Insider profil
Keen to receive questions about
Top Insider Advice
Always remain positive. Take the plunge once in a while and believe in yourself. Learn what you can from others. If there are any opportunities outside of your comfort zone, rise to the challenge and volunteer. You will surprise yourself, who will release the abilities that you didn’t think you had. Remain positive and focused on your goal. Consider the bigger picture, how does my role fit in within the wider goals of the business and how can you make it a great place to work. In a customer led role like mine, you can really make a difference to people’s lives. You see the negative impacts our mistakes can make and how you can work to ensure that they are not repeated, whilst improving the customer journey and the reputation of the business. You will gain positive feedback and people will look up to you.
Career path
Complaints Manager-Officer
HM Revenue and Customs
Started 06/2008 to PresentCompany
What do you like about your job and the company?
I am proud to be a civil servant. I have received excellent training and from the experience I have gained, I have been able to use it to help others. I am encouraged to take an active role in my development, which allows me to take full control of progression opportunities. We have a culture in HMRC that it is an excellent place to work, it certainly is. Plenty of extra voluntary duties are available to aid in my development. I have helped other business areas in ways too. This has included being an independent on an interview panel. I have also trained new team members onto the team. It’s good to see how my work impacts on the business as a whole. One of HMRC's goals is to be the best provider of customer service, I love that my role reflects this and plays a huge part. I am proud to make a difference to the customer journey, working towards HMRC's ultimate goal of providing the best customer service.
Greatest achievements
In a bid to make efficiency savings, I took part in trail of how we can support customers who need extra support in dealing with their tax affairs. The trial was all about the customer and how we can improve the customer journey while at the same time reducing costs. A whole new way of working was devised. Instead of customer appointments in an enquiry centre, mobile advisers would assist customers who needed extra support to get their tax affairs in order. This would mean meeting customers in the community and even at their home address. Some were digitally excluded, and I would make use of technology, taking an iPad for example to help them file a tax return. I would liaise with other teams where required to ensure all the customers enquires were dealt with in full.
Zoe
Secretariat
Top Insider Advice
One thing I've found since being in HMRC is that there is a real motivation for the workforce to reflect the diverse society that we serve. The success profiles often used in recruitment can seem daunting, but actually they allow everyone no matter what kind of previous experience we have, to demonstrate those transferable skills, or behaviours, which can be drawn upon, with the right training, to be successful in a brand new role. So don't let anything make you think you don't have what HMRC need or want, whether that be challenging personal circumstances, health difficulties, or lack of prior experience, the Civil Service is here to support everyone in our society, and so it should be made up of a diverse workforce that can accurately represent everyone.
Jim
Portfolio Lead
Top Insider Advice
Find a mentor you are comfortable with. Be prepared to take honest constructive feedback. Create a support network...it's easier than you think.
Kris
Estates Strategic Planning & Data Modelling lead
Top Insider Advice
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.
