Dear Reader

Halfway through 2025 already! Seriously, can someone slow down time? We have a lot of content in this email, so take your time.

Firstly… Thank you!

We’ve just hit 5,000 subscribers to this newsletter! A massive thank you for spreading the word, sharing our guides, and joining our events. Every time you tell a friend, forward an email, or mention us on LinkedIn, you help more people access our services, and we’re so grateful for that.

The heart of Unofficial Guides is you, our community. It’s what makes this work feel so special. So, thank you for being part of it!

Upcoming Career Conversations

We have another set of career conversations lined up, and they will be packed with stories, strategies, and real-life examples from people who’ve been in your shoes and made it to the top. So, sign up below!

Career Conversations: Scott Fielding - Human Capital Consultant

Date and Time: Wednesday, 11 June at 6 pm

Bio: Scott is a former Senior Civil Servant, having spent almost 20 years working across six Government departments/agencies. He started his journey as an EO in DWP, managing a team to assess pensioner benefits in Wales and worked in international policy, strategy and policy before finding a home in project and programme delivery. He has been Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) and programme Director for several Government Major Projects Portfolio and worked in energy, borders and immigration and justice, delivering service transformation, procurement, digital delivery, and infrastructure programmes. Throughout his career, Scott developed several tools and techniques to help with competency and strengths-based applications and interviews and has shared these as a coach and mentor to many colleagues over the years, helping them reach their potential.

Career Conversations: David Francis - Director of the West London Alliance

Date: Wednesday, 18th June at 6 pm

Bio: David Francis is an inspiring public service leader with a rich and varied career across central and local government, the private sector, and the third sector. He served as a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, where he led the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme (thanks for that ), before becoming Director of the West London Alliance in 2019. From growing up in Leeds with Jamaican heritage to leading major programmes that tackle inequality, drive digital innovation, and improve lives across seven boroughs, David’s journey is a powerful story of social mobility. He challenges outdated ideas of race in public policy and brings lived experience and strategic insight to everything he does. He’s also a mentor of mine, and has been a brilliant example of what’s possible when talent and determination meet opportunity. So, if you’re interested in local government, the Civil Service, or social mobility - this is the session for you!

Career conversations - Subscriber exclusive discount

Many of you joined our last career conversation with Horatio Georgestone, Senior Policy Advisor at HM Treasury, where he shared insider tips on the Treasury and great advice on breaking into the Civil Service. Horatio has given a 10% discount to any of our subscribers who would like to join a retreat his organisation Young Diverse World Changes runs every year. It is a great opportunity to hear some inspiring speakers and connect with talented professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in an insightful weekend residential. To claim the discount, just respond to this email and we’ll send you a code.

Our Unofficial Blog

Application Advice: How to Approach a Hiring Manager

The advice we give most frequently to people applying to a Civil Service role is to speak to the hiring manager. But the question we get back just as often is, “how am I meant to go about it?”. Well, we’ve had a go at writing down our advice on speaking to a hiring manager. Let us know what you think!

Civil Servant Spotlight: Pooja’s Story (National Security)

When we spoke to Pooja a few months ago, we were blown away by her journey and insights. She’s worked on Brexit, the COVID-19 crisis, and is now focused on national cyber security policy . Here are our big three takeaways from our career conversation with Pooja:

1. Your personal experience is your professional superpower.
   ​ Don’t downplay what makes you unique, whether it’s overcoming impostor syndrome, pivoting from academia, or thriving under pressure during Brexit. Authenticity can fill gaps that no policy memo ever will.​
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2. Public impact drives true job satisfaction.
   ​ Whether it was housing 4,000+ rough sleepers in hotels during COVID or crafting cyber-resilience for national food supplies, Pooja reminds us that tangible outcomes - helping real people - fuel motivation and resilience.​
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3. Strategic thinking and kindness can coexist.
   ​ In fields as high-stakes as cyber security, empathy is your secret weapon. By humanising technical work- making sure food and water never fail- you build trust and ensure “nothing happens” becomes the hallmark of success.

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Interesting Job Highlight: Chief of Staff to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner

Join the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office as Chief of Staff, where you’ll lead a dedicated team working to transform the national response to domestic abuse. You’ll drive strategy, manage a £1.6m budget, and work closely with the Commissioner to influence government, statutory agencies, and front line services. If you’re a strategic leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about making a difference, this is your chance to deliver lasting change across England and Wales.

Member spotlight

We’re building The Unofficial Guides to help people. Your feedback makes all the difference. We love hearing how you're smashing your goals:

‘Thank you so much for organising the talk last week. I recently started a role at HMRC, and your talks have been incredibly helpful!’ - Current Civil Servant

Keep those messages coming, they genuinely keep us going when the coffee runs out. We’d love to hear from you, just hit reply!

Let's continue to grow and learn together.

Nathan White​
​Founder - The Unofficial Guides

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