Career story: How to get a job as a planner in local government

What's the first step to getting your foot in the door to your dream career?

Apolitical has asked a diverse group of public servants to give us their career tips. In this article, Dr. Elnaz Torabi explains what it takes, and what ambitious public servants starting out can expect in return, based on experience.

What is your role in government, and how did you land in this job?

I am currently in an academic role as a lecturer. After finishing my PhD and before starting my current role, I was employed as a principal planner in local government.

I found the job ad via LinkedIn and called the contact person. As it turns out, I had a lot of transferable skills that were very relevant to the industry job, which encouraged me to submit my application. After the interview, I did not receive an offer for the job that I applied for but luckily they had another position for me which was actually a better fit.

What are the most important skills and competencies for someone who wants to excel in your field and why?

For me, it is more about transferrable skills (e.g. communication/interpersonal skills, analytical skills, and problem solving). Technical skills are also very important, but that is something that would come with more experience as well.

What is one thing that has surprised you most about working in this field?

The positive culture and supportive environment of the organisation. I met many amazing people doing awesome work. The culture was very supportive of work-life balance.

If you were speaking to a junior public servant interested in following in your footsteps, what is the one piece of advice you think would be most useful for them to know?

The first few years after graduating from university can be challenging, but it is the best time to explore different opportunities to better understand what aspects of your potential future career you enjoy most.

Take every opportunity to network and engage with your profession (i.e. having a foot in the door). People you meet along the way might be the links to your dream job in the future, so build positive professional relationships.

Social media is great for keeping in touch with people and letting them know that you are “an aspiring graduate seeking new opportunities”.

Also, be confident! You have more skills than you think you do and you should reflect those better in your CV and on online platforms.

Even if you have no previous work experience in your field, there are so many transferable skills that you develop during university years (e.g. individual and group assignments and work integrated learning courses) or your casual work experience (working in cafes, bars, supermarkets, etc.).

Oral and written communication skills, team work, leadership, problem solving, people/customer skills, etc. are among the skills that employers look for when hiring new graduates.

Elnaz Torabi

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