Top 12 Skills for a Successful Career in the Public Sector

SKILLS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

TOP12

To help you prepare for a shining

career in the public sector,

To help you prepare for a shining

career in the public sector,

Oxbridge Academy has put together this list of essential skills that you’ll need to succeed:

1Excellent organisational skills

Having the ability to work on a range of

different projects at the same time is a very

valuable skill.

Having the ability to work on a range of

different projects at the same time is a very

valuable skill. Moreover, working in the public sector often requires you to keep all the admin up-to-date while properly documenting all tasks.

Communication skills

2

Working in the public sector often means

working with people. Great communication

skills, and conflict resolution skills, are thus

important.

Working in the public sector often means

working with people. Great communication

skills, and conflict resolution skills, are thus

important.

In South Africa, being able to work and communicate with people from different backgrounds (often speaking different languages), is also very important.

Click on the button below to learn more about effective communication skills:

Knowledge of administrative law

3

Working in the public sector means working

within the bounds of legislation, laws, and

official procedures.

Working in the public sector means working

within the bounds of legislation, laws, and

official procedures.

The more knowledge you have of these, the easier it will become to secure important promotions and start building a career.

4Sturdy leadership skills

Anyone can be a leader, because there is a

type of leadership to fit every personality:

Anyone can be a leader, because there is a

type of leadership to fit every personality:Charismatic leaders gather followers through their personality and charm.Participative leaders lead by involving everyone in decision making.Transactional leaders are good at setting out structures, routines, and rewards for others. Situational leaders adapt their leadership style to the needs of the situation.

Why not start developing your leadership skills?

5 Good teamwork skills

Being a good team member, and getting

along with others, is a highly prized quality.

Being a good team member, and getting

along with others, is a highly prized quality.

And remember: if the team succeeds, you succeed!

Problem solving skills

6

Work in the public sector is often filled with

frustrating issues that need resolving.

Being able to solve problems in the most practical, cost-effective manner will get you noticed quickly.

Work in the public sector is often filled with

frustrating issues that need resolving.

Click on the button below to learn more about problem solving skills:

Decision-making skills

7

‘Uhm’-ing, and ‘ahh’-ing is bad. Decisive

decision-making is the way to go.

‘Uhm’-ing, and ‘ahh’-ing is bad. Decisive

decision-making is the way to go.

To get ahead in the public sector, confident and intelligent decision-making is necessary. People who always try to pass the difficult decisions on to others will never get ahead.

Management skills

8

Management skills will help you get

promoted internally to managerial positions,

enabling you to build a prestigious career.

Management skills will help you get

promoted internally to managerial positions,

enabling you to build a prestigious career. Oxbridge Academy offers a range of Public Sector Management Courses that can help you to develop these skills:

Management skills will help you get

promoted internally to managerial positions,

enabling you to build a prestigious career. Oxbridge Academy offers a range of Public Sector Management Courses that can help you to develop these skills:

http://oxbridgeacademy.co.za/courses/public-sector/

9Computer skills

Computer skills for public sector work

includes basic skills like: Word processing, spreadsheets, internet, & email

And advanced skills like:

Databases, statistics, & management systems.

Computer skills for public sector work

includes basic skills like: Word processing, spreadsheets, internet, & email

And advanced skills like:

Databases, statistics, & management systems.

The Department of Higher Education and Training listed

computer skills as one of the top scarce skills in the public

sector in 2014.

10Financial knowledge

Irregular and wasteful expenditure is one of

the public sector’s biggest problems.

Irregular and wasteful expenditure is one of

the public sector’s biggest problems.

This is often due to non-financial personnel who can’t spot irregularities because they don’t understand financial statements and jargon. So learn a bit about finances and set yourself apart!

11Project Management Skills

Gaining project management skills is perfect

for building a career in the public sector.

Gaining project management skills is perfect

for building a career in the public sector.

You will be able to:Demonstrate knowledge of program design and planning.Conduct policy planning.Understand system analysis and design.Understand how to implement projects specific to geographic areas.

Want to learn more about what makes a successful project manager?

12Innovativeness

Being a go-getter is important. Skills

associated with innovativeness are:

Being a go-getter is important. Skills

associated with innovativeness are:

EntrepreneurshipCreativityAbility to manage change Attentiveness to detailsAdeptness at framing issues

Part of being innovative also lies in gathering new

skills and using them to the best of your best ability.

Part of being innovative also lies in gathering new

skills and using them to the best of your best ability.

Relevant skills include: Organisational Skills, Communication Skills, Administrative Knowledge, Leadership Skills, Teamwork Skills, Problem Solving, Decision-making, Management Skills, Computer Skills, or Financial Knowledge

Oxbridge Academy’s Public Sector Courses are

designed to give students the right skills for building

their careers.

We have a wide range of Public Sector

Management courses, including short courses,

certificate courses, and N4-6 courses

We have a wide range of Public Sector

Management courses, including short courses,

certificate courses, and N4-6 courses

You can click on the button below to see them all, and find out which range of skills each will teach you:

http://oxbridgeacademy.co.za/courses/public-sector/