Government and Public Sector Resources
We held our annual Government & Public Sector Week from the 9 to 13 October 2023, with lots of opportunities to explore the sector, hear from Royal Holloway alumni and other professionals from the sector. Whether you were able to attend or not, you can still access lots of useful resources to help you research careers in this sector. If you are not sure how to access them, you can drop into the Careers Service to speak to us and we can help.
As well as our on-campus events, we held three online panels, which you can watch back under "Webinars to Watch" below. The three panel sessions were:
- How Activism Turns into Policy
- How the Government Tackles Climate
- De-mystifying the Civil Service
Some top tips from our panellists were
Jessica Eagelton, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Refuge
- Show your enthusiasm, interest, and commitment for the charity/organisation's cause
- Try to be energetic, confident and honest in interviews. The interviewer is likely thinking about how you would perform if communicating with an MP or civil servant, so this is a chance to show them your communication skills.
- Keep up to date on political news and the mood in Westminster. There are lots of political podcasts and daily newsletters that can help (I.e. Politico London Playbook and The Times Red Box), and watching Parliament live TV will help familiarise you with parliamentary procedures and key faces.
Joel Silver, Climate Campaigns Manager at the National Trust
- Try these specific jobs websites which he has found very useful:
Lucy Haynes, Climate Analyst at Southern Co-op
Beginner's Guide
Discover more on Moodle
Go to our Public Sector Guide on Moodle for more information
Civil Service Fast Stream
The Civil Service Fast Stream graduate programme is a popular option for graduates looking to work in Government. They have a range of options, including one for Government Policy.
Which role is right for you?
Prospects is a useful website, where you can explore the different roles in a sector. Check out the overview of the public services sector in the UK and the jobs available.
Webinars to watch
Hear from alumni working in policy who are passionate about what they do. Hear how they progressed into their roles, what their day-to-day work looks like and how you could follow a similar career path. Panel members:
Watch the recording
Find out how recent graduates working in government and public sector roles are tackling the climate emergency, what the key issues are, and how you could carve out a similar career path in the future. Panel members:
Watch the recording
The Civil Service is a popular career choice for many who are interested in the government and public sector, but it can be confusing trying to understand the wide range of roles and departments that you could be working in, as well as how to make a strong application to the area of your choice. Hear from:
- Ben Summers (Rankine): Capability Resource Support Manager, Portfolio & Project Delivery Directorate
- Martin Mak: Portfolio and Project Delivery
Watch the recording
An insight into careers within Local Government with the National Graduate Development Programme
Local councils are looking for the next generation of managers to lead critical projects and services that have tangible, everyday outcomes for people's lives. The NGDP seeks to match bright, passionate graduates with councils where they can deliver key projects and amazing value for money.
Watch the webinar
Recorded October 2022
Are you interested in a career that makes a difference? Are you unsure of what a career in Policy involves?
There are so many interesting opportunities out there. In Policy, you can work across a range of functions in either the public, private or charity sector: local and central government - researching, developing and implementing public policies that affect everyone. This type of role could involve advising senior or elected officials such as MPs and more... Watch the webinar
Panel members:
Refuge - Jessica Eagelton, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer
The Brain Tumour Charity - Kate Roberts, Policy & Campaigns Officer (and also an Ambassador at Young Trustees Movement)
BT - Femi Ogunbiyi, Senior Manager Policy & Public Affairs
London Borough of Hounslow - Arveen Graya, Equality, Diversion & Inclusion Project Manager
Recorded October 2022
Meet the Alumni
Matt Nicholls
Head of Communications Improvement, Local Government Association
What’s the best thing about the work you do?
I work with a around 50-60 different local authorities every year, of every type and size, all across the country. Working with so many different councils on a wide range of issues makes my job really varied – every week is different. Pre-Covid I used to regularly travel all over the country, alas everything now happens over Zoom and Teams.
What’s the most challenging aspect of the work you do?
Providing crisis communications advice on some really sensitive and high profile issues. There are some issues that are really challenging both professionally and personally.
What advice would you give students wanting to enter the industry?
A career in local government is not going to provide the same glamour or rewards as other sectors or industries, so accept that and appreciate the benefits it brings. There is no better satisfaction from knowing something you have done has made a public service better and helped improve people’s lives.
How did your time at university prepare you for your job?
I studied History and Politics, and was also heavily involved in one of the political societies. Given I work in a political environment it was actually good preparation – more so than I realised at the time!