canada, at 2:00 in the morning when my truck, towing my friend’s 

truck, hit a moose. It took five days to repair my truck, which gave me ࢼme to think about 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

my life and this restart. I was reading a book about Charles Manson at the ࢼ me, which 

referenced a book by Susan Atkins, one of the Manson murderers called, Child of Satan, 

Child of God: Her Own Story. It was Susan’s account of what happened and how she came 

to faith in prison. I found the book in that small town of Quenelle. A[er reading it, I decided 

that my life needed a start over, and I determined to do beer with this new opportunity in 

Alaska. 

45 
 

 

 

Finally, a week or so late, we arrived in Alaska and started our new assignments at 

Elmendorf as gas staࢼ on aendants. MAC planes were not assigned to Elmendorf AFB; 

we just refueled them on their two-day trips from California to Japan and back. Ironically, 

I’d moved from refueling cars to airplanes. Anyway, a[er six months, I got involved in a 

base church with a group of people who were taking their lives seriously. I sࢼ ll struggled— 

maturing was not one of the skills that came easy—but I finished my three-year Alaska tour 

and my five-year military commitment. I received an honorable discharge in December 

1981. 

Being in the military helped me get to a point where I knew I needed further educaࢼ on. And 

because I was in Alaska, and had signed up in 1975, I could go to college in Hawaii and 

pay resident tuiࢼon with the Vietnam Era GI Bill. At the U of Hawaii, I received a degree in 

communicaࢼons, then moved to Colorado to work with a nonprofi t for two years. While 

there, I determined that I wanted to work in nonprofi t organizaࢼons as an administrator. I 

finished an MPA at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, with the last of my GI Bill. 

I’d married in 1987, and in 1989, following my graduaࢼon with a master’s, we moved home 

to Minnesota and I found my first six-month internship with Corcoran under Bob Derus, city 

administrator. I didn’t know anything about government; my focus had been in nonprofit 

and federal administraࢼon. But following Corcoran, I was able to get another six-month 

internship in Minnetonka with Terry Schwerm and Jim Miller. My last internship was in 

Eagan with Jon Hohenstein and Tom Hedges. These three internships allowed me to gain my 

fi rst posiࢼon in city government as the assistant city administrator in Mahtomedi in 1990. 

A[er a year or so, I became the acࢼng city administrator and eventually became the city 

administrator unࢼ l 1997. 

Following Mahtomedi, my family and I moved to China to work at a nonprofi t. We spent 

two years overseas, then we came back and I worked for two years in the Richfield 

community development department before going back to China for another three years 

working in a diff erent nonprofit doing community development in Tibet. We returned in 

2005, and in 2006, I became city administrator of Lindstrom. We’ve been here ever since. 

I am very grateful for my military career. I realize that it provided me the ࢼ me and 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

environment to grow and mature. It also set me up for the next phase of my life by providing 

college benefi ts, and finally, probably the most important, it taught me that I am a crew 

chief. Even here in the city, I am using the skills I learned as a crew chief. Back then, I was 

responsible for an airplane. I didn’t know much about the electronics on a plane, but I knew 

when we had a problem, and I knew who to call. It’s very similar here: I know the basics 

about what makes a city run, but when I need planning advice, I call a planner. When I 

need engineering advice, I call an engineer, and when we need legal advice, I call the city 

a orney. Staff are my fellow team members, and we make this city fly safely. I owe almost 

everything I have and am to the military. The military was very good to me, much be er to 

me than I was to it.” 

46 
 

 

 

 

 

DUSTIN RIEF 

CITY ADMINISTRATOR, ORONO, MN 

“I joined the Army three days a[ er graduaࢼng high school. My background was just a farm 

kid from Northeast Nebraska before the military. I spent 10 years and 8 months in, ge࣌ng 

out in January 2007. My Army career led me all over the country and world. I never stayed 

in one place or one posiࢼon very long either due to promoࢼon, training, or deployments. 

I worked in depot-level maintenance on PATRIOT missile systems, as a training NCO, in 

baalion S-3, and as a squad leader, platoon sergeant, Apache technical inspector, and 

division-level staff. 

I le[ the Army with a broad range of experience but no direcࢼon that suited me. I 

aempted real estate invesࢼng, worked in sales of commercial helicopters and helicopter 

parts, and tried the family business in an agriculture equipment dealership, but none of 

these met my need to be a part of something greater than myself. 

In the summer of 2011, my soon-to-be wife had an internship with a city administrator in 

my hometown. She was struggling to understand what he was asking her to do, and I was 

able to explain it in a maer of minutes. Weeks later, my soon-to-be wife was on a business 

trip and met the ICMA Regional VP for Nebraska. He invited us to a end the NCMA 

annual conference, and the light turned on. This is who I need to be—I need to be a city 

administrator. 

January 1, 2012, I took a leap of faith and started school full ࢼme at the University of 

Nebraska at Omaha to complete my undergraduate in poliࢼ cal science. They translated 

my military training, and I nearly had an associate’s degree worth of credit. In March 

2013, I began my local government career as a public works specialist in Omaha. I took 

this posiࢼon with the full understanding that I needed to gain as much city experience as I 

possibly could in the shortest amount of ࢼme possible. I graduated with a bachelor’s in May 

2013 and started my MPA that fall. 

In June 2015, I began work in my fi rst posiࢼon as city administrator. I had longer-term 

goals of ge࣌ ng to the next ࢼer city in order to be stable for my family during the bulk of 

my career. I am now city administrator of Orono, Minnesota, a third-ࢼ er twin ciࢼ es metro 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

community of 8,000. My experiences are not typical, and it wasn’t an easy transiࢼon, but I 

have met my goal and feel I make a posiࢼve impact on the residents every day I go to work. 

I am doing something greater than myself.” 

47 
 

 

 

 

 

DAVID ҐBUCKґ DELLINGER 

COO, METRO DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AGENCY, NASHVILLE TN 

“As a former garrison commander for three years at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, I have very 

strong feelings about this topic, especially as it relates to government posiࢼons. I was able 

to successfully transiࢼon into the COO posiࢼon for metro development and housing agency 

for Nashville, Tennessee. We manage and build public housing in addiࢼ on to managing 

construcࢼon for the city’s major development projects (i.e., the stadium for the Tennessee 

Titans, Bridgestone Arena for the Nashville Predator NHL team, redevelopment districts, 

and transit-oriented districts). 

For the most part, I’d say that networking put me in the right place at the right ࢼ me. As 

far as the city manager posiࢼons I pursued, I was a bit frustrated. Perhaps the fault was 

with my resume, which I thought listed my qualificaࢼons and experience, but the feedback 

that I received from a couple of the city manager employment agencies was that I lacked 

the requisite experience for city management posiࢼons despite my ࢼme as a garrison 

commander and as the chief of staff for the 101st Airborne Division. Ten years of city 

government experience, which is usually a prereq for CM and deputy CM posiࢼons, is just 

unaainable for a veteran. That said, I landed my current job very quickly and was only in 

the job market for about 60 days. 

I know many of my peer garrison commanders have been hired as CMs. My thoughts on this 

are that garrison commanders should be introduced and trained by ICMA as part of their 

introductory courses. Qualified city manager experience needs to be built from day one of 

command, and ICMA should qualify garrison commanders as city managers. The end state 

is that when the colonel changes command, he/she has qualified and recognized experience 

running a federal city. A garrison commander manages budgets, emergency services (police, 

fire, medical), public works, human resources, etc., just like a city manager. Sure, there are 

local and state issues, but at Fort Campbell, I was very involved in the Montgomery County, 

Tennessee, government as well as Chrisࢼan County, Kentucky, in addiࢼ on to Tennessee and 

Kentucky state government. 

My only real lack of experience was related to bonds/referendums and other financial 

mechanisms that helped to finance the city. That said, I’ve picked up the financing 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

strategies quickly in my current job, so that learning curve was steep but manageable. In a 

city, there’s a fi nancial offi cer that sweats that stuff anyway, so in my opinion, the lack of 

fi nancing experࢼse should not be a disqualifier for a city management posiࢼ on.” 

48 
 

 

 

JOHN DEAN, CITY MANAGER, OVILLA, TX 

“I spent 20 years in the Army as an enlisted infantryman and special forces soldier. It was in 

1997 while on a mission in Bosnia that I figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up. It 

was to be a city manager. I learned that people working in local government had an impact 

on the lives of the people on a daily basis whether the people knew it or not. I told my wife, 

when that mission was over I wanted to be a city manager someday. She did not put much 

stock in the idea, since I was several years away from being eligible to reࢼ re from the Army. 

I had the opportunity a couple of years later to get a college degree. As I served as an 

instructor, I was able to obtain a bachelor’s degree and begin work on an MPA degree. My 

master’s program was interrupted by Operaࢼon Enduring Freedom, and I did not complete 

my MPA degree while on acࢼ ve duty. A[er I reࢼred in 2004, I got a job in my hometown 

in human resources with a major employer. I quickly worked my way up, taking posiࢼons 

that related to nothing technical I had done in the Army. One thing I had over my peers was 

that I was never afraid to take a chance and do something I had never done before. In the 

military, I was trained to always seek out new challenges and to be willing to accept them. I 

believe that this is one of the greatest assets that veterans bring to the table in the civilian 

job market in general. 

I had not dropped the dream of being a city manager, and in 2007, I was hired as the city 

manager in my hometown of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. I have been in city management 

since. I was able to obtain my MPA while I was the assistant city manager in El Reno, 

Oklahoma. 

Networking, persistence, adaptability, and being willing to not start at the top are all very 

important things that assisted me in my transiࢼ on. A[ er transiࢼoning, I learned that by 

applying the values, ethics, leadership, organizaࢼonal skills, and willingness to learn that I 

acquired while in the military propelled me faster and farther than my civilian counterparts. 

My family and I now choose to live in a small rural community with a very high quality of 

life just outside of Dallas, Texas.” 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 49 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C.O. HOELLE JR. COLONEL USMC ҐRETґ/PRIOR DEPUTY TOWN MANAGER, 

TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND 

“I was fortunate to follow my 27-year career in the Marine Corps by being selected to 

serve Hilton Head Island as director of public projects and faciliࢼes. As a result of a having 

experienced a “successful transiࢼon,” the commanding officer of MCAS Beaufort requested 

that I speak during their transiࢼon assistance program. I was happy to do it and stressed 

the following points: 

You’ve given your best to the Marine Corps and now it’s ࢼme to transiࢼon into the civilian 

world. The most important criteria will be “job saࢼ sfacࢼon.” It’s out there and it is yours, but 

you’ve got to find it and achieve it. Your mentors and networking will definitely help, but 

you must prepare to adequately compete. 

Preparaࢼon involves self-awareness of what you have to offer and the ability to convey 

that to your future employer. There are tools like the Myers Briggs indicator survey to help 

define your innate style and preferences. The survey is a real eye opener. Addiࢼ onally, you 

need to recognize skills that you take for granted. Review your service record book/offi cer 

qualificaࢼon record for the schools you have aended and training received. Recognize 

that during your service, you have come to work squared away, completed your tasks with 

discipline and efficiency, and learned to deal with a diverse spectrum of people, probably 

from a variety of countries. You have achieved promoࢼons that translate to leadership skills 

that the civilian world seeks and rewards. 

You (and your spouse) will need to decide whether you intend to stay in the local area and 

find a job or find a job and move to where it is located. If moving, will those expenses be 

covered by your employer, and if so, to what extent? Keep in mind the cost of living where 

you will reside. 

Finally, you will need to know how much money you can iniࢼally expect to make and live on. 

You will need to learn about “benefits” that we take for granted in the armed services, i.e., 

medical and dental; insurance coverage; reࢼrement plans; federal, state and local taxes; sick 

pay and vacaࢼon ࢼme. Be assured that your civilian employer will not start you off with 30 

days of paid annual leave! 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

Boom line is to find the job that gives you saࢼ sfacࢼon and upward mobility. Exceed your 

employer’s expectaࢼons and let them fall in love with your posiࢼ ve a࣌ tude and work 

ethic. In turn, you will be appropriately recognized with addiࢼ onal educaࢼ on and training 

opportuniࢼ es, promoࢼons, and pay in a professional environment.” 

50 
APPENDIX A 

Cover Le er Sample 
 

YOUR NAME HERE 

123 Main St Anytown, XY 00000 | (123) 456-7890 | yourgmailherewithprofessionalhandle 

[DATE] 

County Manager Search 

Board of Commissioner’s Office 

Generic County 

123 Main St 

Anytown, XX 00000 

Dear [NAME OF RECIPIENT]: 

I am writing regarding the [LOCAL GOVERNMENT POSION] position for [CITY/COUNTY]. My resume 

and references are attached which summarize the applicable skills and experience that are ideally suited for this 

opportunity. 

I am a [RANK] in the [BRANCH OF SERVICE] and will soon be completing nearly [X] years of service to our 

country. My professional background as a [CURRENT POSITION] features a broad base of experience in diverse 

areas including [LIST SKILLS HERE]. 

Furthermore, as a [EARLY/MID CAREER VETERAN OR CAREER OFFICER], I have been fortunate to 

gain extensive experience in [LIST EXPERIENCE RELATING TO POSITION HERE]. These experiences are 

underpinned by the highest standards of ethical behavior, integrity, and accountability the public demands of its 

military professionals. 

I am confident the dynamic leadership and communication skills gained in my [BRANCH OF SERVICE] career 

will help me work with the [POSITION TEAM] to strengthen the [COMMUNITY/COMMUNITIES] of [CITY/ 

COUNTY]. 

I look forward to discussing my qualifications in greater detail with you. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

[YOUR NAME HERE] 

52 
APPENDIX B 

Resume Sample 
 

 

 

 

YOUR NAME HERE 

123 Main St Anytown, XX 00000 

Phone: (123) 456-7890 

[EMAIL] 

www.linkedin.com/in/yournamehere 

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY 

Military Veteran with [X] years of proven experience in the [BRANCH SERVICE]. [DELETE IF YOU HAVEN’T 

TRANSITIONED YET--Attained rank of [X] before transitioning to career in municipal management.] Accomplished measurable 

results while leading teams of 2,000 people in dynamic, fast-paced environments. Possess a comprehensive background in executive 

leadership, personnel management, budgeting and financial management, and facilities and construction program management, 

derived from conducting domestic and global operations in six countries spanning three continents. Consistently exceed 

expectations of senior leaders, elected officials, and taxpayers. Possess extensive knowledge in strategic planning, communication, 

innovation, and critical thinking. Recipient of multiple awards for outstanding performance to include the Defense Meritorious 

Service Medal in the [BRANCH OF SERVICE]. Career supported by a Master of Arts in Security Studies and a Master of Science 

in Engineering and Environmental Management. 

• Leadership • Strategic Planning • Policy Review / Execution 

• Innovation • Communication • Budgeting / Financial Management 

• Human Capital Development • Collaboration / Teamwork • Project Management 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

Generic County, Generic State 2017 – Present 

County Manager 

Chief financial and administrative officer for 285-person organization and $32.5M annual budget with 11 facilities located on 2 

campuses to support nursing home and department of corrections operations for up to 310 residents 

• Adopted innovative fiscal plan to manage expense budget and create $600K offset to fund capital projects while stabilizing 

County’s portion of property tax rate 

• Initiated County’s first-ever employee climate survey and incorporated feedback into new organizational strategic plan; 

developed road map to focus on staff development and retention to reduce 40% turnover rate 

• Simultaneously navigated two collective bargaining agreements to provide three years of labor harmony, cost certainty, and 

fair compensation to boost staff recruitment and retention efforts 

• Established new employee wellness program with $30K set aside for fitness and weight loss incentives; program paid 

immediate dividends with 4.3% decrease in healthcare premiums equaling over $100K savings 

United States Air Force – Various Locations 19XX – 2017 

Deputy Chief Executive 

Led 2,000-person organization responsible for a $75M annual operating budget, 705 facilities and $5.6B in infrastructure to support 

military installation with 81 aircraft, a community of 25,000 people, and fi ve schools. 

• Provided fire protection and police force through three fire stations, one police station, and 300 combined police and fire 

personnel; oversaw community support programs including a library, fitness center, outdoor recreation, arts and crafts, youth 

sports programs, and three childcare facilities 

• Developed organizational strategic plan; provided roadmap for $950M in new construction to support 30% growth in base 

population 

• Managed consolidation plan to accommodate 500 additional personnel and $185M in new construction 

Chief Executive 

Led 190-person organization responsible for training 2,500 Department of Defense firefighters per year with $4.3M annual 

operating budget, $22M vehicle fleet, and $29M in equipment and trainers. 

• Developed strategic plan focused on human capital development, innovation, and training production; refocused failed 

organization and earned recognition as the Air Force’s best training organization in 2014 

• Implemented innovative program to improve management of $4M protective clothing inventory; new logistical tools and 

database analysis identified $1M in excess assets and reduced annual purchases by 67% 

• Directed safety program featuring 24% decrease in reportable incidents in 2013 compared to annual average; heat stress 

management program benchmarked by Atlanta International Airport Fire Department 

54 
Deputy Chief, Energy Conservation Division 

Interpreted federal policy on energy consumption reduction goals to implement innovative programs to meet Air Force’s 30% 

electrical consumption reduction goals. 

• Managed Air Force-wide $320M energy conservation capital improvement project program 

• Engaged with Office of Secretary of Defense staff to defend $25M utility metering investment strategy and preserve Air 

Force’s share of $150M energy conservation construction funds in corporate budget process 

Deputy Chief, Strategic Planning Division 

Developed strategic plans and foreign policy positions for the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Offi ce. 

• Directed effort to create first-ever strategic communication plan for Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office to engage 

with stakeholders including family members, Congress, veterans’ groups, and National Security Staff; increased outreach 

program effectiveness 40% with more effective, transparent messaging 

• Authored $350M plan to expand manpower and facilities in response to Congressional legislation 

Construction Program Manager 

Developed, validated, and prioritized $1B construction program to provide critical global infrastructure at 15 locations; presented 

annual program for senior leader decision-making and engaged with Congressional staffers. 

• Secured $2.3M for two emergency construction projects to correct potential health and safety violation of drinking water 

system as well as political concerns over cremation of fallen military members remains 

• Modified existing project scoring model to enhance energy conservation features; innovative feature accelerated amount of 

“green” technologies programmed in new construction projects 

Chief of Design and Construction 

Led teams at two locations over 4-year period to manage all stages of facility requirements from planning, programming, design, 

construction, and warranty management. 

• Directed 250-person section responsible for delivering 53 wartime construction projects worth $96M in 6 months including 

1.6M square feet of airfield pavement, 1.7M gallons of jet fuel storage, and 9M pounds of munitions for 160 fi ghter aircraft 

to fly 6,000 combat missions during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 

• Developed $253M strategic plan to reshape Cold War-era airfield, improve force protection posture, and decrease 

maintenance requirements 

• Led 17-person team responsible for $59M airfield construction program supporting 200 personnel during a 4-month 

deployment to Uzbekistan 

EDUCATION 

Master of Arts, Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 

Master of Science, Engineering and Environmental Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, OH 

Bachelor of Science, Civil/Environmental Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO 

PUBLICATIONS 

“Closing K2.” Air Force Civil Engineer. Volume 14, Number 1, 2006. 

“Solar Power Lights The Night.” Air Force Civil Engineer. Volume 11, Number 4, 2003. 

“IFSAC Training Worth Every Cent On Scene.” Fire Chief. September 2001. 

“Modeling Innovation.” Military Engineering. March-April 2001. 

“A Few Good Rescue Technicians.” Fire Chief. January 2001. 

VOLUNTEER SERVICE 

Youth Sports Coach, Baseball, Soccer, Basketball (9 seasons 

55 
APPENDIX C 

Resources 
 

BOOKS 

Breaking into Local Government (ICMA, 2013). 

With case studies that highlight the transiঞon of nontradiঞonal managers into professional 

administrator posiঞons, this guide provides a number of resources in the appendix that will 

help those who aspire to follow the same career path. Cases include career changers entering 

the profession from the private sector, military, and other government sectors. In addiঞon, 

survey results are included and analyzed reviewing the paths respondents took to enter the 

profession, transferable skills, reasons for changing, fi rst posiঞons held in local government, 

and more. This guide is the culminaঞon of the work that was done by ICMA member 

volunteers over a two-year period. 

First-Time Administrators Handbook (ICMA, 2017). 

To assist managers with their daily challenges, ICMA’s First-Time Administrator Task Force 

prepared this concise yet comprehensive guide. Covers items that should be considered 

before an interview, during an interview, before accepঞng a posiঞon, and before starঞng 

a new posiঞon. Describes what might be important for fi rst week, first month, three to six 

months, and beyond. Both emerging leaders and veteran managers can benefit from this 

handbook’s suggesঞons. 

Managing Local Government: Cases in Effecࢼ veness, 3rd ed., ed. Charldean Newell 

(ICMA, 2009). 

As the perfect complement to ICMA’s bestselling The Effecঞve Local Government Manager, 

3rd ediঞon, this book challenges the reader with real-life dilemmas and sঞ cky scenarios. 

Managing Local Government Services, ed. Carl W. Stenberg and Susan Lipman Ausঞn 

(ICMA, 2007). 

The pracঞcal, comprehensive guide for meeঞng the new demands in today’s world and 

ensuring the best service possible. Includes a valuable collecঞon of more than 65 online 

supplemental materials. 

ICMA VETERANS PROGRAMS 

Veterans Local Government Management Fellowship 

A career-development opportunity designed to generate interest in local government careers 

among service members who are transiঞoning out of the military. 

icma.org/veterans-local-government-management-fellowship 

City-County Management Senior Fellowship Program 

The (CMSFP) is a tailorable program designed to enable Army parঞcipants to gain a beer 

understanding of city/county management. 

icma.org/city-county-management-senior-fellowship-program 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 57 
NEWSLETTERS 

Leadership Maers, ICMA. 

A weekly newsleer containing local government job openings and informaঞ on on ICMA 

acঞviঞes and the profession. 

PERIODICALS 

PM—Public Management, ICMA. 

A monthly magazine featuring concise, ঞ mely arঞcles on the profession of local government 

management. 

Governing, Congressional Quarterly, Inc. 

A monthly magazine with a primary audience of state and local government offi cials that 

features arঞcles on a wide range of local government issues. 

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES 

ICMA Code of Ethics 

The ICMA Code of Ethics, adopted in 1924, provides a set of professional standards to 

guide and assist local government administrators and is an essenঞal resource for every 

local government administrator, parঞcularly first-ঞmers. ICMA assists members with ethical 

dilemmas and enforces the ICMA Code of Ethics. The program is an excellent resource for 

new administrators who face uncertain ethical situaঞons. 

ICMA Coaching Program 

The program connects professionals at all levels looking for personalized mentoring with 

experienced execuঞves and subject maer experts to share leading pracঞces and new or 

diff erent perspecঞves through direct 1-to-1 Coaching. Working with coaches dedicated to 

the development and advancement of professional local government management talent 

and those new to the profession, 1-to-1 Coaching encourages both formal and informal 

coaching relaঞonships by providing development resources to build and enhance skills. These 

include guidebooks; the ICMA online matching service, CoachConnectTM, with more than 200 

coaches; six live webinars annually spotlighঞng leading pracঞces on key topics from local 

government professionals throughout the United States; and more than 10 years of archived 

webinars. 

ICMA University 

The ICMA University is a professional development program available to all members 

of ICMA. In this program, ICMA members can self-assess their professional skills and 

knowledge, and design conঞ nuing educaঞon programs tailored to their unique needs. The 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 58 
program takes advantage of resources offered by universiঞ es, insঞtutes of government, state 

and regional organizaঞ ons, naঞ onal organizaঞons (including ICMA), and other providers of 

training for local government managers. 

ICMA’s Voluntary Credenঞ aling Program 

The ICMA Voluntary Credenঞaling Program is a means of defining and recognizing an 

individual ICMA member who is a professional local government manager qualified by a 

combinaঞon of educaঞon and experience, adherence to high standards of integrity, and 

an assessed commitment to lifelong learning and professional development. Managers are 

recognized by ICMA through a peer review credenঞaling process, and this self-directed 

program offers an opportunity for interested ICMA members to quanঞfy the unique 

experঞse they bring to their communiঞes. 

Members in Transiঞon 

When a member is fired, forced to resign, or otherwise involuntarily separated from local 

government service as a manager/administrator or senior staff member, ICMA provides an 

array of personal and fi nancial support. 

STATE ASSOCIATIONS 

Most states have professional associaঞons that provide assistance and resources to local 

government managers and administrators. State associaঞons can provide a local support 

network for the first-ঞme administrator, as well as off er educaঞonal and professional 

development opportuniঞes. 

ORGANIZATIONS 

Internaঞonal City/County Management Associaঞon 

777 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20002 

202-289-4262; icma.org 

ICMA is the professional and educaঞ onal organizaঞ on represenঞng appointed managers and 

administrators in local governments throughout the world. 

Alliance for Innovaঞon 

502 E. Monroe Street, Suite C 124, Phoenix, AZ 85004 

888-496-0944; transformgov.org 

The Alliance for Innovaঞon is an internaঞonal network of progressive governments and 

partners commied to transforming local government by acceleraঞng the development and 

disseminaঞon of innovaঞons. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 59 
American Society for Public Administraঞon 

1120 G Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC, 20005 

202-393-7878; aspanet.org 

ASPA is the professional associaঞon of public administrators, represenঞng over 10,000 

pracঞঞoners, scholars, teachers, and students. 

Local Government Hispanic Network 

2107 North First Street, Suite 470. San Jose, CA 

408-392-0232; lghn.org 

The Local Government Hispanic Network encourages professional excellence among Hispanic/ 

Laঞno local government administrators, to improve the management of local government, to 

provide unique resources to Hispanic local government execuঞves and public managers, and to 

advance the goals of professional, effecঞve and ethical local government administraঞon. 

Naঞonal Forum for Black Public Administrators 

777 North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 

202-408-9300; n> pa.org 

As the associaঞon of black public leadership, NFBPA’s mission is to strengthen the capabiliঞes 

of black public administrators and to promote the appointment of black Americans to execuঞve 

posiঞons in local government. 

Naঞonal League of Ciঞes 

660 North Capitol St NW #450, Washington, DC 20001 

202-626-3000; nlc.org 

NLC is the country’s largest and most representaঞ ve organizaঞon serving municipal 

governments. 

VETERANS GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT 60 
ABOUT ICMA 

ICMA, the Internaঞonal City/County Management Associaঞon, advances 

professional local government through leadership, management, innovaঞ on, and 

ethics. ICMA provides member support; publicaঞons; data and informaঞ on; peer 

and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to more 

than 12,000 city, town, and county experts and other individuals and organizaঞons 

throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA’s members affect 

millions of individuals living in thousands of communiঞes, from small villages and 

towns to large metropolitan areas. 

INTERNATIONAL CITY/COUNTY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION 

777 N. Capitol St NE, Ste. 500, Washington, DC 20002 

202.962.3680 | 202.962.3500 (f) | icma.org