My experience as someone who wasn’t very aware of politics and Government in General
When I first started applying for graduate programs in Canberra, I was concerned that I wouldn’t know enough about Government or politics to either get the role, or to be able to perform well in it. I had never paid much attention to local or federal Government, and coming from a background in social sciences, I didn’t have the same exposure that my Political Science or International Relations friends did.
As I started to apply for jobs, I made sure to figure out what areas I was interested in and had a genuine passion for. I paid attention to the areas of focus and recent work that different Departments had completed to narrow down where I would apply, and found that this research also helped during the application process (especially when completing writing tasks).
When I started at Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), I realised that people in the Department had a wide range of knowledge regarding Government processes and politics in general. I found it reassuring that not everyone was an expert, and you are still able to complete high-quality work and participate in work conversations without feeling left behind.
As we went through the year, both the Entry Level Programs team and the rotations that I went through were really invested in my learning and development. As a Grad, you’re given a lot of opportunities to attend training sessions, and this really fast-tracks your learning. I’ve started to listen, read and watch more content related to Government and now that I’m dealing with these topics on a daily basis, it’s easier to understand and be invested in what’s going on.
While there is an advantage to people who have completed relevant degrees or who keep up to date with Government, this job is about so much more than what you know about Government or politics. It’s the skills and experience you have from past jobs and completing a university degree, it’s the passion you have for the areas that you care about, and it’s becoming immersed in work or conversations and realising you have a genuine curiosity to learn more.
I’m really glad that I did apply to these programs – I’ve used elements of my degree and past work experience to succeed within the program, and I’ve gotten some amazing experiences already (contributing to a speech the PM gave, working on the COVID-19 Health Response, and writing briefs for the Secretary). I would highly recommend anyone from any degree and with any amount of previous work experience to apply – your value adds to the Department isn’t what you know, but what you can do.