My Speech to 2014 Department of Social Services Grad Intake

I recently put my hand up to speak to the next cohort of my Department's graduate program; to share my experience, what they could expect from it and some tips for success. I was going keep my employment anonymous because even though as a public servant you are able to have an opinion on what's going on around you, it opens you up to a line of inquiry about your adherence to the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct and Values. However, I am a professional and figured that this shows in my attitude, productivity and outcomes at work, so this post should be relatively harmless. Anyway, anyone who knows me knows that I love my job and wouldn't want to do anything much else.

Below is my speech in its entirety. Let me know what you think in the comments.

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Hi everyone, I’m Stuart. I was a grad last year, and I’m here to talk to you about my experiences, what you can expect and how to succeed in the grad program.

First of all, I’d like to say congratulations on getting into the graduate program. You are the handful of applicants that made it through the endless testing and screening processes. You should feel special, because you are very lucky to get to this point. There were over 1,500 applications for the former FaHCSIA grad program from which just 42 were accepted. This is less than 3% of those who applied. Yes, if you’re wondering, I was a data and analysis grad.

You have managed to beat the odds, especially at a time where public service employment is frozen and where less university graduates are actually getting jobs that use their degrees. I say this not just to celebrate your achievement, but also to warn you not to become complacent. Your job is a privilege, so make the most of it, but don’t take advantage of it and don’t take it for granted. A lot have things have gone right for you to get to this point, but to quote Tim Minchin, “it’s all luck. Understanding that you can’t truly take credit for your successes, nor truly blame others for their failures will humble you and make you more compassionate.”

That’s a deep place to start, but anyway, onto my experience in the grad program. I don’t want to spend too much time on this, because my experience won’t be the same as yours.

I was actually luckier than most. I was working at the former FaHCSIA while the selection process for the grad program was happening. I was a contractor in the Mental Health branch and this experience was helpful, because it’s allowed me to appreciate why being in the grad program is different to the job you will have after it. There are probably going to be very few times in your career where you will receive as much development; so use your time wisely.

Mental Health was a good place to dip my toes into working for Government. I got a chance to work on things that were really interesting; like a selection panel that picked 11 organisations to deliver services across Australia. One of my arguments actually got one organisation a contract over another. I got the sense then, as you will too, that your views, opinions and thoughts matter to the decision makers around you: the more diverse the range of views they get, the better the final decision will be. Diversity of perspectives is good; so have confidence in yourself and share your views respectfully.

I got into the Graduate Program and my first rotation was in Disability and Carers Payments Policy. It was awesome for doing new, interesting and challenging stuff. You’ll find most Public Service work is interesting and challenging, but if it isn’t, take the QI approach: even the most boring things are interesting if looked at it in the right way.

For my second rotation, I worked in the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. It was an eye opening experience, and working there I got a first hand look at the challenges facing our nation’s Indigenous peoples, but also that there are many people with great passion and dedication to closing gaps in outcomes and helping Indigenous families improve their lives.

I’m very proud of the work I’ve done in the grad program, and in a little over a year and a half I’ve worked in a program area, a policy area and a research area.

There are plenty of places in DSS for you to bring your expertise. You will hear people talk about different ‘streams’ like policy, program, delivery, and corporate support. If your skill set allows, try to get some experience in each of these areas. More experience gives you more perspective, which leads to better decision making.

Now onto what you can expect from the grad program.

Death by PowerPoint

I put this in to be a little light-hearted. You will see many PowerPoint presentations in this first week and a bit. You will probably feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you are being shown. Don’t worry, that’s good – it gives you more motivation to get started once you’re at your desk.

Training

You will get lots of training. In fact, you’ll be given so much training that you’ll begin to question the usefulness and relevance of it. But again, this is the one of the only times that you will be given so much encouragement and resources to do training.

Also, just because some training seems irrelevant to you now, doesn’t mean it won’t be relevant in the future. I did procurement training last year and at the time I thought “when will this ever apply to me? I’m a data grad”, and that was stupid because in LSIC I had to deal with procuring printing services for their Community Feedback sheets. The point is that even though some training might feel superfluous, pay attention anyway – you’ll never know when it might come in handy, and it’s at least something that you can put you’ve had ‘some exposure to’ down the track.

Experience in Government

That’s why you’re here right? You get to see how the sausages are made, so to speak. You’ll also be well-versed in acronyms, official-ese and politics by the end of it – so no doubt you can confuse and bore all of your family members the next time you see them. Jokes aside, you will get the opportunity to work on really interesting stuff, and believe me there is lots of stuff to go around. There’s definitely more stuff than there are resources to do it.

Professional Network

By far the most valuable things you will develop during your time in the grad program is a solid professional network. If you haven’t already, you’ll make friends with others in your grad program, or you’ll at least know them and where they work so you’ll have a contact if you need to ask a question. You’ll meet people from other graduate programs through APS‑wide events, and if you’re the bubbly, extroverted, social type, you might hang on to some of these connections. But the most robust connections you will make are with the people you work with every day. I’m not a big believer in ‘networking’ as such, but I do believe in building solid relationships with people. To quote LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman: “Relationships matter because, ultimately, every job boils down to interacting with people”.

Change

Change happens all the time. For our particular line of work, it could be changes in government priorities, ministers, policy; changes in our organisational structure, IT systems or your own work priorities. You’ll do well if you can adapt to all of this, to have a system in place that allows you to cope with change and to be flexible; to find peace in the chaos.

So here’s the story so far. Now for some more practical tips for success.

Firstly, remember that you are an individual with a set of opinions, knowledge and skills that you bring to the table. The reason that you were offered a position is based on that skill set. To rephrase that, you are in an organisation that values your skills and appreciates diversity. As I’ve mentioned, bring these skills to meetings and discussions. It might be something that’s been overlooked, or hasn’t been given full consideration. If you’ve given a decision maker something to think about, then you improve the final outcome of that decision. As I’ve said before though, share your views respectfully.

Don’t meticulously plan your career, or put another way, have goals but be open to the fact that they might change. Having goals is good, but being to gung-ho about them often blinds you to opportunities and discourages flexibility. Most successful people didn’t have any idea what they wanted to do, they just took advantage of breakout opportunities that came their way.

Try not to compare yourself with others. This relates to work as well as life in general. Other people may have skills, motivations, connections, qualifications, circumstances or a trust fund that you don’t. That’s life, but don’t cloud your perspective - you will be a lot happier if you compare apples with apples. Compare yourself now to a year ago – are you better in the ways that you measure your own success by? Do the same in a year’s time.

Be genuine and authentic in your communication with others. It is paramount to building relationships with people. Authenticity here refers to the ability to express yourself; being able to state how you feel, and why, and it requires you to know yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, your skills, opinions, biases and privileges etc. Being genuine on the other hand, refers to the ability to take account of others when you communicate – to show empathy and understand their circumstances.

Live curiously. Ask lots of questions. You will, at times, find yourself out of your depth. But there are plenty of people willing and able to give you support if you just ask.

Perfect time management. Don’t be content if something is just working okay, spend time ‘sharpening the sword’ as it were. It pays dividends.

Keep track of work you have completed, whether it’s a folder of your work or just a note about what you accomplished. This is stupidly easy to do, and shows you are prepared and productive at a section or branch meeting. It also comes in handy as evidence if you need to fill out a selection criteria or negotiate a pay rise.

Keep a list somewhere of stuff you don’t know how to do. Again, this is about knowing yourself. If you can identify your weaknesses, you can better assess what you’re capable of, and if you might need help or training along the way.

Offer to help your colleagues. Often, meetings are times when people reassess their priorities and might need some help to complete things that aren’t the most urgent and important thing on their list. Often this is phrased in terms of ‘capacity’. Volunteer your ‘capacity’. You will be exposed to new things, and build trust and rapport with your team and develop your own skills.

Don’t feel disheartened if your work is amended. Often you will work extremely hard on something, and feel that it is the best that it can be, only to have it bounce around and come back with changes. While it’s easy to get frustrated by this, recognise that it’s also a part of the job. The people who are clearing your work take responsibility for it, and their experience allows them to recognise nuances that you might not be aware of.

If you make a mistake, tell your supervisor. It is better to have made a mistake and admitted it upfront, honestly and directly, than the alternative when the mistake is discovered. The public service and government is under constant scrutiny, from other political parties, from the press, and from citizens – mistakes get found.

Finally, remember who you are: where you came from, your upbringing, and the circumstances you’ve experienced. Identify your privileges and biases and keep yourself humble. You may have worked part-time, or done casual shift work with little stability. You might have been unemployed, just needing support to get back on your feet and someone to give you a chance. You may have, or have had, other commitments to balance, like studying, or caring for children, elderly relatives or a person with disability. You may have experienced domestic violence, or be living with a mental illness or disability yourself. Drawing on your past helps you make the best contribution to this Department, because you are able to relate your experience and first hand knowledge to the policy decisions in front of you. You will be able to see how policy changes might affect people in similar circumstances, and you should use your experiences to enlighten the discussion.

Thank you.