Tell us a little about your role as a Communications Officer?
I applied for the Communications Officer competition in the summer of 2020 and joined Public Jobs as the Marketing and Communications Executive in December 2020. My role involves a variety of communications responsibilities including managing the content on Publicjobs.ie, writing news articles, developing content for social media channels, and running the internal communications for the organisation. I also work on developing social media content for recruitment campaigns, where I interview civil servants about their career paths to show what working in the civil service is like on a day-to-day basis and in the long term. The goal is to ‘demystify’ the civil service as there can be confusion about how it all works. Another area of my work is running a biweekly newsletter, which gives me the chance to work with colleagues from across the organisation to round up all the news and keep staff informed, which has been particularly important when working remotely.
What opportunities has the role provided you with so far?
It has been very interesting to learn about the diversity and sheer breath of opportunity available across the civil service. I have really enjoyed hearing the inspiring career path stories of civil servants who have taken opportunities and built meaningful careers. My role has provided me with incredible learning and development opportunities. Since beginning the role, I have been able to complete a part-time Master of Communication which has been a great experience and has really broadened my knowledge. I have found there is so much support for professional development and I had the chance to apply for study leave to allow me attend lectures and complete assignments. I have also had the chance to attend courses on project management, team leadership and many others which I have found so beneficial in my day-to-day work. I have been really impressed by the learning and development opportunities; I have not seen the level of support for professional development anywhere else I have worked.
Why did you choose a career in the Public Sector?
I worked abroad for seven years, and while working in communications for the Australian public service, I saw the positive difference communications made to improving public information. I wanted to contribute to positive change in Ireland and this role has given me ample opportunity to so.
What advice would you give someone thinking of applying for the Communications Officer role?
Definitely apply! There are so many opportunities for career progression, secondments, and further study so if you are willing to put in the work you are opening yourself up to world of opportunity!
Can you tell us about a highlight from your career in the Civil Service?
One particular highlight has been managing a project to overhaul the Publicjobs.ie website. I’ve had the chance to do a complete audit of the site, develop fresh and engaging content, design a new suite of imagery, as well as improving the user experience of the site. This has been a very rewarding project to work on as it had helped candidates find the information they are looking for and gain a better insight into what working in the civil service is like.