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Im Working in civil service, help!

Hi I am a psychology graduate and just stared working in the civil service. I am a business support at the moment but how can I increase my knowledge, I mean what can I read to have a better understanding of the work we do. I feel like I've joined a career that I do not know much about and I would like to feel more interested in the work. I want to progress in my career but I have no idea where I am heading at the moment.

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Reply 1
Avatar for IvanGray
IvanGray
2
The fantastic thing about being CS is the flexibility on offer, why don't you talk to your line manager and express your concerns to him/her.

Ask to be transferred to a different department?
Reply 2
Avatar for Jcm88
Jcm88
1
I can understand your feeling of bewilderment. I have been working in the Civil Service for about 15 months now and I still feel as if I'm tracing a lonely path in the wilderness.

Learning more about your role is entirely dependent on your department or agency (mind me asking where you work?). In my brief experience, being in a department that requires a specialist skill that you don't have (say, tax specialist or social worker) will limit your progression. It's possible you can simply work your way up the 'corporate' strand, which will basically involve administration with increasing responsibilities. If you don't enjoy your current job, then this might only prove more lucratively boring. Therefore, it might be worth looking elsewhere as you may have more career opportunities in different departments.

Most of the individuals I have seen succeed are not only good at their job but they know the competency system well. It's important to take on work that you can demonstrably evidence in a future interview against the Civil Service competency framework (some get by solely on it, it seems). Also, where do you live? There are few public sector jobs available in rural areas, so you might have to consider moving to London.

As to feeling 'more interested in the work'. This is difficult. Civil Service administration will have little relevance to your university studies. Perhaps you should think about a particular policy area that might apply, such as the Department of Health. Mental health is a government priority these days, so positions might open up that interest you more. There's a benefit being in the Civil Service in that recruitment freezes tend to mean that you see internal job vacancies before external candidates and must be considered before them.

Other practical tips might be to look at those you work with, does anyone's job look appealing? Find out their background, etc.

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