In this blog post Psychology BSc alumni Adeeb Redman shares his journey from graduating from The University of Manchester to climbing the ranks of the West Midlands Police.
After graduating from The University of Manchester with a degree in Psychology I felt on top of the world, but nothing can prepare you for how competitive the job market can be. What followed was a journey of highs and lows; of rejection, exhaustion and eventually fulfilment.
Graduating
Whilst studying Psychology as an undergraduate, my aim was to pursue a career in occupational psychology upon graduation. However, after completing my degree I felt tired of studying and wanted a break. I opted to find work, earn a living and temporarily halt academia. I was keen to enter the job market and was happy to put the brakes on my career in psychology for the time being. I was honestly not prepared for what followed.
I applied for so many different roles. Initially, I was a bit more selective of the roles I was applying for, but got to a point where I was applying for anything, as long it paid. I became numb to the letters of rejection, and that was from those employers that bothered to email me back. Some organisations informed me that I was over-qualified (which I would have taken as a compliment, but for the fact that that I needed an income!).
It was a really difficult time for me as I had no experience of competency-based interviews, which had become the industry standard. At my lowest point, I recall walking out of such an interview as soon as it started. It was my fifth in a fortnight, and I was done.
Unexpected loss and difficult decisions
I eventually gained an opportunity through an agency working at a reputable bank and the relief and accomplishment I felt is difficult to describe. I worked my way up to project analyst. It was a good role, but I felt unfulfilled. I decided to apply for a role teaching in Japan and to my surprise I secured the role.
However, whilst awaiting my work permit and visa to come through, my father passed away suddenly and I made the decision to abandon this opportunity in favour of staying with my mother, who was understandably in a very dark place. At the time, it was a very difficult predicament to be in, as travelling to Japan was a dream of mine. However, in retrospect, I have no regrets as being around made my mother’s recovery a lot easier.
Changing plans
Having been in paid employment for a few years, and with my dream of moving to Japan abruptly halted, I was at a crossroads. I considered going back to university to further my studies, but would have found this difficult as I had grown used to having a regular income.
Around this time I learned that West Midlands Police were recruiting. I had not considered this profession before, having had a less than positive experience of police growing up in an underprivileged neighbourhood. I was tentative about the prospect of joining an organisation that many around me viewed negatively. However, I knew that I was unhappy with the status quo and decided to try my luck.
Joining the police
Through perseverance, I was successful in joining. There were plenty of challenges in my first two years, and I came close to leaving on a couple of occasions, but I did not give up. All I can say is that this was not the job I saw myself doing when I graduated, but here I was. I was determined to see the best in the organisation and to be a force for change within it.
I have been very fortunate in my career thus far within West Midlands Police, having worked across many different areas, including Neighbourhood Policing, Response, working alongside Prevent within Counter-terrorism Policing and Airport Policing to name a few.
Finding my calling
I then moved to headquarters where I worked as the Positive Action Lead for the Force. I felt as though I had found my calling at this stage of my career. In this role, I played a pivotal role in delivering the National Police Uplift campaign, which targeted an approximate increase in numbers of 2000 officers in the West Midlands police. The challenge was not the increase in officers but ensuring a truly representative workforce of the communities we serve.
In this role, I was also heavily involved in the challenges policing faced around retention and progression. I helped set up processes and programmes for those most disadvantaged, such as the Student Officer Case Conference Meetings. These meetings invited colleagues from Staffordshire University and West Midlands Police to advise student colleagues and support them to develop their potential, as well as ensure there was no disproportionality in how those with protected characteristics were treated and developed. I was blessed to have been involved in local, regional and national work to assist in diversifying policing and building legitimacy with our communities.
New challenges
The biggest benefit of a policing career has been that there is so much variety. I am the type of person who likes change and relishes new challenges, and policing has allowed me that opportunity to keep changing roles and departments.
Wanting a fresh challenge, I enlisted on to the Constable to Inspector fast-track programme. I felt the time was right for me to look at promotion. The process was intense and involved a force assessment consisting of a presentation and a competency-based interview. In the next round, I then had to attend a two-day assessment in Durham which involved written exercises, role plays and another competency-based interview.
My advice for any graduates seeking employment opportunities is to become efficient at competency-based assessments, and this comes with practice. It is one thing I certainly wish I had invested more in before graduating.
All my hard work paid off and I was successful in obtaining a place on the fast-track programme. Nationally there were approximately 50 of us on the programme from across all 43 police forces.
At the same time, I was fortunate to be a licenced search officer on the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and was working on many projects including the Coventry City of Culture Barriers to Bridges project and Kickstart Apprenticeship programme. I had to sit the Inspector’s legal exam after the Commonwealth games.
Taking on the role of Police Inspector
I worked in mission support for a short period which was a more strategic role looking at resourcing and resilience across the organisation. I was one of three sergeants responsible for the delivery of the Christmas Markets in Birmingham. I then commenced my official fast-track rotations. My first role was as a sergeant on the Stalking Intervention Team where I was fortunate to be involved in building a new team on a critical area of work.
Part of my role was to help secure future funding for our Early Intervention Stalking Intervention (EASI) programme which we successfully achieved. Following this role, I was moved on to Adult Complex as a Sergeant where my role was to effectively manage a team of detectives investigating rape and serious sexual offences.
I am currently on my third rotation on the proactive Major Crime Team, which investigates serious offences such as firearm offences, organised crime and attempted murders. I have also recently sat my National Investigators Exam (NIE) to secure detective status. I have no idea where my next role will be, but one thing is for certain: the future is exciting and full of change. I have learnt to accept continuous change and understand that this helps me grow as a person.
My advice
I guess the message I am trying to convey is that it is okay to still not be certain as to what you want to achieve when you graduate. Many graduates have worked really hard to achieve success in academia, especially those graduating from The University of Manchester.
What awaits many of you is failure and rejection when it comes to the world of work, but understand that is part of your journey. Try to not take things personally and never give up.
If I’d been asked to guess what area I’d eventually work in after graduating, I’d never have guessed policing. But perseverance, staying positive and keeping an open mind will open doors and lead you down paths you may have not considered. Accept what life may throw at you and dive in.
What doesn’t go your way will only help you grow.
Discover more about studying Psychology at The University of Manchester:
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