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Case study: Performance Manager

Personal details
Name	Andrew
Department	Psychology
Academic status	Undergraduate
Course title	BSc Psychology
Nationality	UK
Year of graduation	2002

Further study details
Employment details
Type of job	Law, defence and public protection
Name of organisation	South Yorkshire Police
What does my organisation do?	Maintains law and order. Keeps the public safe.
Main responsibilities	Managing three teams: Performance Analysts, Survey Unit and Report Design Team.
Typical day	Ensuring accuracy of management information Contributing to internal performance Management processes Compliance with Home Office requirements Developing new systems to inform decision making
What do I enjoy about my job?	We've recently restructured, partly due to budget cuts, but partly in an attempt to improve the contribution of our analysis, through a more comprehensive understanding our performance.
Challenging aspects	Understanding the complex nature of policing to inform our analysis. Establishing cause and effect is often very difficult given the range of factors involved. Our demanding workload often leaves insufficient time to research any single issue in as much depth as I would like, which can be frustrating.
Why did this area of work appeal to me?	I saw an advert for the job which advertised for someone with SPSS skills, which I acquired during my degree. The analytical element of the work was what appealed to me during my first few months in the job, and still appeals to me seven and a half years later. I enjoy the challenge of trying to explain patterns in data to inform what the organisation should focus on and why.
Skills/qualifications I use in my job?	The research skills and critical thinking ability I gained during my degree have been an asset. I recently completed a diploma in management and leadership, so I'm currently trying to implement some of what I learnt in order to improve the team's performance. On an informal level, the understanding of personality and motivation I acquired from the degree has also been useful in the challenge of managing people.
Training I receive as part of my job	I have attended courses in strategic analysis, performance management, Discoverer (querying tool) and recruitment and selection. Lots of on the job training has been provided over the years. For example, I'm now able to design reports in Excel that I never thought possible. Excel is a tool we rely on heavily to develop bespoke internal reporting tools.
Current situation
My current situation
Other information
Brief history since leaving University	Call Handler, PC World. Temp for 6 months. HR Admin Assistant, Sheffield College. Temp for 6 months. Research Assistant, Politics Department, University of Sheffield, 6 months. South Yorkshire Police, Performance Analyst, Apr 2004 to present (substantive role). Performance Manager July 2008-July 2010; May 2011 to present (fixed term contracts). Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership (CMI).
Where do I see myself in the future?	I'd like to secure a permanent Performance Manager role. I'm also considering other roles in which I can apply my analytical skills. I recently started the Sheffield City Region Leadership Programme. I hope that this will allow me to build on my existing leadership skills and prepare me for more senior roles in future.
My piece of advice to students	Start thinking about what you want to do with your degree as soon as you start uni. Develop a plan for how you're going to get the job you want. Don't underestimate the value of work experience. Make use of the Careers Service as much as possible. My biggest mistake was to wait to finish my degree before seriously considering what I wanted to do in the long term. I thoroughly enjoyed the university experience, but with hindsight, I wish I'd dedicated more time to considering my future. It's difficult at the time to think about the future when there's so much to experience as an undergraduate, but if I had my time again, I'd definitely spend more time planning my career and considering my options.
Other comments	Whilst the subject itself was what attracted me to study Psychology, I find that the critical analysis skills I developed during the course are what have helped me to do my job well. I didn't appreciate the value of the skills until I started working, so I'd encourage any Psychology graduate to emphasise such skills they have gained to prospective employers.

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