My job: Economist likes getting out of office

Economist Fiona Stokes is fascinated by human behaviour. Photo / Supplied

Name: Fiona Stokes.
Age: 34.
Role: Economist at BERL (Business and Economic Research Limited), Wellington.
Working hours: usual 40-hour week.
Average salary: Graduate - $50,000. After a few years of experience $70,000 - $90,000.
Qualifications: MA (New Zealand History) Distinction. BSc (Biochemistry/Molecular Biology) from Victoria University of Wellington. Technical writing qualification from CPIT, Christchurch.

Describe what you do.
I complete economic research (qualitative and quantitative) for private and public sector clients. We do economic impact assessments, cost benefit analysis, forecasts, projections, situation analysis, scenarios etc.

I am particularly interested in the labour market, skills, training and workforce development but in a firm of this size - there are eight of us - you don't get the luxury of being a specialist.

Why did you choose this line of work?
I like the feeling that what I do counts, that it helps people make decisions and improve their lives. I'm also fascinated by human behaviour and I really like working with people.

I know the common perception of economics is one of geeks with glasses and suits who sit at their desk all day and crunch numbers, but the reality is quite different if you work for an economic research company. I spend a lot of time out of the office talking to people or on the phone completing interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative information.

For example, I recently completed an economic impact assessment for Maori Television Service. This involved talking to the independent production companies producing programmes for Maori Television Service about the number of people they employ, goods and services they purchase and hire, and where they purchase these goods and services.

But I'm not always travelling. I do spend hours at my desk crunching numbers, working with spreadsheets, and applying multipliers. I also write reports, do presentations and run workshops.

How did you end up in this role?
I did a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, then an MA in New Zealand history. After completing my MA I got a job as a researcher, editor and project leader at Career Services, which I loved. I worked there for six years before going on a working holiday to Canada with Phillip (my boyfriend).

While there, quite out of the blue, I got an email from BERL asking when I was heading home. They wanted to expand the firm and asked if I would be interested in a job. Through Career Services I had developed a good working relationship with the BERL team; About three months later I headed home and started working for these guys. That was in January, 2007.

So no formal economics background?
I did some economics papers while I was at university but it was my transferable research, writing and analytical skills that BERL wanted. I am now doing more economics papers through Massey University.

What training and experience is important?
Experience of working in a team is important. You have to be self-motivated because you manage your own time and projects.

It is useful to have public speaking experience or to feel comfortable speaking in front of groups. I worked as a tutor at university, and that really helped me learn to stand up in front of groups.

You also have to do cold calling to get information or data from people, so you need to be confident and communicate clearly. I worked for a call centre part-time while I was at university and that developed my cold calling and phone manner.

You need to be adaptable and flexible and able to work with people from a variety of backgrounds. Recently, I have been interviewing people in sawmills, on marae and in their homes. This is quite different from a policy role or working for a bank.

What skills or qualities do you need?
Analytical, maths, time management and problem-solving skills. People skills and communication, writing, research and listening skills.

You need to understand where people are coming from and that talking about unemployment figures means you are talking about people losing jobs and livelihoods.

Best parts of the job?
It is exciting working on a project that people are really passionate about.

I like the feeling of achievement when clients are happy with the work I have done. It is also great when the same client comes back six months or a year later wanting more research, or follow-up on one of your recommendations.

You can also travel with this job and work in interesting places globally and within New Zealand.

Most challenging part?
When there is no data. Sometimes you work on a project and you can't find any data, which can be frustrating.

Any interesting projects?
I have done quite a bit of work on the Maori economy recently, focusing on development economics. angela@careerideas.co.nz