(This guest blog post was written by Joanne Fry in her private capacity. 4th part is here)

So, I’m on the EPSO reserve list. Now what?

In theory, I have a year in which to get a job in the EU institutions, otherwise I have to start all over again! Having come this far, I’m not about to sit around and wait to see if I get ‘flagged’. Instead, I decided to consult a coach in Brussels, to see what advice she could give me.

I was told initially that my chances of finding a job were probably not that great. My education, experience and skills are way above the requirements for such a junior position (AST1), and as such, potential employers would be put off because they would feel that I would be frustrated in such a role and would want to move on quickly.

Whilst this is quite an accurate summary, because of course I am ambitious and I do want to seek a position with greater responsibility, I would actually be happy to start at a lower level to start to ‘find my feet’ and get some insight which would be valuable to me later on.

For me, getting a job in the EU would be more than just a new job; it represents a seismic shift in terms of my whole life. I would be leaving the place where I’ve lived for the last 12 years, leaving behind my family and friends, my house, finding a new place to live in Brussels and pretty much starting again. Having a highly demanding and stressful Administrator job on top of all that would be more than I could cope with!

My strategy, therefore, as my coach has advised, is to write a letter of motivation which lets potential employers know that I fulfil their requirements. I have highlighted the education and experience which is relevant to the AST role, leaving out a lot of knowledge and skills which would be ‘too much’ and might scare them off! She also helped me to outline my personal qualities in such as way as to bring out my practical, organisational focus and my reliable, responsible nature whilst playing down the focus on my own personal objectives.

The next step is to email this, along with my CV, to all personnel and HR departments. It does seem quite a laborious process, but is probably the best way of maximising the chances of finding a vacancy. It also feels a lot more ‘pro-active’ as opposed to waiting for EPSO to put a flag next to your name.

All I can do for the time being then is send out my letter and CV, and see what responses I get!

(to be continued....)

Questions? Comments? Post them below!

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About Joanne: It has always been my ambition to work on a European level; during my MA studies in Public Policy and public Administration I found that the area I was most interested in was European Integration; the role of the Commission in European Public Policy is fascinating, and is the subject of great debate. I would relish the chance to work in such a fast-moving political arena. European Integration formed part of my MA Public Policy degree and I have written several Master’s level essays on the subject. In terms of having a familiarity with the European Union and its institutions, I worked in the European Parliament in Strasbourg for a year during my undergraduate degree, which gave me some insight and first hand experience of the way EU politics works.