Kate Meanwell

Kate studied History as an undergraduate at the University of Reading. She is now studying part-time for a PhD in History with us, and works as Private Secretary to the Senior Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords.

Please can you tell us about yourself and your interests?

My name is Kate and I work in the House of Lords. I am very interested in politics and current affairs and am studying part-time for a History PhD looking at Nancy Astor MP, who took her seat in the House of Commons in 1919. I also have two children and through them have developed a growing interest in Peter Rabbit and football!

How did you start down your own career path?

I came to Parliament through the Civil Service Fast Stream, which is a graduate programme. I applied for that when I was in my final year at University. You could apply for a career in Parliament once you had been through the assessment centre and following that process and a further interview, I joined the House of Lords in 2008.

I started off as a Clerk to one of the EU Sub-Committees looking at social policy and consumer affairs and have since worked in a number of offices, including the Legislation Office where I was dealing with Bills going through the House. I have also completed a secondment to the House of Commons and I have worked most recently as the Private Secretary to the Senior Deputy Speaker. I have enjoyed working in a range of roles - it's been really interesting and given me a wide exposure to how the House works which is particularly useful in my current role as it gives me a broader view of issues coming up for the Senior Deputy Speaker.

If you could look back and give yourself one piece of advice when starting out in your career, what would it be?

Not to worry too much; jump in to things and ask questions. I think it's important to be yourself rather than focus too much on trying to 'fit in' and, although starting any new job can be daunting, to remember that you are there on merit and can have confidence in yourself!

What is your style of mentoring and can you highlight what you think the most important aspect of the role is?

My style of mentoring is quite collaborative. I work with the person to see what they want from the process and how I can help them. I think it is most important to consider how you relate to your mentee and to have an early conversation about how you can best work together. You should be clear about their goals and be realistic about what you can and can't help with and how much time you can make available. Clarity and communication are key.

What made you decide that THRIVE Mentoring was the mentoring scheme that you wanted to volunteer with?

One of the things that I didn't really make use of whilst I was at University at Reading was the careers service. I think it's great that the support it offers has now expanded to include this mentoring scheme. From a personal perspective, it is nice to give something back to the University and hopefully to help someone who is thinking about what they want to do when they graduate.

What skills or knowledge do you think it is crucial for a graduate to hold when looking for their first graduate role?

That is really hard to answer as it varies so much by role. In terms of just actually looking for roles: determination and attention to detail, these are always important when applying for jobs. Having the ability to sell yourself is also very important because it can be such a competitive process.

Do you have any goals that you have set yourself during your time as a mentor?

One of the first questions my mentee asked me was why I wanted to do this. My main goal is to help someone gain an insight into what it is like to work in Parliament, and the public sector more generally, to help them decide whether it might be something they want to pursue. It's something I would have found useful as an undergraduate because nobody from my immediate family had been to University and I didn't know anyone who worked where I wanted to to ask about things. I hoped that I could help somebody in a similar position who didn't necessarily have those ready-made networks or contacts.