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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.
Career path
Secretariat
HMRC
Started 08/2022 to PresentTelephony Advisor PAYE
HMRC
From 11/2021 to 08/2022School Health Support Worker
Northwest Boroughs NHS
From 04/2020 to 11/2021Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
I have always been motivated by working towards something, I like change and progression, the opportunity to try something new. My current position consists of a good variety of tasks with ample development opportunities both integral to the role and the chance to become involved in supporting corporate activities. I really enjoy learning and take an interest in what is going on around the organisation, trying to understand the bigger picture.
Greatest achievements
As a mum I chose to take a drop in pace in terms of my career, dropped to part time hours and tried various different jobs to fit around family, de-prioritising my own ambitions. I found that I quickly became unsatisfied in some of these less challenging roles and needed to get myself back on track. I applied for HMRC and secured a customer services role at AO level which I always intended to be my "foot in the door". As soon as I completed my probation I began taking on every development opportunity and looking at jobs on promotion. I was successful in gaining my first promotion within 8 months, and have gone from AO to SO in just over 2 years, which has felt like such an achievement after spending years making sideways moves and worrying that I couldn't juggle career and family. During this time, and with the support of the HMRC staff networks, I have also been through a substantial personal journey, battling to gain an autism diagnosis for my oldest child before he goes up to high school. My manager, team and everyone I have encountered in the various staff networks have been absolutely amazing, and I don't know if I'd have had the strength to get through that process had I been in a different situation!
Sue
Operational Lead
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!
Chris .
Top Insider Advice
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.
Sandra
Tax Investigator
Top Insider Advice
I've been a Civil Servant for 34 years, starting as an AO in what was DHSS, processing benefit claims. This was a real baptism of fire, dealing with desperate people and desperate situations and exposed me to parts of the population that were a long way from my life. I learned good people skills from this and a real focus on how important good customer service is-doing what you say you will and still having to deliver even when things are difficult or unpopular. This gave me a good grounding for moving onto National Insurance in a compliance role for business and individuals. HMRC merged in 1999 with NI and that was the start of my accidental career. I'm proud to have worked my way up from the bottom as I believe it made me who I am. Whilst no against direct entrance programmes, gaining experience within different grades and roles creates a rounded person.
