Finding Public Sector and Not For Profit Jobs in London
Strategy for finding public sector and non for profit jobs
London as the home to the UK government and as a leading business hub means there are many public sector job opportunities as charities, industry associations and other government bodies all benefit from having a presence in the capital.
Most public sector roles that are classified as permanent in the UK must be advertised externally and meet equal opportunity guidelines. This often results in a high level of competition to win permanent positions as well jobseekers having to undergo the time consuming process of filling out application forms to gain interviews for roles they seek.
The backdoor into public sector roles is to gain temporary work through a recruitment agency.
- Take time to fill out job application forms ensuring you answer all questions correctly as asked. If you belong to a minority group don't be afraid to mention it as you maybe awarded additional points when the recruiters are assessing who to bring in for interview.
- Take a mixed approach to finding the work you seek. Identify organisations you would like to work for, research whether they use agencies and if so which ones to fill temporary vacancies and keep track of where permanent positions are advertised.
Jobsites
Useful jobsites to look at include the Guardian, Jobs Go Public, Public Sector Careers, Charity Job, Monster, Jobsite, Total Jobs, Reed and any industry relevant press and associations.
Recommended recruitment agencies for public sector jobs
Use search engines and the jobsites above to source relevant recruitment agencies. If you have a specific organisation that you would like to work at, try contacting their HR team to see which agencies they use for temporary staff. (if they use any at all.)
Approaching organisations directly and networking
- Non for profit organisations like people to go direct to them as it saves costs on recruitment fees and advertising. Here is a UK Charity Directory Link.
- Here is a list of the 33 London Borough Councils which all advertise vacancies on their websites.
- Research other public sector/non for profit areas you could be interested in working for and understand how they recruit. Is there a backdoor entry through recruitment agencies?
