We recently caught up with Alex about her role as an Associate Consultant role with The PSC, her tasks throughout the day and her advice for how you can secure a similar role.
What do you typically do throughout the day?
I tend to go into the office 3 days a week. No day is ever exactly the same and it is very much shaped by the project you are working on, especially at The PSC where you could be working on a project as part of the Digital, Transformation or Strategy team. My day often includes a stand up with the internal team to talk about each team members' plan for the day and if there are any blockers to your progress. We also have ad hoc problem solves to talk through any particular challenges we are facing and often meet with the client to provide project updates.
What are the main tasks associated with your job?
On digital projects, my day involves conducting user research, prototyping and understanding accessibility requirements for different digital services. In other projects within the Transformation and Strategy units, tasks have included interviews with stakeholders and conducting analysis to understand large datasets. More generally, my role includes supporting project working rhythms including monitoring the project boat charts and risk registers to ensure projects are progressing well and attending working groups to capture meeting notes and actions.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned so far?
The PSC has provided me with a variety of great consulting tools, including the development of issue and hypothesis trees and problem definition sheets to effectively map out a problem and take a hypothesis led approach. And as a result, my ability and confidence to work through complex problems and reach an actionable solution has greatly improved.
What’s one thing you didn’t expect?
I didn't expect how much learning would be informal. Whilst junior team members have formal training on topics including problem solving and analytics, a great deal of learning comes informally through observing colleagues in different client situations and from getting directly involved in project work. The PSC then consolidates this learning in a number of more informal sessions such as lunch and learns or different communities where all members of the organisations can discuss their experiences, which I have found to be really valuable for my career development.
Is there a task or project that has stood out to you?
I have worked on some really interesting projects in my first year at The PSC, working within the Digital and Transformation business units. I found it particularly interesting supporting the UK Space Agency to develop a collision avoidance service. Tasks included conducting user research with satellite operators who could benefit from the service, prototyping new features for the site and ensuring the service is accessible to all possible users and GDS compliant.
What’s been the highlight so far?
Aside from project work, I have really enjoyed working with and learning from other members of the team who have a variety of backgrounds but who all share the same values and are passionate about making public services brilliant. In particular, I have enjoyed being a part of the junior cohort, attending monthly meetings where we share our project experiences and have the opportunity to get to know each other better. Socials have recently involved a company sports day where games of rounders and tug of war got much more competitive than expected!
What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?
- When thinking about what career would be best suited to me, I found a useful starting point was talking to anyone I could in the careers I was interested in to get an understanding of what to expect from different roles (LinkedIn is a great place for this), including the most challenging parts.
- Before any applications and interviews, reread the job specification to be aware of the main competencies and attributes that the company you are applying to is looking for and make a note of where you have demonstrated these to help prepare for any questions.
- Apply early - I really liked Bright Networks calendar which updated me when job roles I was interested in were closing, which allowed me to plan my time accordingly and prioritise the roles I really wanted.
Let us know where you've secured your work experience, internship or graduate role. We want to celebrate your success with a gift from us and exclusive invitations to evening networking drinks throughout the year.
