I never thought I would get onto the TSP. I had to push myself out of my comfort zone to attend the assessment centres, take part in all of the activities. I continue to do so with my day job - I don't like presenting, but I do lots of it. It builds confidence and resilience. Rationalise what's the worse that could happen by trying something new, or taking on a new challenge. For me, with the assessment centre, if I didn't get accepted - so be it. I got good experience of interviewing. Met new and interesting people, and got free food from attending the assessment centre (back when they were in person). Once I told myself these things, I pushed myself out my comfort zone to attend the day. I had worked hard to get the invite, so although I wasn't confident in going and being myself, that's what I had to do and it worked out well. Take the set backs as opportunities to reflect, develop and learn from. Keep pushing through set backs and pushing yourself out of your normal comfort zone to be able to achieve the goals you set for yourself.

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.

I wouldn't describe the first half of my Civil Service job history as a career, more a means to an end. Until I joined HMRC I had no idea what I wanted from a job and what motivated me, and I expected that to continue for years to come. It was only when I started my first tax compliance role that I quickly learned that I found the job very interesting and that I was good at it; the perfect combination. Without realising it I had developed a lot of the skills and attributes which you need in this type of role from some of my previous jobs; a keen eye for detail, instinctively examining the little things which don't seem quite right, and most importantly, being very, very nosy! What I did learn from my earlier Civil Service career was that if I wanted to reach the more senior grades that nobody was going to carry me on their shoulders to get me there and I needed to seek out my own opportunities to develop my skills and experience. I knew the limitations of my earlier roles in terms of developing my skills and realised I needed to work a variety of roles to gain that wide ranging experience. I moved initially from a wholly admin role to a decision making role and the skills I learned there still stand me in good stead today. I then moved to a junior manager role to gain some valuable leadership experience and improve my confidence. Therefore, my biggest advice would be if you've got a role or career in mind don't be afraid to move around into different roles and different departments. You will be exposed to different types of work and gain wider experience and along the way you may find that perfect combination of interesting work and being good at it too. Once you've found something like that, you know where your career likely lies. Also, ask for career help from those who've been around the block. Seek out a mentor or resources such as this to guide you on your career path and advise you if you feel you need that help.