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Top Insider Advice
I have been very lucky in that I have almost always been given a role (or applied for one) that I have enjoyed in HMRC (or earlier departments). If you show that you are keen to learn and willing to listen, then you will find that opportunities will present themselves to you and you will progress in your career. When I was told that I would have to undertake taxes training in 2005, I was horrified. Having been trained in National Insurance and done various management roles, I thought that tax would be just too hard for me and that I wouldn't pass the exams. However, I committed wholeheartedly to the training programme. I studied hard and passed all the exams first time - even though my daughter was still a baby so I was constantly exhausted as well as having to travel to London once a week for 18 months for my tutorials!
Career path
Operational Lead
HM Revenue and Customs
Started 02/1987 to PresentCompany
What do you like about your job and the company?
Our work is fast-paced and varied - with a lot of pressure at times to deliver our KPIs. Despite the pressure, my Teams take tremendous pride in their work and will go out of their way to deliver what is asked of them. Even though we are scattered throughout the UK, we feel like a family as we have been through so much together in the past twelve months. We have built up a very strong supportive culture where everyone cares about the welfare of their colleagues. My own Manager trusts me to get on and deliver what I'm expected but is always there if I need their help or advice. They are my 'safe space' to let off steam about how things are going!
Greatest achievements
HMRC takes the development of its people very seriously. Having been a manager for many years, I was fortunate to be accepted on the Chartered Managers Degree Apprenticeship scheme in 2018 and have just finished my last assignment and portfolio. This has been 4 years of part-time study and basically a hard slog to complete 13 assignments, a work-based project and a portfolio of evidence to gain a BSc in Professional Management as well as (hopefully!) Chartered Manager status from the Chartered Management Institute. Having left university prematurely after 2 years when I was 20, I am proud to have been able to finally graduate with a 2:1 thanks to the support from HMRC and my manager and wider team. I was allowed one day a week to attend tutorials and was able to do this with support from my colleagues (who covered for me) and encouragement from my family (who put up with my stress and rantings before deadlines!). I am also proud of managing 2 different Teams in Covid Schemes who have been runners up in the Customer Compliance Group Celebrating Success Awards for their exceptional work to collaborate with others to meet incredibly stretching targets.
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.
Pat .
Recruitment Marketing Advisor
Top Insider Advice
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.
Zoe
Senior Project Manager - Locations Programme
Top Insider Advice
No matter what job I've done over the years there has always been people impacted by it. Whether I was sorting out a customers Tax, National Insurance record, developing new IT systems, or delivering new policies or even opening new buildings its people that have been affected at the end of it. Its easy to forget when wrapped up in the day to day activities of your job, that I have made life better for a huge amount of people over the years but in tiny bite size chunks
