About you

I would say I’m an adaptable and a curious person. I’m constantly looking to challenge myself through new experiences. My working life would best qualify me as a ‘generalist’.

When I got the chance to have a go at university, I thought a bachelor’s degree would be an extremely valuable addition to my CV. What a new experience, exciting and challenging all at the same time! I had to do it part-time to keep paying the bills so it took me six years.  

What interested you most about the program

Once I began the final year of my Bachelor of Social Science I started talking with the careers counsellor about post-grad pathways, but mainly graduate programs in the public sector.

The one that jumped out at me was the Policy Futures Graduate program.

The program appealed to me for three reasons:

1. It made sense to join the Queensland public sector and here was a golden opportunity to get my ‘foot in the door’
2. It would give me exposure to a wide range of new experiences
3. I knew my generalist skills could play a part in shaping the future of Queensland.

How was the recruitment process?

To describe the recruitment process, I’d say it was simple yet extensive. Throughout the multi-stage process, I was certainly tested on many levels and it pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I found this exciting!

Is the program what you thought it would be?

I honestly thought the Policy Futures program would be like a talent pool full of grads that would be sent to placements dictated by the agency requiring some assistance. I’d say what has surprised me the most is the amount of personalisation that is taken into account prior to each placement.   

How does the program fit into your long-term goal/career direction?

In relation to beginning a career in the QLD public sector I really couldn’t have dreamed of a better kick-starter to my plan than the Policy Futures program.

I’ve appreciated the implicit and explicit career direction provided at each stage of the process across the three rotation positions. I’d say the direction is tailored by what the Policy Futures team has learnt about my drivers and capabilities.

The Policy Futures program acts as a springboard, launching me into each new experience, all backed by the positive reputation that the program enjoys across the sector.

If my future career path does lie outside of any of my three placement opportunities, every experience I collect along the way is certainly building the foundations for a direction that I design.

What have the highlights of the program been so far?

Now having been within the program for one year I will tell anyone that will listen that I have never felt so supported before. To me, the highlights of the Policy Futures experience are two-fold and both equal in measure. First, I’ve appreciated the personal development opportunities, continuing my lifelong self-improvement mission. Second is the relationship building, something I see as enormously valuable to progressing my professional development!

The relationship building has occurred in two formats, initially amongst our graduate cohort from day one of our induction and building throughout the regular learning and development days. Then there are the teams you get to know as you work alongside them in the three rotation placements.

I can say without doubt that I’ve met colleagues that will remain contacts for the entirety of my public sector career, maybe even beyond. Who knows?

Do you have any tips and advice for students/graduates thinking about applying for Policy Futures?

From my perspective I’d encourage any career-changers (even if it’s a bit later in life!) that are curious enough to have taken on university study in the first place, to extend that curiosity and look at how they can benefit the Queensland public sector through the Policy Futures program.