The Unofficial Guides
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The Unofficial Update: Help with How to Progress in your Career!
Dear Reader How is it May already?! We all know that applying for a new job, planning your next move, or exploring your options can feel all-consuming. It’s easy to feel you never have enough time to get all the information you want or do the preparation you need. If this sounds familiar, there’s no better time than now to be kind to yourself, to remember that a career is about the journey (not just the destination!), and to enjoy the beautiful weather! With that in mind, let’s get into this...
The Unofficial Update: Help with How to Prepare for Interviews!
Dear Reader Some people call this the start of Q2 and others the beginning of Spring. Whatever it is for you, treat it as a reset a chance to invest in yourself, build momentum, and keep moving forward. I for one, having just finished my first Ultra Marathon, will be taking some time to recover! In this month's Unofficial Update, we have some exciting news, a new career conversation and more resources for you! Unofficial Guides Plus (BETA) In January, we launched our very first live pilot,...
The Unofficial update: New Career Conversation, Grades Guide & Roles
Dear Reader As we approach the end of the financial year, departments across government are finalising priorities, launching recruitment campaigns, and preparing for the year ahead. March is typically one of the most active periods for Civil Service opportunities, so in this edition, we’re bringing you a new career conversation, practical resources on Civil Service grades, and fresh insights to help you position yourself strongly for upcoming roles. Career conversations - Kim Emenike This...
The Unofficial update: February drop - events, insights & opportunities
Dear Reader February is here and we have packed newsletter for you with resources, events and a really interesting job! Thank you for a sold-out Masterclass pilot A huge thank you to everyone who joined our sold-out Unofficial Guides Masterclass pilot. The energy, honesty, and ambition you brought into the sessions made this something really special. 80% of participants said they found it useful and our the average session rating was 8.5/10. One participant shared: “It was a pleasure doing...
The Unofficial update: Making sense of the Civil Service (what even is it?!)
Dear Reader Happy New Year (!!!) For many of us, January is a time for new beginnings. New hobbies, new opportunities and New Year's resolutions…hands up if you’ve already broken yours?! One thing that definitely isn’t new is the fact that so many people still struggle to understand what the Civil Service actually is (and isn’t). And that’s if they’ve even heard of it. I worked in it for 4.5 years and found something new every single day. So, we’re kicking off the year with a career...
The Unofficial update: Our First Pilot, Patchwork and new journeys on the blog
Dear Reader It’s finally socially acceptable to play Christmas music 24/7, and we’ve got an early present for you…but you’ll have to keep reading to find out! The run-up to Christmas is a special time for so many people. For us, it’s extra special this time as it marks a year since we launched The Unofficial Guides. And the best part is we're still just getting started. The Unofficial Guides Masterclasses: Subscriber-only Pilot Earlier this week, we launched our first-ever Unofficial Civil...
Budget month? Please… we’ve got bigger news!
Dear Reader November is here, the nights are closing in, the coffee’s getting stronger, and yes, somewhere in Whitehall a Treasury official will be editing Budget lines long past midnight. October was non-stop for us here at Unofficial Guides too, a brand new Fast Stream Guide, our biggest ever Career Conversation (150+ on the wait list!), and plenty more brewing behind the scenes. But there’s a lot more than the Budget happening this month… Our Career Conversation: Reaching the Top of the...
Why not just ask HR? New blogs + career convos
Dear Reader Well, the heating is now on, the coats are coming out, and the commute is definitely getting darker. Still, while the days are getting shorter, the opportunities we’ve got lined up for you are only getting bigger. Introducing: Unofficially Ask HR We’re excited to launch a brand-new blog segment: Ask HR. This is your chance to put questions directly to current and former Civil Service HR professionals, the people who’ve reviewed thousands of applications and sat on countless...
Summer is over but we are back - New season, new blogs and new voices
Dear Reader Well, that was quick. Summer really was too short. And now, just like that, we’re back in the thick of it. Luckily, we’ve got some big things to share with you this month. Harry here – Co-founder of Unofficial Guides with Nathan. It’s my first time emailing you. Generally, I’m behind the scenes, but Nathan thought it would be a good idea for me to send an email every now and then. Career Conversations: Season Two After a brilliant first season, Career Conversations is back. Season...
The Unofficial Summer Newsletter: Summer social and more blogs
Dear Reader It’s finally the summer holidays and parliamentary recess (not for the current Cabinet ofcourse), and boy, are we glad. After a busy start to the year, we all deserve a bit of a break. So... how about a summer get together? Harry and I realised it’s August, we have no events, and we should have a summer get together - just an opportunity to meet each other in an informal environment. So we will be meeting for an after-work social at Marketplace Halls. No agenda, no speaker, just...
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