James Frost - Customer Service Advisor North Yorkshire County Council.

Tell us about your current role and what it involves

I am currently working as a Service Desk Analyst for North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC).

How did you find this job? 

After graduating from LBU, like many, I was on furlough, I spent a couple of months searching for a job to give me a basis to work from. After interviewing for several jobs, both salaried and non-salaried, I interviewed for a job at my local coop working all the hours I could. Whilst working at the coop I kept my eye on jobs openings in my local council and in the civil service as I aspired to work in local government. Following several interviews for several posts, I managed to get my foot in the door with a fixed-term post in North Yorkshire County Council helping Contact Trace during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have been seconded out of my usual role assisting another team with less staffing and have interviewed successfully for a permanent position in the team. I hope to use this permanent position as an opportunity to develop myself further within the organisation.

What do you enjoy about your job the most?

I get on well with the team I work with, the role is customer facing so I get to interact with people every day. NYCC are a good employer with multiple benefits and schemes to support its employees.

 What skills that you learnt at university have you been able to apply in your role? 

I use the critical analysis skills I developed at uni to solve problems presented to me within my role, applying my critical thinking to the context of the service and organization I work in to look at the wider picture. University also gave me experience with time management, allowing me to manage several deadlines and tasks within my role. Finally, university helped develop my communications skills allowing me to develop my verbal and written communication skills, which have helped when communicating within my team via email, calls and with customers.