Customer Reviews

Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heather Krasna has a great deal of experience in offering advice on finding public sector jobs, and is now the Director of Career Services at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs in Seattle. The book is a lively read, because of the large number of personal profiles, based upon Krasna's interviews. But most important for job seekers it has a great deal of practical advice with a lot of specific information.

Heather Krasna has packed an amazing amount of useful information and sound advice on a wide range of career topics between these two covers. Her broad definition of careers in public service will help individuals expand their horizons, and it is particularly helpful to find evolving fields of interest such as environmental protection, managing infrastructure, accountability and evaluation, advocacy, corporate social responsibility, security and emergency preparedness. There are solid sections on applying for federal government jobs and the organization, delivery, and competitiveness of international development work. Her résumé and job search preparation tools are excellent: the Anatomy of a Bullet Point on page 202-203 is worth the price of the book all by itself.

I pretty much read career books for a living and this one just rose to the top of my recommend list. Krasna has surveyed the entire field of jobs that make a difference and distilled it into a user-friendly guide that answers all the questions a job-seeker would have --from how to break in, to what might be a good fit for your skills and personality, to what various jobs pay. Best of all, she includes vivid Q&As with people in some unusual roles and brings to life some kinds of work you may have never realized exist, like the superintendent of the NYC Transit Authority. This book should be in every career planning library and on the shelf of every person wondering how to make a difference in the world.

I am interested in public service and I found this a very effective help to narrowing down what I want to do.

As founder of Young Gov't Leaders (young professional group for federal employees) and founder of GovLoop (social network connecting 30,000+ gov't leaders), people ask me every day how to get a government job.

Heather's book "Jobs That Matter" is a great guide for those interested in public service and its advice is dead-on. Particularly great are the case studies from the book and real advice from real people working in the government (vs hypothetical advice).

If you are a graduating from college or graduate school and interested in public service, this is a must buy.

Steve Ressler (President, GovLoop.com)

Great guide for anyone wanting to learn more about jobs in the public sector, as well as how to successfully land a public job! Would especially recommend for those in MPA or MPP graduate programs.

As a college career specialist, I was very impressed with this book. I have recommended it and lent it to students and workers interested in having a career that makes a difference. Well organized, clearly written and lists many excellent resources. Bravo Heather K.!

Fantastic tips for finding a job in public service. Well written and accessible. Case studies are utilized, providing real world examples and tips from people working for the government, nonprofits and more. Heather Krasna has put together a wonderful guide to help people interested in finding a job that matters navigate their way towards success. This book is well organized and brilliantly written. I have bought more than one copy!

When I picked up Krasna's book, I thought it would be a simple how-to guide on where to send my resume. I'm happy to say that this book is so much more than that.

Jobs That Matter is a stellar book, not only because it provides information but also because it changed the way I look at government jobs. Gone is the idea that government jobs are pure drudgery for the sake of a paycheck (although there is administrative work in every profession). It was replaced by the fact that these jobs, well, matter. That you can do good. That you can use creative thinking and strategizing to forward your plans. And you can get paid while doing it.

This concept is backed by interviews from people in public service jobs who have a passion for the work they do. They describe their accomplishments, as well as their challenges. For example, one woman said she helps people with disabilities live better lives, yet she worked for low pay for years. Krasna's interviewees also give readers insider information on how to enter that particular field.

Thank you, Krasna, for opening up a world of opportunity in a field I would never have considered before.