A recipe for success

As you may already be aware, Electus Start recently conducted a poll amongst political graduates (please see homepage for details). The competition winner, Kasia Kurowska, received the exclusive opportunity to have her name in print within The House Magazine, which is the publication for MPs. In addition to this, Kasia has kindly written some career advice for Electus Start in order to share her personal experience as a graduate entering the industry.

Experience, perseverance and belief in yourself are of paramount importance for graduates trying to start a career in the political arena. I am here to tell you the magic ingredients to securing that political job you are applying for.

1. Add experience to your CV. I got the job as a Policy Adviser at Birmingham Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCI) over candidates who had PhDs because as well as having the academic knowledge I had political experience that showed I could do the job day to day. I worked with the Liberal Democrat Party in my local area in the 2005 General Election. Although my work experience was no more than handing out leaflets and doing basic office work it was enough to convince my present employers of my abilities and interest in politics.
2. Pour in some pure perseverance. I received hundreds of rejection letters and confronted many a dead end as I bravely faced the job market after graduating from Liverpool University last year with a 2.1 in Politics and Communication Studies. Rejection is hard to take but each time you get rejected ask for feedback on why you were not considered. Firstly, it will help you improve your CV and interview techniques. More importantly, it will show you have a genuine interest in the job and if there any other vacancies open you may get an interview off the strength of showing a keen interest.
3. Smother with Self-Belief. I think we all tend to take job rejections personally but there is no need to. It may have been simply that the job was not right for you and nothing to do with your abilities. Always pick yourself up after a rejection and make sure you treat yourself to something nice for example, a shopping trip or big night out on the town. Keep reminding yourself of the fantastic abilities you have and look it as it’s their lose and some others gain to have such a young starlet like yourself on their team!

So you have the three most important factors for securing a political job but how are you supposed to find the kind of job your looking for?

Political careers advice is pretty limited and there aren’t many channels by which to find out about vacancies. Unless you know someone in the political arena it can be hard to get that break. That’s why the Electus Start website is so vital to graduates looking to work in politics. All you have to do is believe in yourself and your ability and you can rely on Electus Start to offer the opportunities.

Good luck in your hunt for that political job. I know you can do it (your one step closer by looking on this website!) so make sure you believe in yourself too!

Kasia Kurowska
Policy Adviser
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce & Industry