Medha Bhasin talks to us about what life is like working at UK Parliament and some top tips for the application process.
What attracted you to UK Parliament?
A big driver for me when applying was to work in an organisation that was doing interesting and varied work, where there was an opportunity for growth and to be somewhere where I could put myself in a position to make a positive impact. The UK graduate development programme delivers on all of those. The work is engaging and changes daily with whatever is going on in politics at the time. There is a large amount of responsibility from day one and there is a real organisational focus on learning which is amazing.
Tell us about an normal day in your role
I come into the office about 9:30/10 - the house sits later in the day so you shift your day a bit. I catch up on emails, check over procedural documents that the house has published the day before to check for any errors. The rest of the day I'm replying to queries from members of the public and MPs about public petitions, drafting advice, scheduling them to be presented, also preparing committee meetings for my two committees, writing briefs for MPS and attending clerking committee meetings.
What’s the best part about working in the UK Parliament?
It's incredible to be in parliament on those big days in politics, especially recently when there's been moments of constitutional significance unfolding in the same building that you're working in. The people around you are influential in how things are being decided or how we are advising MPs considering the political climate, to be able to be in the room where people are having these conversations and learning from that is incredible.
And finally, any tips and advice for graduates applying this year?
First just give it a go and don't be dissuaded by the name of the institution! It's definitely possible to work here. Secondly, for your competency questionnaire, make sure you use the STAR approach. It does really work and ticks all the boxes. For the written exercise, be concise, pick out relevant information and summarise it. For the group exercise, make sure you are listening to what others are saying and summarise what others have said before speaking as this shows that you are listening and responding and building on each other. Lastly, be yourself. The assessors want to know that you can work with people, and who can confidently speak to MPs and advise them. Be polite but also stand your ground. Don't be afraid to apply.
Want to join Medha at UK Parliament? Check out their profile for all current opportunities.