Resources
Check the Gauge Before Your Tank Runs Dry
Public-sector human resources professionals are especially prone to running on fumes. Your job is to look after everyone else’s workforce, which makes it easy to neglect your own. Your team, your agency, and the people you serve are better off when you show up rested. Here's how to stay refueled and recharged throughout the work week.
Meet the 2026 Talent Management Star
Award Winners
In October we announced our first Talent Management Star Award winners, and now you can read their full stories. Learn how Gracie Butler, Tatiana Diaz, and Brandy Rumford are strengthening public-sector HR, and hear in their own words what talent management means to them.
Nationwide Launches Talent Management Star Award to Honor Public-Sector HR Leaders
Outstanding HR and talent management achievements in the public sector rarely get recognized beyond the agency where they happen. Nationwide (myNPSJ.com) is changing that with the new Talent Management Star Award, which honors one standout HR or talent professional from a small, a medium, and a large public agency.
Sometimes Mice Employees Need a New Maze
Mice apparently have something to teach us about employee retention. Researchers who study “environmental enrichment” give laboratory mice something their standard cages often lack: variety. The animals may have running wheels, toys, tunnels, climbing opportunities, and other objects to explore. Researchers regularly change the objects or their arrangement, creating a more stimulating environment. The... see more
Never Stop Learning
by Rebecca Sprigg On my way into the office, I drive by two elementary schools, which are back in session this week. I’ve long been curious about the racks of jackets in front of each school. Each rack is empty now, but they fill up as the school year progresses. I wondered if... see more
How to Help Hiring Managers Make Faster
Hiring Decisions
You’ve found a good group of candidates for a hard-to-please hiring manager. Final interviews went well, and the hiring manager met with each candidate. Now the waiting begins. As days and weeks pass, the candidate pool slowly dwindles as people lose interest or accept other positions. Recruitment staff tell us repeatedly that this is... see more
Networking to Find Local Government Jobs
Job seekers often tell us that they don’t network. They think that public sector recruitment practices prevent them from doing so. This is not correct, but there is an important key to successful networking in the public sector: ask for help, not for a job.
Exuberance Is Infectious
by Rebecca Sprigg Four airports in one trip taught me something unexpected about recruiting. A recent summer vacation to visit old friends had me routed through Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare, Columbia Regional in Missouri, and Kansas City International, during the opening days of the World Cup. Everywhere I looked, soccer fans in... see more
Building Your Career Like a Cathedral
Inspired by the decades-long construction of Barcelona's famous La Sagrada Familia, this month's article explores the value of patience, persistence, and taking the long view when building a successful career.
How to Keep Recruitment Moving Forward While You’re Away
Planning a vacation this summer? With a little preparation, you can keep your recruitment efforts moving forward while you’re away. At Nationwide, we love checklists. (One of us has even admitted to adding something to a list after it was already completed, just for the satisfaction of checking it off.) To help you leave... see more