Lynda Vesco

Employer: Financial Services Authority (FSA)
Qualifications: MA economics and German, University of Glasgow

I chose to join the public sector because I saw the chance to work for an organisation with a completely different set of business objectives to those you find in the private sector. I was attracted to my employer’s graduate scheme because of the level of responsibility I could achieve early on and the prospect of working closely with the Treasury and top firms across the financial sector – you just don’t get that type of exposure elsewhere.

The graduate scheme advantage

On the FSA graduate scheme you’re assigned to three different year-long placements across the organisation, as well as a six-month secondment out into the finance industry in your third year. It’s given me the opportunity to gain skills in a huge range of areas and to make invaluable contacts.

Starting with 40 other graduates, as new to the job and to London as me, was like adopting a whole ready-made group of friends – definitely a bonus. The graduate network has continued to be a source of help and advice as we’ve all gone on to develop different technical skills.

Educating students about finance

I saw the chance to work for an organisation with completely different business objectives to those you find in the private sector.

For my first placement I worked on a financial capability project called Money Doctors – it involves educating students about financial matters so that they can make the most of their money. My organisation provide training and support to voluntary student money advisers at a number of higher education institutions so that they can deliver proactive financial advice and instil good money management habits in students for life.

I helped teams across the department to build close working relationships with external stakeholders in the education, finance and voluntary sectors and co-ordinated with the Treasury to raise the profile of financial capability on the government’s policy agenda.

It was a hectic job – I was involved in everything from organising training events to forecasting budget spend and creating publicity videos. The continued success of Money Doctors is definitely down to the hard work of the student money advisers and it’s great to hear feedback from people who have benefited from our work on the project.

Learning from experience

I’m currently on my second-year placement in the wholesale banks and investment firms department. I manage supervisory relationships with firms, which can be challenging at times! Day-to-day, I identify risks that firms pose to our regulatory objectives and decide on the most appropriate mitigation techniques – both at the level of individual firms and looking at themes across the sector. The creative role I had last year has helped me become more imaginative in finding pragmatic solutions to problems and I’m now building a whole new set of technical skills.

Finance affects people

The biggest misconception that people have about the world of finance is that it’s all about maths and very technical: but finance affects people’s lives, too. The most important skills you need to demonstrate in this field are an ability to be an effective communicator and being adaptable to different situations.

Confidence and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively will go a long way when you’re applying for jobs in the public sector. Being up to date with current issues affecting an organisation could also be a real advantage – interviewers will always be interested in your views.