An interview with Zo? Kyle, Senior Writer

One of our Senior Writers sits down with us to talk about bid writing, training, and her career at Kittle Group.?

Zo? joined us in November 2020 and has ascended the ranks to become a Senior Writer. She is heavily involved in our recruitment process and has specialised in delivering our training programme, giving our new cohorts the tools to succeed.??

Here, she tells us about the skills involved in bid writing, the impact you can have on business strategy, and explains what she does day to day…?

What was your background prior to Kittle Group??

‘I was straight out of university; I did English Literature and Kittle was my first corporate position’.??

Why did you feel bid writing was a good career path for you??

‘I didn’t know anything about bid writing, other than what I read online after seeing the job advert, so it was the job advert that hooked me.??

‘I was looking at more traditional roles for English Literature and Humanities graduates, things like publishing and teaching, and I just didn’t think any of those were a good fit for me.??

‘So, I saw the advert’s keywords, like adaptable, deadline-driven, problem-solver, and good-writer, and I thought those applied to me’.?

How do you explain to people what your job is???

‘I jokingly say I write essays for a living, but it’s more nuanced than that. The job is a mix of problem-solving, and clear communication and writing. So, I talk to clients to understand their business, what they do, and why their solution is the best match for the contracting authority. We use this conversation to create tender responses to secure our clients with contracts and funding.’?

‘This job gives me a chance to make a difference in a business's development. It’s also dynamic because I’m outsourced, which means my next client could be completely different from my previous one.’?

How does bid writing differ from other forms of writing you had done before??

‘I was used to writing creatively, which differs quite a lot from bid writing. I’d also written problem-solving-style essays at university.’?

‘Bid writing is different because there is no simple formula to follow because no solution or buyer’s requirement is the same. Different authorities look for different things, and you must be nuanced in your proposal’.??

‘I also found it useful talking to my clients to properly inform my writing. When I was at university, sources were almost always far removed—accessible only via on a page in a book or on the internet, making the content of my work subjective.?

‘In this role, I can talk to my sources and ask them questions; that dialogue really opened up my writing to be more precise’.?

What are three key skills you think make a good bid writer??

‘One: time management is key. It’s a deadline-driven role, so you’ve got to be confident in managing your own time and sometimes even managing your client’s time, which can be challenging, but it is essential to meet the deadlines.?

‘Two: having clear, persuasive writing. This goes hand in hand with being confident. The more confident you are in your ability, the more confident your writing sounds.?

‘Three: critical thinking. When your client has a good solution, it’s understandable that they want to have a tell-all with the authority and show them, ‘This is our solution; it’s amazing!’. But there’s a skill in taking a step back and actually considering: ‘What is the authority asking us’, and then: ‘How does your solution answer that’. It’s easy to sometimes go around the houses and answer the question you want to answer rather than answering the question the authority has asked you.’?

How did you get into helping to train others??

‘So, I initially started supporting our hiring panel. I sat in on interviews, and training would often come up: what’s our training like, how can we improve it, what’s going to change???

‘I was also one of the first cohorts to go through the structured training programme that Kittle has now. Being a Senior Writer, I also had the opportunity to work with trainees who had just finished their classroom-based training, and support or lead their bids.??

During a training round, I asked to support the training programme, and continued to do so, until I was given my own cohort.’??

How does the training at Kittle Group work???

‘It’s two weeks of modules, quite similar to the classroom-based learning a lot of our trainees come in with from university. This is usually a structure that they’re confident with and used to.? There is a lot of information to digest, as we don’t expect people to know or understand the ins and outs of procurement and bid writing ahead of joining.?

‘The training modules follow the structure and chronological order of a bid, so we start with reading in and understanding how to answer a question, moving into communicating with a client and creating interview questions, into drafting, editing, proofreading, and reviews.??

‘After that training is done, we then go into two months with the trainer sitting on bids with the trainees and supporting them.’??

What’s your favourite aspect of bid writing??

‘The autonomy you have in the position and the pride in making a difference. You can speak to directors of businesses and people you wouldn’t normally have access to as someone who’s still early on in their professional life. You also have the chance to strategically advise on important solutions that sometimes involve services you use every day, and I love that feeling. It can be daunting at first, but it fills me with pride.’?

Why should people consider a career in bid writing???

‘There are loads of reasons, but I think the career progression is excellent.??

‘One of the things that put me off other fields was the lack of opportunities for relatively fast career progression, and as procurement is such a young industry with so many changes yet to come, it’s an exciting place to be’.?

Curious about a career at Kittle Group? Take a look at our ‘join us’ page for more information on how to apply and tips for your application.?