Career

Why Conferences Matter for Govies

It seems you can’t turn around these days without hearing about another government conference scandal. But what gets lost in the horror stories of magicians and fancy hotel suits is the real reason why these conferences are essential for govies, learning. Sandra Magnus is the Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsRead… Read more »

Social Security Update, Medicare Concerns, and Retiree Jobs

Norma, a federal employee that elected to collect Social Security while still working, commented on my last article on this subject. She stated that while it is true you don’t decrease social security benefits if you are still working at age 66 or older you may be subject to taxes on some of the socialRead… Read more »

Tribute to U.S. Army on 238th Birthday; and Remembering Dad

Did you know that today marks the 238th birthday of the United States Army? Military service to America is one of the most honorable types of federal service – if not the most honorable. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to the brave and courageous Army servicemen and women nationwide and around theRead… Read more »

The Changing Role of the CIO – It’s not just a bureaucratic blackhole

10 years ago the role of the Chief Information Officer was radically different than it is today. Consider this, in 2013 the federal government will spend more than $80 billion on IT. And in the last 8 years they’ve spent more than $500 billion. The CIO must now oversee the most complex business organization onRead… Read more »

The Unexpected Consequences of Government Decisions

Many Americans are not aware that the standard railroad gauge in the U.S. (the distance between the two metal rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. Why the heck did our government leaders ever establish such an odd size for spacing the tracks when building our nation’s first rail lines? Well, that is because, when ourRead… Read more »

13 Tips to Cultivate Trust in Government

In order for a project, program, department, agency or the entire government to function properly, you first need trust. But cultivating and growing that trust can be difficult, especially within large organizations. Tim McManus is the Vice President for Education and Outreach at the Partnership for Public Service. Earlier this week the Partnership hosted authorRead… Read more »

Mission Magnet and Sheldon Cooper – Recruitment Tips for Hiring STEMM Talent

The Big Bang Theory is the most popular comedy on television. More than 20 million people each week sit down to watch Sheldon Cooper and his group of brainiacs search for answers to life’s most challenging puzzles. Those big brains are just what the government needs to stay on the front lines of research andRead… Read more »

5 Traits of Public Servants

One of my favorite parts of running GovLoop is that I get to meet so many public servants across all levels (federal,state, local, international), functions (IT to public works to HR), agencies (environment to budget agencies), and countries (US to Singapore to Italy). I was reflecting the other day that no matter the differences thereRead… Read more »