Nikhil K.
About me
| Nikhil K. | |
| Politics, Economics and Philosophy | |
| PEP | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Goodricke | |
| 2018 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Policy Advisor | |
| Department for International Trade | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2018 | |
| £30,000 | |
| £30,000 |
More about Nikhil
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A day in the life of a Policy Advisor in the United Kingdom
Looking to share my insights into the UK civil service and general career-planning with all students from the University of York
My career goals when I graduated
To become a senior leader in my chosen profession.
To earn enough money to be able to raise a family and be comfortable, living in a nice house in a nice area.
My career history
Starting out in the Civil Service.
What has helped my career to progress
Taking advantage of every opportunity to lead, to contribute and to organise that has presented itself - from Young Enterprise to being on the committee of a university sports club to opportunities offered by York Careers.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
Working in a policy area that I am passionate about, having recently secured a promotion.
My advice to students considering work
Take every opportunity to learn and practise new skills before you get to the world of work. The main thing that employers are looking for today is the ability to work well with other people. They aren't as interested in what you know - they are interested in how you go about tasks and how you interact with the people that you are working with.
Talking to and getting work shadowing/experience with people in jobs you think you might like to do are invaluable. Sometimes you will enjoy work shadowing and sometimes you'll hate it. Both experiences are valuable! (I hated my week as a property lawyer and was able to rule it out as a result!)
My advice about working in my industry
There are loads of routes in, so if you think the Civil Service is for you, apply for the graduate scheme, the Fast Stream but also keep the other routes in mind - the apprenticeships and the regular entry-level jobs. You get the same exposure and leadership opportunities both on and off the graduate scheme.
Contacting me
Happy to answer any questions you may have and to take on a formal mentoring role.
What I do
My team makes it easier for UK businesses to sell their goods and services to customers around the world. We identify and help remove barriers to trade.
I am involved in this work for the Latin American, Caribbean and Middle East regions.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Policy, communication, teamwork, leadership
What I like most
My favourite thing about my work is the amount of responsibility I was trusted with straight away.
I can see how my work is helping UK businesses make more money and on top of this, I can see how trade brings people around the world closer together.
The opportunity to move around within the Civil Service to a policy area that may interest me more is also very attractive.
What surprised me most
How young the average age in the Department is! Everyone is really young, friendly and driven to deliver.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Nikhil’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Nikhil a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Nikhil to be your mentor.