New Interview Template
- 1. Professional Background • I have over 15 progressive years of IT leadership in the public sector space. I’ve had extensive IT training through the military and hold a BBA from LeTourneau University. I’m currently pursuing my MPA at UT Arlington. I recently obtained my Certified Public Manager credentials through Texas State University. I also hold a variety of IT certs. • I’m now exploring senior leadership/CIO opportunities in a city/municipal environment where I can contribute to growth, safety and continued customer satisfaction and development.
- 2. Professional Work Experience My progressive career path has allowed me to acquire a very diverse and robust skill-set In addition to being a seasoned practitioner at all levels of the technical stack, I’m also a strong business acumen . I have a holistic view of municipal government operations which provides me with the depth and breadth of knowledge needed to align technology initiatives with the business “Success is delivering technical solutions to problems fast enough at the speed of business.”
- 3. Non-Technical Project Examples Apart from serving on various technical committees, I’m also involved in several other nontechnical ventures: • • • • • • • • • • Developing City of Murphy Citizen University Program Served on Customer Service Advisory Team- developed Code of Ideals Selected to meet with employees on behalf of the City Manager to discuss employee survey results Selected to serve on the Sergeant Oral Interview Board Facilitate regionalized project efforts with other agencies- NCTCOG, Collin County, DPS, Plano ISD Municipal Construction Projects Serve as the technical liaison for Murphy Economic Development Committee- provide example of medical facility that required high speed internet access Serve on interview panels for neighboring agencies Employee Giving Day- met with elderly citizens first hand to discuss light cosmetic work to be done at their property Served as United Way Chairman
- 4. Murphy’s IT History • “Small” IT faced with big demands and expectations • Heavily underfunded- $125k budget initially • Aging IT infrastructure • Understaffed • No strategic plan/direction or leadership • More importantly- not in-line with the business
- 5. Current Status of Murphy IT • • • • • • Transformed into an enterprise operation Entered into several enterprise agreements Maintenance contracts kept up to date Centralized IT purchasing model Lease agreements for desktop and servers One of the best data and voice networks in the DFW area • Bi-directional communication with stakeholders • IT Steering Committee – Murphy IT and Council
- 6. 5 Characteristics of a Top Employee In Patrick Lencioni’s book, Five Dysfunctions of a Team he states the five dysfunction consist of: • Absence of Trust • Fear of conflict • Lack of commitment • Avoidance of Accountability • Inattention to Results
- 7. 5 Characteristics of a Top Employee • • • • • Action-oriented – Hire employees who take action and take chances. While chances may lead to failure, they will more often lead to success and mold confidence while generating new ideas. Stagnant employees won’t make your company money; action-oriented employees will. Modest – The most sought after employees shout their value not through their words, but rather through their work. They are humble, don’t need to pump themselves up in front of others and quietly outproduce those who do. Passionate – Employees who are passionate about their job never work a day in their life. While money should be a motivator in all individuals whom you hire, make sure that they enjoy the journey when pursuing that end-goal. Honest – An employee can have all the talent in the world, but without integrity and authenticity, nothing great will be accomplished. If nothing else, you want honest, forthright employees at your organization, otherwise your company will turn off clients and, ultimately won’t survive. Cultural Fit – Are you going to enjoy working with this individual on a daily basis? Are your employees going to enjoy working with this individual? When recruiting, personality can mean the difference between an employee who doesn’t stay long and fails to produce vs. an all-star who is going to significantly increase your competitive advantage.
- 8. Define and Measure a successful GIS Program Changes taking place in 911 over the next few years will require significant modification and expansion of the GIS data structures currently maintained by government agencies. Once 911 migrates from its original land telephone based system to the IP based system, GIS will become the backbone for routing calls. This will move GIS to the front end of the process, rather than serving as a tool utilized after the call has already been routed to the PSAP. In order to achieve optimal success with GIS, you need to perform the following: • • • • • • • • Have a well thought out master plan with measurable results Ensure that you have appropriate staffing level Employ highly competent GIS professionals GIS Steering Committee Revisit the Master Plan- Annually Make GIS useful and easy to use Make it easy to explain and quantify costs vs. benefits GIS is fluid, introduce Agile Development Cycle- showcase work
- 9. Questions • Please provide me with an overview of your IT operations, i.e. ERP application, departmental applications, email environment, server and desktop environment, storage. • What are some of the immediate challenges/obstacles for the IT department, if any? • Annual training budget for the IT staff? • Tenure and skill-set of current staff? • Do you currently have an intern program for IT? • How many remote facilities do you have and how are they connected? • Do you currently have an IT strategic plan in place? If so, how do you collect input from stakeholders to gather technical needs? • To whom will this position report to?