senior mechanic

construction laborer

accountant

administrative assistant

general worker

City of Albuquerque

Government jobs have great perks; however, working for the City isn't what is seems.   The job you apply for, is not necessarily the job you will get.  The job description is just a placeholder for several positions that need to be filled. 

People are huddled into their cube, office, or outdoor space and stay there silent all day due to the looming fear of being disciplined.  Unfortunately, managers are not hired properly or trained to deal with people.  So, if someone makes a mistake, they are written up - always.  No communication, no discussion. This lack of leadership leads to a lack of departmental organization where mistakes are made.  When shown kindness from a supervisor, employees tend to lash out, or become manipulative and deceiving, as they have never been treated in a kind way in years and don't know how to behave. Many people are not qualified to be in their positions; however, due to political cronyism, and the fact that the City almost cannot fire people (unless a severe murderous infraction has occurred), they are placed in these positions barely able to handle most situations.  Many people are "traded" if they are becoming too much of a bother or liability, so the City just swaps bad seeds throughout many departments. 

The citizens - families, children, and grandparents - are wonderful.  If a misunderstanding occurs, staff should be able to deescalate the situation, but usually they are unable to due to lack of training and skills, which the City does not provide.  This is why so many situations that could have been handled just with simple listening skills and patience, often wind up with a call to the Manager, Cluster Manager, Division Manager, Program Director, or Director.  Customer Experience should be a top priority, but it is not.. Satisfying the ever changing whims of the young and inexperienced Mayor's Office seems to always be top priority over the citizens, who are often ridiculed or rudely spoken to.

For Albuquerque, the pay and benefits were decent, although, not as superior as they would like you to believe.  People count down the days to retirement because the overall morale is terrible.  The first few days when you are hired, you will meet people who will introduce themselves with their name and how long they have until they can retire and leave this environment.
 
All in all, not a great experience from the start.  They should take the time to update all of their job descriptions to suit the actual job they plan to fill.  Hire the right people for that position, and give people tangible goals and training so they can meet those goals.  Meetings throughout the year on progress, and not spring discipline on people who have no idea that what they are doing in wrong - communication throughout each department...  and training on how to communicate with both a diverse staff and diverse clientele.

And for goodness sake, the Mayor's office is not the be all end all - they are people too, who have no clue what each department really does, or the mission of each department.  So, please hire directors and Managers who will have the backs of their staff and effectively communicate with the Mayor's office in on how their department functions, what people do each day, and how it positively effects the members of the community.

I worked as a Recreational Leader during the summer at West Mesa Community Center. A typical day included supervising kids, helping with activities planned by coordinators, and making sure everyone stayed safe and engaged. The most enjoyable part was building connections with the kids and seeing them have fun. I learned patience, communication, and teamwork while working in a fast-paced environment.

There were challenges, especially with older groups, who could be difficult to manage without the right approach. Some co-workers did not put in equal effort, and at times management seemed to show favoritism, which was frustrating. On the talent show committee, especially in props, support was limited. Although management said it was a top priority, we couldn’t use the budget until just before the show, which forced us to redo months of work in only a short time.

Overall, the job was a rewarding experience that helped me grow, but management could improve fairness and support.

Employees are treated like a number. The vibe at Yale Tranist Center is calm and peaceful versus Daytona, all eyes on you, feels stressful. Be prepared to work 6 days a week until you get a bid which can take 1-6 months. 6 months to a year for a decent bid. Supervisors are okay, very few are actually good supervisors. Scheduler is terrible with communicating, always has his voicemail full and never answers calls nor calls you back when it comes to questions about your sick leave. Driving the bus requires multitasking sometimes feels like bus monitoring and referring when it comes to conflict with passengers. Physically, sitting for any longer than an hour for a 10 minute break is tiring on the body, be prepared to walk more,  otherwise gain weight and muscle loss will happen. Mentally, driving can be mind numbing and automatic, there's lots of time to think. Some coworkers are helpful,  some passengers are grateful.. very little recognition for your service..

A typical day with the youth theater group involved a check in (reflection) with each student in a group at the Kimo Theater and the performance and writing exercises we did daily. 
A typical day with the Cultural documentation was checking out video equipment and sound functioning. 
I learned that young people are in extreme need of routine, respect and freedom. 
The management of the department at this time in the history was changing but the support I received from City of ABQ Cultural Services was excellent. 
The hardest part of the job was knowing that it was temporary. 
The most enjoyable part of the job was work with NM youth and adults.  Another most enjoyable part was observing the enormous pride and talent New Mexicans have in the field of the arts.

The temporary/rec part time position I worked was fun but the city does not offer any opportunities to strive for when holding the position such as raises or promotions. The job became more of a hassle and you began to feel not as appreciated. My specific position required me to work with children at a community center, but there was a lot more to the job than just that. I was operating front desk clerical work, a janitor at times, and even security as the location was not the best. Putting these factors all together, it was not worth the minimum wage I was being paid. It’s a great job for experience but nothing past that. If you’re looking for a childcare job that will be rewarding, this position is not it. I suggest applying to other childcare operations such as the YMCA where they give more consideration to their employees and better pay. 

Arrive at work, clock in, check your bus and proceed on your route.  As a motor coach operator I learned many things first how to operate a motor coach safely, instructors were excellent, very thorough and always willing to work with you.  As for management they are fair and of course they have to be strict with the daily operation of the transit dept., always willing to hear you out and listen to your opinion and work with you.  The hardest part of the job is also the best part of your job, the passengers most passengers are very pleasant, friendly and cooperative which makes it easier to do your job.  On the other hand there are the few that are harder to deal with and that can be a little stressful, however we are taught to be cordial to all our passengers.

I worked over 25 years as a lower to mid level supervisor for the City. The  level of corruption that I was witness to was appalling. This corruption went all the way to the top of HR. The City is never wrong and will do anything to make sure that happens. If you decide you want to speak up about what you see you are taking you career in your own hands. The City clams to be an equal opportunity employer, Well that’s JOKE because question and answers are given out to the candidate. If you speak up your BLACKBALLED and RED FLAGGED in the City and your going to be labeled as a TROUBLED EMPLOYEE. If your lucky to work for the City and never experience this well you just hit the lotto.... Good luck.....

In the department I worked in, my position was extremely unclear, and, in addition, several colleagues and my supervisor insisted on doing a lot of the work that was listed in the job I held. After the first several weeks, they were not open to collaboration and new ideas from me on certain crossovers between our roles either. That was very confusing and felt limiting. This circumstance resulted in me writing out my job responsibilities for my supervisor to use as a reference. This still didn't improve the situation as old ways continued. I was also designated as a supervisor but was not given space or support to develop big picture projects, as I had been asked to do upon my arrival. It was a difficult situation that I had to leave. Pay and insurance were good though. Vacation hours take a long time to accumulate.



Feel like you're babysitting grown adults that can not handle life. So short staffed we are forced over on doubles a lot. And the call volume is ridiculous. They are not enough operators for the amount of calls coming in. Calls are in queue all the time. Callers are already stressed out having to call 911 or 242COPS add to that a wait time to speak with an operator equals highly agitated callers. And then add a checklist that you're supposed to follow, It just frustrates callers even more. No sound barrier cubicles, so every other operator that's yelling trying to get information from callers can be heard. Just a very noisy environment.

Low staffed at the time with a large amount of back logged calls that still need to be closed. Management is not always on the same page. Bad habits were present with some of the officers creating bad examples for new recruits and a relaxed and laid back atmosphere where the officers did not respect the managers in place. A lot of back biting, not a trustful environment between officers. Managers create a fun playful environment but will randomly take situations personally more serious then they are. Working with the animals was enjoyable yet rescue call were minimal compared to the hundreds of nuisance call based on neighbor complaints.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior mechanic 17 salaries reported	$24.63 per hour
Construction laborer 20 salaries reported	$20.89 per hour
Accountant 8 salaries reported	$27.32 per hour
Administrative assistant 14 salaries reported	$26.62 per hour
General worker 16 salaries reported	$17.65 per hour

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