Career Interview
An ENTJ's experience of working in the public sector.
How would you describe your career in 30 seconds?
During my degree, I got a work experience opportunity in local government
– helping them launch a newsletter. I leveraged the experience of working there in
my degree dissertation. After my degree, I took a role doing market research, which was in line with the
recommendations of the career department. I was then invited back to the placement organisation.
In retrospect, I should have said no as I wasn’t ready to focus on being in the public sector,
but the salary was too good to turn down.
What have been the 'best bits' of your career?
I’ve been lucky in that every role I’ve done has had some good moments. I really
like travel and have got to go from Singapore to New York. I’m also very much a people person
and like to interact with others – and being able to work across different cultures
was fascinating. Most recently I’ve focused on being able to help people, from students to
my direct reports to my clients. I really enjoy this – I guess you might say
that I like to be wanted!
What things would you do differently?
When I joined the public sector, I knew it might be hard to leave. And, at one point,
when I did look for roles in the private sector, it was difficult. People have the assumption
that public sector employees cannot adjust to working in ‘dynamic’ private businesses. I’m
sure that may be right for some people, just not all… In retrospect, I should have spent
more time in the private sector before moving across.
If you were to meet the 20-year old verson of you, what career advice would you give?
Well, at the time of going to university, I had a thought I might go into politics. My father
(who was a successful salesman) took a pragmatic view on this – and when I said that I doubted
I would ever work in politics – he advised me away and I ended up doing business. I don’t
think this was a bad choice, it’s allowed me to have a huge variety of roles which
was important as I bore easily! I never fancied a large corporate, or a job in finance
– and now I would tell a younger me to stick to your guns on these points.
What advice would you give people on working for the public sector?
I would definitely advise people to get some private sector experience first. They should
also consider how they would fit into the culture. The public sector is huge,
and so it works in a very controlled way. If you are creative and entrepreneurial, it may not
be right for you. That’s not to say you can’t be entrepreneurial – and in fact at one
point in my career, me and a few colleagues got a reputation for pushing the boundaries, however
you need to recognise that the standard way of working is very structured. The other thing
I’d say is don’t stay too long if you don’t want to stay forever.
Any final thoughts about your career?
I’ve learned that a lot of people are out there for themselves. You need to decide to what
extent that’s you, and to what extent you have a social conscience. In other words, decide
what’s important to you. You do need to like your job and to like yourself in your job.
Career Management
Taking control of your career leads to many questions: what job should I do? Where should I work? How should I find a job? What jobs best fit my personality? The role of Higher is to help you answer these questions; build your self-awareness, give you confidence in being able to explain who you are, and give you support on the '4.5 million minute marathon' that is your career.
If you enjoyed this article, have a look at some other articles that might be of interest and then take your own personality assessment - it's free, quick and who knows where it might take you?
