Sarah R.
About me
| Sarah R. | |
| Politics | |
| Politics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| 2014 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Public Affairs Graduate | |
| Transport for London | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Government and civil service | |
| 2014 | |
| £26000 |
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A day in the life of a Public Affairs Graduate in the United Kingdom
My career history
I worked for multiple MPs, PR agencies and in my final year of university I was a PR and website development manager. I also work for a political party in my spare time.
Courses taken since graduation
Diploma in PR
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I am hoping to become a stakeholder engagement manager over the next couple of years. Although I get a whole lot of responsibility and we are thrown in the deep end from the start...I am hoping to gain more.
My advice to students considering work
Always be yourself in interviews, that's the thing that helped me. If you are not yourself then you might end up with a job that doesn't suit you. Don't be down hearted by getting rejected just keep trying. Always get as much work experience as possible and never say no to any opportunity that comes your way, you never know how it will help in the future!
Advice about this sector: Always keep your eye on the news, know what's going on. If you're not interested in the news then you won't like the job. Make sure you understand the companies policies and stakeholders before going to any interview and Google search any news articles about that company...know what's going on in their world. Finally in terms of trends, get your head around digital PR - even in public affairs it's a big thing. Even having a basic knowledge of it will help you.
My advice about working in my industry
Always keep your eye on the news, know what's going on. If you're not interested in the news then you won't like the job. Make sure you understand the companies policies and stakeholders before going to any interview and Google search any news articles about that company...know what's going on in their world. Finally in terms of trends, get your head around digital PR...even in public affairs it's a big thing. Even having a basic knowledge of it will help you.
What I do
My current role involves public affairs and stakeholder engagement. It's more interesting than it sounds! I attend select committee meetings and take minutes for the department. I write parliamentary briefings for the commissioner and MDs. I also write material which is pitched to political parties. On the stakeholder engagement side, I work with our integrated campaigns team which means I get a well rounded knowledge on marketing, online and the press teams work. I also spend a lot of time working on Mayors questions, attending meetings at City hall and working with different departments around the organisation. I have worked with stakeholders from the accessibility and youth lobby right up to the British Chamber of Commerce. No day is ever the same, the job changes as the political agenda changes...it's fascinating!
Skills I use and how I developed them
Extracurricular skills:
I use written communication skills a lot which university helped. But I also use verbal communication skills on a daily basis. I learnt this through public speaking, running debates and being in committees. Time management is vitally important in my job, if you are in a committee at university and have a social life and still work hard for your degree you will be developing these skills without even knowing it! Influence and persuasion is also important, this skill comes with time, I guess I learned the most through being in a political society...you have to know how to influence and persuade to get your ideas forward in student politics!
What I like most
I love that no day is the same. I spend a lot of time travelling around the city. I am based near Westminster but I travel to our offices in Canary Wharf and Southwark a lot as well as to city hall. I love that I'll go into work thinking I'll be doing one thing and then something will happen and my whole day will change. It can be stressful but it's so rewarding!
What I like least
I get a lot of comments for working in the civil service, but it has its benefits!
Next steps...
If you like the look of Sarah’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Sarah a message to find out more about their career journey.