As HMRC applications are Behaviour and Strength based it is good to ensure you articulate your successes relevant to the job being applied for. Ensure you follow the STAR (Situation , Task, Action and Result) format. with your achievements think What was the Situation, What Task needed to be done to resolve / improve that situation , What actions did YOU do to achieve a result and exactly what was the result in you taking those actions. Always think in terms of what YOU did. Highlight yourself with actual examples.

Your job is a way of making money to do things that you want to do with your life. But there are plenty of jobs out there that can also make you happy.

If there is one thing in my 20+ years in the civil service I have figured out it is you will never know if you don't try. Early on in my career I would never volunteer for opportunities, I wouldn't offer up answers or contribute to group meetings or working groups and missed the opportunity to apply for roles I would have loved to try my hand at. This was all through the fear of looking stupid or failing and how other people would view me. Not to say I have never failed as I have, be that in job applications or the approach I have taken to work tasks. The biggest thing I will share here is I have learned so much more from failing than I ever have from getting something right first time. The support from my colleagues during these times was surprising, there are so many great people who work across our government departments which fosters a great environment to be part of. Don't forget if you learn or take something way from an experience how can that be seen as a failure. Don't stop trying.