7 skills for a successful career in public services

Public sector jobs are known to be competitive. To impress employers and carry out your public services role effectively, you'll need the following skills

With public sector employment rising to 5.94 million (Office for National Statistics, June 2024), it's becoming more crucial than ever to ensure your CV stands out from other applicants.

We spoke to an expert to identify the seven most important skills for a successful career in the public services and administration sector.

'Many organisational skills are important to roles in the public services, such as project management, leadership and analytical skills,' says Dr Ali Budjanovcanin, senior lecturer in work psychology and public sector management and deputy director, MSc public policy and management at Kings College London. 'However, the skills listed below are specific to public services, which is characterised by a complex set of stakeholders and a challenging, yet rewarding, environment.'

Key skills for working in the public sector

1. Problem solving

'When working in the public services, you'll be dealing with some complex social issues. From helping local government to deliver better healthcare to working with emergency services or local schools. As such, you will need to be good at identifying an issue, analysing it, and finding potential solutions. Using methodical approaches ensures that you are rigorous in your analysis of problems.'

You can develop these skills through academic study, helping to run a student society, being a course representative, or through work experience.

2. Adaptability

'You will be working in a constantly evolving environment and as such, you will be required to think on your feet and feel comfortable with change - something known as negative capability. Exposing yourself to challenges wherever you have the opportunity will help you to develop this skill, as it slowly pushes you outside your comfort zone.'

You could also take up a part-time job to improve your adaptability. Entering a new work environment is challenging, and you'll need to fit your job around other commitments.

3. Cross-cultural awareness

'The public that you serve will be diverse in many ways, with citizens who come from a variety of backgrounds. Being both open to, and competent in, understanding other cultures will stand you in good stead for communicating effectively with one of your main stakeholder groups - the public.'

Volunteering within your community is a great way to gain knowledge about, and respect for, other cultures and groups.

4. Emotional intelligence

'You will be dealing with multiple stakeholders throughout your work and sometimes dealing with crises. These require good emotional and social skills to manage working relationships and get the most out of a team you work with, as well as to stay calm.

Empathy allows you to see things from others' perspectives, which is essential for public servants who must understand the diverse needs of the citizens they serve. You can develop your empathy by spending time with people who are from different social groups and backgrounds to you.'

5. Diplomacy

'This is the art of dealing with people without offending them. It is particularly useful in the public services because you will find yourself having to negotiate with different stakeholders and advocate for different government policies.

If you can learn to present your ideas in a persuasive and non-offensive manner, you're much more likely to get buy-in from those you are trying to persuade, whether that's public institutions or citizens.

If you work on developing empathy, this will pay off in improving your diplomacy skills.'

6. Reality testing

'This public sector skill describes the ability to see things as they really are. This is important as public servants must balance their goals with the reality of limited budgets.

Developing reality testing will have the benefit of improving your decision making and problem-solving skills. It can be helpful to challenge your views and ideas by speaking to other people about them. This can help you identify when you are missing something in your thinking.'

7. Motivation

'While not really a skill, you will find that you're suited to a career in the public services if you have a genuine interest in improving other people's lives. Public service motivation describes this desire to serve the public and maintain your motivation when the work is challenging, meaning that you get high satisfaction from doing your job.'

Essential skills for working in government

The following soft skills are particularly useful when working in a government role, be that at local or national level.

• Collaboration - government roles require you to work with a variety of individuals, agencies and organisations so it's vital that you’re able to work successfully as part of a team. You'll need to develop positive working relationships to achieve common goals.
• Cultural sensitivity - is important as you'll need to understand and respect the diverse backgrounds of those you work with.
• Persuasive communication - you'll encounter diverse perspectives when working in government, so as well as active listening (where you pay close attention to not only what someone is saying, but also tune into their feelings and views), you'll need the ability to persuasively communicate, both orally and in writing, to bring about the desired result.
• Time management - government jobs can be incredibly demanding. You'll have to manage a heavy workload and competing priorities, so time management is crucial.
• Leadership - working in government can be incredibly competitive. One of the ways to set yourself apart from the competition is to demonstrate leadership potential. Show employers that you're capable of inspiring and influencing others, leading projects and managing teams.
• Decision making - you need to be decisive and willing to make tough calls under pressure.
• Political awareness - to perform your government job to the best of your ability you'll need to have an interest in, and an understanding of, the sector. Knowledge of how the levels of government work, the function of different departments and agencies and an up-to-date take on current affairs will stand you in good stead.

Important skills for working in administration

You'll need a specific set of skills to succeed in administration jobs.

• Attention to detail - accuracy and consistency are key for administration workers. You work needs to be error free and follow the correct processes.
• Confidentiality and discretion - as an administrator you'll likely handle confidential documents and be privy to a lot of company-sensitive information, for example you might be the first to know of financial losses, lapsed business or upcoming redundancies. It's therefore vital that you respect privacy and have a strict understanding of data protection laws and procedures. This will enable you to build trusting working relationships with your employers, colleagues and customers.
• Concentration - tasks are often computer-based and sometimes repetitive so it's important that you're able to focus for long periods. Low concentration equals low productivity.
• The ability to multitask - flexibility is essential for administration jobs as you're often required to work on multiple tasks or projects at once. You need to be able to prioritise successfully and remain organised.
• IT literacy - to do your job well, you'll need to know your way around a computer. As well as creating word documents, emails, presentations and spreadsheets, you'll also need to be proficient in database management, document retrieval and in some cases content management systems and social media management.
• Initiative - you need to be self-motivated, comfortable working alone and off your own initiative.
• Customer service - people and customer service skills are vital in administrative roles. You'll deal with a variety of people in the course of your work and it's important to maintain a professional manner. Discover the 5 skills you’ll learn from a customer service job.

Find out more

• Explore the range of public sector jobs.
• Discover how to get a job in public services and administration.
• Read more about the skills employers are looking for.