Career story: content strategist

What does a day in your shoes feel like? And what are the key skills that can make or break a career in your field?

We’ve asked a diverse group of Apolitical members to share their career story with us and the tips they have for junior public servants. In this article, an anonymous civil servant explains why it’s important to use data and research to support your actions in their role as a content strategist.

What is your current job title?

Content strategist

How do you spend most of your time on an average day?

We're in build mode for a new intranet so I bounce between writing content, editing content, and laying out pages. I spend a fair amount of time on building procedures and guidelines for a consistent look and feel that reflects best practices in user design.

What did you do before?

I was a Lean Six Sigma black belt for two years, and before that, I was in communications.

What are the most important skills someone needs to excel in your field?

Being able to communicate “why” effectively and persuasively. User-centred approaches to content and design are new in government, and being able to point to why our approach is the right approach for what we want to achieve is critical. We use data and research to support everything we do. People have their own tastes in writing and design, but our approach to content is based on research.

What's the best part of your job?

Talking to my colleagues. I get to interview people across the organization and it's always a delight to let them be nerds about the things they love about their jobs. Also, when a post goes up and it resonates with my colleagues.

What advice would you give to future public servants interested in a career in your field?

Take a writing class, the more esoteric the better. Not how to write a briefing note, but how to tell a story. Storytelling is key to developing great content, and it's the story that structures the strategy in my work.

Want to share your own career story with the Apolitical community? Use this form to let us know about your job.

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