Public Administrator Interview

Public Administrator Interview

Introduction

For this public administrator interview, I chose to interview Mr Smith, parks and recreational manager in Florida, United States. This interview was aimed at gaining a perspective of the job of a public administrator. Thus, my curiosity inspired me to develop a set of questions that would help in directing Mr Smith in providing an in-depth understanding of the occupation. Thus, the following part shows questions and the response obtained during the interview with the parks and recreational manager, Mr Smith.

Questions

1. Describe your current position.

To answer the above question, Mr Smith described his position as involving various tasks including planning the use of material, human resources, managing daily operations and formulating policies. Additionally, he revealed that his current position was a manager at Florida Parks and Recreation (Henry, 2015).

2. What are your organization’s goals, values, and/or mission statement?

According to Mr Smith, their goals included running safe parks and increasing the number of citizen usage as well as improving cultural diversity through programs and tournaments for families, ladies, colleges and industries. The values are to provide the community with quality services and ensure trust between the two parties. The mission is to use preservation space, park and recreational facilities to provide the citizens of Florida with diverse leisure opportunities.

3. How did you come to work as a public administrator?

In this question, the manager told me that he had obtained a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. Additionally, he had obtained knowledge on budget and revenue reporting procedures, the use of forests and other wild resources, employee policies as well as proper evaluation and presentation of information. Before being employed in Florida, he was required to have an experience of three years in the field. (Henry, 2015).

4. What inspired you to become a public administrator?

He responded by saying that his inspiration for becoming a public administrator came from his desire to serve people. In this case, he wanted to ensure that the physical, mental, social and cultural needs of residents of Florida were met.

5. What is the most challenging aspect of your role?

Mr Smith told me that the most challenging aspect of managing parks and recreation is evaluating and verifying employee performance. This task tends to be difficult because it may result in disappointments. Put simply, Mr Smith told me that failing to verify the performance of certain employees requires courage since it involves risking retaliation from the employees,

6. What do you find most enjoyable about this line of work?

Mr Smith’s favourite aspect of the work is ensuring the continuous development and training for employees. This activity tends to offer Mr Smith an opportunity to ensure that the workforce is adequately equipped with the relevant knowledge to handle ever-changing work conditions.

7. What do you find it the least enjoyable thing about this line of work?

The least enjoyable work for Mr Smith is maintaining records and preparing reports. In this case, these tasks tend to be exhausting and delicate. Thus, he is afraid of making mistakes that might insinuate suspicious behaviours within his role.

8. How many hours do you work per day?

While Mr Smith acknowledged that the position requires less than 8 hours, he said that the working hours are determined by the ongoing projects and the activities involved.

9. What are the typical issues/conflicts that you must deal with on a regular basis?

The conflicts arise when revision is issued for unsatisfactory work. In this situation, a conflict between the management and employees occurs, thus disrupting the normal operations.

10. .We have discussed intergovernmental relations in class. How does your agency work with other governmental agencies?

Mr Smith said that the Florida park and recreational partners with various institutions in the area to offer students with a timely understanding of the opportunities. Also, the city government recognizes the importance of empowering the youth to ensure their development.

11. How do you approach decision-making in your role? Are there specific models or guidelines that your organization endorses?

In this case, Mr Smith revealed that most of his roles require a lot of personal experience and expertise. Thus, he makes most of the decisions by himself. However, certain aspects like developing a budget may require coordination between various administration members for approval.

12. How is your organization held accountable? What happens if the organizational goals are not met?

Since it is their duty in ensuring the safety of the residents, Mr Smith said that the organization is liable for injuries occurring in their parks and recreation. The organization is therefore required to pay for personal injuries in case of an incident (Edginton, et al. 2001).

If you were to give any advice to someone considering a career in public administration, what would you tell them?

According to Mr Smith, the best advice for students aspiring for a career in public administration is that one should have knowledge on how to relate with people. In this case, the position requires an individual to have proper communication skills and ways of preventing disputes during operations.

Reflection

The interview with Mr Smith helped in providing insight on his position as a park and recreation manager. In this case, I learned that most of the tasks involved require experience and gradual learning. For instance, relating to employees and ensuring their development and training requires one to have proper observation and communication skills. Consequently, the position would entail certain accounting skills to help in developing budgets and preparing reports. This factor is important, especially while aiming at reducing the wastage of public resources.

The acknowledgement of conflicts in the operations has prepared me psychologically in case of such occurrences in this job sector.  The fact that conflicts arise during the operations makes it essential to have some knowledge of conflict resolution.  Notably, the job does not require many working hours. Thus, this aspect will offer me much additional time to engage in other important activities aimed at improving my quality of life.

After the interview, I feel like I have the necessary qualities of working as a public administrator. Prior to the interview, I had inadequate knowledge about the occupation. However, the interview with Mr Smith was helpful in providing insight on the position to enable early preparation, both psychologically and in terms of skills.

Reference

Edginton, C. R., Hudson, S. D., Lankford, S. V., & Larsen, D. (2001). Managing recreation, parks, and leisure services. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

Henry, N. (2015). Public administration and public affairs. Routledge.