Pat(ricia) Clapham

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Pat(ricia) Clapham

Digital Content Designer | Government of Jersey, Web Services team

What does a typical day look like for you? 

Drink strong coffee, edit and write content and talk to people across the organisation. We’re a small team so we do anything from fixing a typo to dealing with large complex requests. People come to us to put information on the website and we’re here to advise on how best to do this.  I manage and work on a lot of different projects. These can be brand new designs or reviews of existing areas. There’s a lot of science behind what we do, and research is really important. I use my creative skills every day and tend to have a good laugh with the team.

How did you get your job? / What training, degree, education do you need? 

I was working in another department at the time and was tasked with updating our pages on Gov.je. This led me to meet the people publishing everything on the Government’s website. I guess they saw what I could do, and everything clicked into place from there. Since starting my role, I received my User Experience certification, went on Content Design training and SEO courses. There’s a lot of science and research behind what we do, and the training offer is almost as broad as the World Wide Web. You can study so many different topics.

What are the most important skills needed for your role/job? 

You must have a high level of English literacy, sharp eye for details, ability to think digitally and outside the box. 

I think having a hunger for making improvements and being interested in a lot of different subjects is essential. You don’t always get to choose what you work on so it can help you connect with your clients and engross yourself in their world. Did I mention you should also have great people skills? 

Are there any future skills you will need to learn for your role? 

The digital world is evolving every minute of every day and there are so many topics to explore.

My next step would be to specialise in Service Design. This is when you look at a process from beginning to end and make it better. I really enjoy this part because it’s like a puzzle. You investigate all the different elements and how they come together. The result can really have a positive impact on users.

I would also like to know more about coding, but that’s an entire other world!

What is the best part of your job? / What motivates you in this role?

Making online information and services simple and easy to access. That’s what gets me out of bed.

Our work impacts the life of Islanders without them noticing most of the time. When they have a smooth interaction online, they can go on quickly with their day and enjoy what’s important. I also help colleagues within the organisation be more efficient, so they can also put their time and effort on what matters.

What advice would you give someone interested in a career in your profession? 

My best advice: less is more. If you always try to make things better, are creative, like to write, think digitally and are naturally incline towards solving problems, then a career in digital content management could be for you.

Tell us a fun fact… 

English is my second language and at school I used to think it was useless to learn. If I could, I would tell my younger self: ‘Wake up and pay attention! This stuff will come handy one day.’

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