What better use for your interest in politics than to join policy-making through the provision of knowledge and information to those who are either part of the decision-making process, or those who are affected by whatever decision is made and would therefore like to influence the process?

A career which involves implementing change can have a lot of different formats and job titles which you may never have heard of before. A way to find some of these careers is through the website www.work4mpjobs.org. One particular job I have found recently was for an Account Executive – quite a generic job title but when you read the description you may find it is a job for you….

Company: Hanover

Job Title: Account Executive

Job Details

Hanover is looking for an Account Executive to join our healthcare public affairs team. Hanover’s health team work with some of the world’s largest healthcare organisations including pharmaceutical companies and providers, as well as the NHS and charities, supporting them in navigating the changing political and policy landscape.

With an understanding of UK politics & policy and an interest in health and the NHS, this full-time position will play a vital role in challenging the norm and delivering change. The Hanover healthcare team is led by leaders in UK consultancy, with the international team bringing expertise from our London, Brussels and Dublin offices.

Key responsibilities will include providing high-quality monitoring and intelligence to high profile clients, drafting policy intelligence reports, agendas and action notes, supporting events and meeting for clients, and delivering research for new business pitches.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

  • Relevant experience from a UK public affairs consultancy, in-house public affairs department, patient group/NGO, Parliament or other relevant organisation
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • A passion for the changing health landscape, specifically within UK politics and policy
  • Drive to make an impact and work closely as a team
  • Ability to work across multiple projects at any one time
  • Strong attention to detail and highly organised

 

This role could be described as a second step in your career, or your second role after graduating from university, previously you may work as a Junior Account Executive, an Accounts Assistant or an Intern for an MP prior to this. A previous Politics graduate from the University has taken this career path. You can see his route in the image:

This particular role appears to be quite varied in the tasks you will do: some research, communicating with stakeholders and analysing where you can push for changes in policy. If you ever have any queries about any particular role most adverts give a contact person to get in touch with to ask questions about what the role will involve day to day.

When viewing any job roles, always take note of the Skills and Experience section as this will provide you with an overview of what companies are looking for and it can help shape your job hunting strategy of what you need to be doing during your University life.

For example to apply for this role it may be useful if you have:

  • Up to date knowledge of the relevant policies and agendas. You could do this by finding some relevant blogs related to the field of interest e.g. http://www.healthinvestor.co.uk/ or taking part in scheduled twitter chats through tweetreports.com and search for Policy to find which may interest you
  • Part – time work to compliment your degree where you will develop skills such as multi-tasking, team work and communication.
  • Voluntary experience at a local NGO or MP’s office or paid work if you can juggle this alongside your studies.

Don’t forget there is support on campus and for up to three years after graduating. You can access the Careers Drop In from 10am-4pm Monday to Friday in term time, register at the Ask4Help desk and an Adviser will be with you in Student Central as soon as possible.

 

written by Jenny O’Neil, Careers adviser for IRP