You need to believe in yourself and take any development opportunity offered to you. Training and learning is important and is encouraged so you can do your job effectively and develop skills that can help you throughout your career. Constant development is important for you, your team and the wider business. If you are interested in pursuing something - consult with your manager to see if they can help identify opportunities or courses you can attend. Not all courses are internal and in some instances the department will pay to attend external courses or attain professional qualifications. There are also great training and development schemes that exist in HMRC

If we only did what was comfortable, we would never make any progressions. Challenge is part of growth but if you are your first obstacle, then you will never even try. No matter how ludicrous, never say no to yourself once you remove that impediment then you can start working out what you need to do, if you have the experience or skills, then getting down to complete the application or if you don't have the skills then what can you do to either acquire them or demonstrate you can pick that skill up quickly in the new role. Finally, make sure you read the application and provide them with the information they need to make it easy to appoint you or invite you for interview. The number of applications I see without any reference to the role they are applying for is really disappointing, so make sure what your application says is appropriate.

Focus less on chasing big titles or headline achievements, and more on doing the small things well, consistently. Build strong relationships, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to learn as you go — every role, even the tough ones, teaches you something useful. Treat people well, whether they’re candidates, colleagues or stakeholders, because quality and integrity always matter more than speed alone. If you’re willing to put the effort in, stay adaptable, and keep developing yourself, opportunities tend to follow.