Carson White, Account Executive, joined the Public Sector team 4 years ago. On the team, she’s had the opportunity to support some of the United States’ largest federal agencies and work directly with CFOs and finance executives. Learn more about her experience below.
By: Carson White, Account Executive
When I joined the Public Sector Team, I was initially nervous as I did not have a background in the public sector. However, as I started my role I quickly realized that the growing pains I was experiencing were no different than those I had experienced when I started other new roles or jobs in the past. My biggest focus was learning about the clients’ priorities, and when I did that I observed that the challenges my public sector clients were facing were similar to those in the private sector. I was also able to lean on my team to explain some of the nuances that I picked up on while I continued to focus on what the client needed which made the transition easier than I expected.
Since then I’ve been able to learn and grow on the team, and it has been especially exciting to see many of the client relationships that I have crafted continue to evolve. This has allowed me to provide tailored recommendations to my clients. It’s also been exciting to see the impact that my team makes with our clients on some big ticket items. From crafting strategies that guide their fiscal year priorities, to helping some of these government agencies save money through more effective spending, we are helping them save time and money, but also ensuring that taxpayers' dollars are put to the best possible use.
In addition, the support that I have received from the leadership on my team has helped me grow immensely. I have felt supported and trusted through my own day to day work, but have also been encouraged to challenge myself and my professional growth. I have been given opportunities to lead some of our team meetings, run campaigns, and recently was nominated by my manager to take part in a 10 week sales manager training that aligned with my personal career aspirations.
During my time on the Public Sector team I also became a Mom! Though the work that I do is important, the Senior Leaders on my team have continued to remind me that this role I play outside of work is the most important. I have been given so much support along the way, especially when returning from maternity leave, and consider myself extremely lucky that I am encouraged to incorporate balance into my job.
If someone was considering a career on the public sector team, my advice would be:
- Be open to change!
- Ask questions – you will never know unless you ask. It might seem like a particular skill gap is significant, but that’s just an assumption. Questions lead to answers, assumptions lead to missed opportunities.
- Think about what you prioritize as an individual. I personally prioritize leadership that encourages balance, opportunities for development, and a new challenge – making this list helped me when I was searching for a new role. You will notice that nothing on my list Government specific, but it didn’t matter - the public sector team checked the most important boxes on my own prioritization list.