Government and Public Sector

"After completing university, my first job was in a brand new role at my local council. The new role was created from a pilot project which had won funding. I was an Enhanced Housing Officer and all I had was a basic job description to define my role with the onus on me to develop that role. It entailed research and partnership working with other councils to create new ways of helping the thousands of people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to find sustainable housing solutions.

I made good use of the skills acquired from university, such as writing reports to the head of service on my findings, drafting information leaflets for the clients and using my initiative and creativity to come up with ideas to help the community with their housing issues and project working to put those ideas in to effect. Furthermore, there was more group work in the form of multi-agency co-operation and creating links with different services that I could benefit from to create a rounded support package for the clients that require the most help.

All in all, it was the most rewarding job that was perfect for a new starter in the world of work, and the training opportunities offered in local authorities are endless. There are secondments available into different departments and a variety of different roles you could take up at a local authority. I have developed new skills that will help me move on to higher level and more challenging positions."

HAI-MAN, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

"I suppose my graduate job hasn't exactly taken the normal turn. I tried for the civil service fast stream exams last year in hope of pursuing a career in the Foreign Office or a government ministry. Unfortunately I flunked out after the E-tray exercise. For those who aren't familiar with this, the E-tray exercise is a mock scenario where you assume the role of a manager and have to manage a team and project (via Outlook). Throughout the exercise you have to answer a series of emails which present you with various managerial dilemmas and you then have to choose the best course to follow. You then have to write an essay piece on possible innovations you would make to the project you were assigned.

Like many graduates I'd had very little managerial experience let alone office experience. Thus I felt it was a lack of experience that was letting me down. I therefore signed up with a temping agency that I knew handled some Public Sector contracts with a view of taking the first one that came along. Since January I have been working for the Prison Service as a Private Secretary to a Governor and Administrative Officer at two prisons. Part of my role has been enrolling prisoners into education classes both inside and outside the prison (one of the prisons I work in is an open prison). I also work with getting prisoners into employment.

This has meant working up to three hours per day face to face with prisoners; and one thing I have very quickly learnt is you cannot judge a book by its cover. Sometimes the big scary ones are the ones who are as good as gold to you and are only in for something minor, and the small meek one is the one who murdered his granny and gives you no end of bother.

I must confess when I graduated I did not see my first proper job having to require me to wear a big silver whistle and key belt. The work has been interesting and often challenging, it has exposed me to some interesting people and the chaos of administration inside the Civil Service."

JAMES, ROYAL HOLLOWAY UNIVERSITY

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