Tyler Burkart
Assistant Village Manager, Village of Shorewood
What was the very first paying job you held (that you paid taxes on)?
Door-to-Door Newspaper Salesman
What was your: undergraduate institution? Graduate institution? What was/were your degree(s) in?
UW – La Crosse (undergrad), University of Kansas (grad) Political Science and Public Administration (B.S.), Public Administration (Masters)
What class(es) (if any) are applicable to your job today?
Budget, Ethics, Public Policy, Planning, Organizational Management, Intro to Public Administration
Do you have a work or life motto? What is it?
You have the power to choose your own attitude.
What book are you currently reading? Would you recommend it?
God Bless You and Good Night – With my wife and I having a 9-month old, the only books we read nowadays are for our little one.
Other than ELGL – do you belong to any other professional associations? Which one(s)?
International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Wisconsin City/County Management Association (WCMA), Wisconsin Public Employer Labor Relations Association (WPELRA)
What’s the best networking advice for job seekers you’ve heard or shared?
Setup one-on-one times to talk with professionals that are in careers you’d like to explore.
What’s the fastest way to NOT get a job or internship with you? (e.g. what should potential applicants avoid doing if they were to ever interview with you for a position).
I like to work with people who are real and true to themselves. Providing scripted responses such as “I work too hard” for a weakness doesn’t tell me who you are as a person. Be real and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.
Why should an undergraduate student consider a career working in local government?
To me, there is nothing more rewarding then working for the people who live on your block and in your neighborhood. Going to the park and watching people of all ages enjoy the new playground you decided to fund or watching vehicles safely drive on a new paved roadway is extremely rewarding. You learn several skill sets along the way and touch a number of areas.