The post: Administrative Officer, Northern Ireland Civil Service
The post holder: Phil Lucas
Phil Lucas made the leap from a career in retail to an administration role and hasn’t looked back since.
Here’s how he became an Administrative Officer within the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
After leaving education aged 19 I worked in cafes in Belfast city centre and the Lisburn Road, I then took a job as a Christmas temp in a music retail shop, I’d always gone there as a kid and it was like a childhood dream of mine. I worked there for about seven years then worked in operations for a major telecommunications brand. I also started my own business putting on dance music events in 2006 which I still run in my spare time today bringing international DJs to Belfast.
What was your favourite subject at school?
My year in Carrickfergus Grammar School was the first year where they trialed a media GCSE, I was always interested in creative subjects and Information Technology but was never really very good at art. I took a chance doing it and absolutely loved it.
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
After the media GCSE there was no option to do an A-level so I left school at 16 to study media at what’s now the Northern Regional College in Newtownabbey. After that I went into full-time work.
How did you get into your area of work?
I applied for the Northern Ireland Civil Service and got placed in 2018 in the Child Maintenance Service as a caseworker, I didn’t know where I was going to be placed until maybe a few weeks before and to be honest with no previous experience in an administrative role I went in with no expectations of the job.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I always wanted to work with the general public and was worried joining the Northern Ireland Civil Service in an administrative role would potentially be moving away from dealing directly with people. Being placed in Child Maintenance Service has been a perfect fit for me as I am still dealing with the public and I have the satisfaction that the work I’m doing is making a difference to children’s lives and I’m making a positive impact on people.
The benefits of the Northern Ireland Civil Service such as flexible working hours, annual leave, and the personal development and career progression opportunities appealed to me.
Are there any particular essential qualifications needed for an Administrative Officer?
At the minute, there are no qualifications required for entry into the Administrative Officer grade, though there are aptitude tests and an interview. When I started in Child Maintenance Service, there was very thorough classroom training, as well as considerable time spent with experienced staff to consolidate me in my role.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
I think empathy is probably the most important personal trait required for my role, you are dealing with people who are at times going through difficult personal situations and you have to be respectful of that at all times. I brought my operation and organisational skills gained in previous employment to the role as well which I think are essential.
What does a typical day entail?
I get up early, usually around 6:15am if not woken up earlier by my two kids, I travel from Bangor to Belfast and am in work before 8am most days. I check my cases for any priority work that requires immediate action and focus on that first before moving on and working through the rest of my cases.
Case management can involve phone calls to clients, negotiating debt, making sure the details we have on our system is reflective of the actual real-life situation so the case is fair and correct.
We manage payments making sure they are made on time and paid regularly in line with agreed schedules and chase this up when they are not. Other case management tasks involve chasing up information received from other systems such as whether the client is in receipt of benefits, are their personal details up to date and ensuring they are aware of other support systems and services.
Much like my experience in retail it’s trying to ensure the client receives a professional, customer-focused experience. Lunch around 1pm and I leave shortly after 4pm. Home for 5-ish to help my six-year-old with his homework, have dinner and then get the kids to bed.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
I think the fact that you are striving to make a positive impact on people’s lives and give children the best opportunities in life by ensuring that the parents responsible for their care are supported by the other parent fairly. It can be challenging to negotiate agreements between two parties but I find this motivates me. Through this job I’ve had the opportunity to train new staff, got to go to London for a week to work in a different governmental department as well as be involved in various training and leadership courses, opportunities I wasn’t afforded elsewhere.
Why is what you do important?
For me it’s important because I feel like I’m making a positive impact on people’s lives, I personally value that as the best sort of job satisfaction and it keeps you motivated.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
If you want to work in a sector where you are challenged and have the opportunity to develop and learn constantly in your role don’t be afraid to make the jump from retail to administrative work.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
Something else involving the public, I like seeing the results of my work and making people happy so maybe events work.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
It takes time to learn the role and become confident in it but you are given the time needed to settle into it. You will never know everything but there is always support there if you need it.
Describe your ideal day off.
Probably a day out with my family, a forest walk and out somewhere nice for lunch or a day listening to and making music.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Being open minded and open to taking a risk in doing something you might not be knowledgeable on, you can build up your knowledge on a subject easily enough and adapt and develop your existing skills to suit the new job.
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