Excellent communication skills are at the heart of Louise Clarke’s role as a Community Engagement Manager.
Read how she became a Community Engagement Manager for the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) – Census 2021
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) straight out of university through its graduate staff officer programme. I spent 12 years working in Construction and Procurement Delivery before moving to the Stakeholder Engagement & Communications Team for Census 2021 in NISRA in October 2018.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I’m all about words and stories so my favourite was English or History. That’s why I also love looking back at quirky facts from previous censuses.
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I graduated from Ulster University, Jordanstown with a 2:1 in BSc Hons Communication, Advertising and Marketing.
How did you get into your area of work?
The NICS is great for having diverse career opportunities in lots of different areas with scope to move both within Departments and to other areas. I saw this opportunity with NISRA and thought it looked interesting so I applied through our internal recruitment.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I’ve always wanted to work in a communications role and this gives me the opportunity to do that with a wide and varied audience.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
Being a people person definitely helps.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Working in engagement and communications requires excellent communication skills both verbal and written so that you can share the information and messaging most effectively. This might sound obvious, but it is really important that you are able to look at what you say and how to say it and be willing to make changes if needed. Having a good understanding of the different organisations, groups and individuals and what their needs may be is also essential so that you can tailor messages to suit them. Interpersonal communication skills are also key as building and maintaining relationships is paramount to good engagement. You also need good organisational skills and an all-singing spreadsheet to keep track!
Are there alternative routes into the job?
Yes, there are many routes into NISRA and the NICS as a whole at various grades. You can make a real career for yourself.
What does a typical day entail?
In these times my dog, Dotty is now my alarm clock waking me up around 7.30am to let me know it’s breakfast time. I’ll then organise my schedule for the day, set myself a ‘to do’ list and reply to any urgent mails. Usually, I will have at least two or three meetings with a different focus so I will prep for those and tailor the content to their needs. I usually homeschool my three children, Holly, 14, Conor, 12 and Maisie, 9, over lunchtime if I can, which as much depends on their mood as mine! In the afternoon I could be drafting articles with census information for various publications, reviewing resources for our primary school project, Lets Count or taking part in an interview with a local community or voluntary group.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best is definitely meeting such a diverse group of people. It is humbling and inspiring to hear their stories and how passionate they are about the communities they represent. The most challenging is having such an important but time sensitive role. The census happens only once every ten years and helps inform huge decisions on our vital public services so it is very important that we get it right.
Why is what you do important?
I think what I do will really make a difference to people’s lives for the next ten years. By engaging with a wide range of groups and giving them the support they need to take part in the census my role contributes to the census data collected. Awareness and engagement means that everyone can be counted and ensure that the census data gives us an accurate picture of Northern Ireland right now. There’s no time like the present, if you haven’t already completed your census questionnaire, please do it now.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/role?
As with every occupation and business we had to adapt to the Covid-19 guidance to ensure we keep everyone safe. Previously this role would have been very hands on, meeting groups and individuals face-to-face which obviously can’t happen now and I do miss that personal contact.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Think of the opportunities. When you join the NICS you can choose any number of roles in different departments with a varied focus so don’t be afraid to expand your horizons.
What adjustments have you had to make?
Although it is hard to replace face-to-face interaction, it is great to see how many organisations have embraced the new virtual environment. It has been a real opportunity in upskilling the community and on a positive note, virtual meetings have meant that I can meet a larger number of groups without the travel times. On some days I can hold five census information sessions with groups spread geographically throughout Northern Ireland.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I’m an avid reader so to work for a publishing company reading new manuscripts and getting paid for it would be the dream.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Relax. You are not expected to know everything on the first day.
Describe your ideal day off.
My ideal day off would start with an elusive lie in, followed by a nice breakfast and a walk along the beach with the kids and the dog to freshen me up – preferably in the sunshine. Then an afternoon of shopping before getting dressed up for a fancy dinner and some dancing. A girl can dream!
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Keywords. You can miss so many opportunities that may have been perfect by being too narrow in your search criteria. Don’t be afraid to widen it out just to see what is out there. Working on the 2021 Census has given me the opportunity to develop my interpersonal skills and it’s really encouraging to see how I’m directly contributing to a project which is critical to all our futures.
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