Find a mentor you are comfortable with. Be prepared to take honest constructive feedback. Create a support network...it's easier than you think.

My best piece of advice is to get involved, speak out and make yourself known for all the right reasons! Ask as many questions as possible - there is no stupid question. If you don't ask - you don't get. I am also a firm believer of bringing your whole self to work, let your personality shine and be yourself.

Something that has helped me to move up in my career at HMRC is taking on new tasks from working on additional projects for the HO's in Customs to training new starters to the business. I actually wrote and delivered a training package for new starters when I was AO in Customs, I felt this not only increased my skillset but it also helped me to make sure that anyone starting in the same role as me learnt the job from the perspective of an AO. I have also taken on projects where I have led a group of people, for example, clearing an email inbox where we had a large number of emails. I delegated colleagues to cover particular time slots, making sure that the emails that had been waiting the longest for a response were dealt with first.