Congratulations. That public relations position at the transit agency seems amazing! And they want to interview you!
Or maybe it’s a healthcare system, a utility, a fire department, or another government entity that operates 24/7 to provide a public service.
The title is impressive and the salary and benefits are stellar. But there’s often a critical detail buried in the job description that deserves a front-and-center conversation during your interview: you will be required to serve as public information officer on an incident management team.
What my wife calls “bunker duty.”
That means dropping whatever important projects you’re working on and reporting to an emergency operations center, either in person or virtually, to handle an urgent situation that has emerged.
This can, and often does, happen in the afternoon on a regular workday. If it does, you’ll be working till midnight, because that’s when the shift changes.
Or, if you’re assigned the night shift, you might be able to head home for a few hours of sleep (which is often impossible to achieve) before you report for duty at midnight, then work until the morning shift arrives, showered, fed, bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
In the absence of a crisis, you regular job will still probably demand that you are included in an on-call rotation to field media calls at all hours of the night, and on weekends and holidays.
That means your phone stays on at night next to your bed. If you have a partner who is a light sleeper, you may be sleeping alone.
It also means missing family events. Canceling plans. Missing parties. Having to step away during your kid’s recital.
When the power goes out at 1 a.m., when there’s a security breach on a Sunday, or when something goes wrong on Thanksgiving, you’re the one doing media interviews, drafting statement, and briefing leadership.
Then, after a busy night of answering media calls, you may still have to show up for your regular workday in the morning.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take this type of position. I’ve spent most of my career in these types of jobs. It can be exhilarating because you’re right where the action is. It’s high visibility. You’ll be making a real difference by playing a vital role in the community.
But you need to go in with your eyes wide open. So during the job interview, ask the following questions:
• How often will I be on-call, and how long is each rotation?
• What is the structure and the rotation of incident management teams?
• Tell me about the last time an incident management team was activated.
• Is there backup if I’m sick or have a family emergency?
• How does the company support work-life balance given these demands?
• What does crisis pay or time-off-in-lieu look like?
Think hard about how this will affect your partner and your kids, because it will. If you have aging parents or your own mental or physical health issues—or if you have trouble functioning without a certain amount of sleep—this is a role that may not be right for you.
If you have a disability, you definitely want to ask about reasonable accommodation.
Despite all the caveats, this may still be your dream job. Just make sure you’re going into it with your eyes wide open so that the reality doesn’t hit you during the first 3 a.m. phone call.
Do you have questions about PR or communications that you’d like me to address in On Background? Please feel free to email me at paul@paulgriffo.com.