Insider profil
Keen to receive questions about
Top Insider Advice
1. Don’t be afraid to ask for support. No one succeeds alone. Join support networks, find a coach, mentor or sponsor. Get as much help as you can! 2. Step outside your comfort zone and take on new challenges, even if they are a bit scary! Growth doesn’t happen in familiar spaces. Take on challenges that stretch you, that make you uncomfortable and ultimately lead to new skills and greater confidence. 3. Make things happen – look for sideways moves to develop your skills, not just promotions. Think about development programmes. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, seek them out, take the initiative and be ready to step up when the moment comes. If you don’t make it happen, nobody will! 4. Resilience is essential. There’ll be lots of disappointments on your journey and times when you wonder whether it’s worth it. I can tell you without a doubt, it is. Keep trying, keep pushing. Remember, every obstacle is an opportunity to rise. Each setback is a chance to grow stronger and to learn something new, and every step you take brings you closer to the top of the ladder. 5. When you succeed in life or in your career, celebrate but also acknowledge that you didn’t do it alone. Nobody does! Above all, don’t pull the ladder up after you! Reach out and help others climb.
Career path
Tax Professional Manager (Grade 6)
HMRC
From 07/2024 to 03/2025Customs & Borders Partnerships Lead (Grade 7)
HMRC
From 03/2021 to 06/2024Customs and International Trade (CIT) Consultant (Band SEO)
HMRC
From 10/2020 to 02/2021Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
The work I have done around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion has led me to meet many colleagues who have a similar desire to develop and progress but who face barriers that are difficult to overcome. One of my principal motivations at this stage of my career is both to help those colleagues through coaching and mentoring and to raise awareness of issues faced by disadvantaged groups. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my background, I have been most active in the area of race equality, but I am equally committed to being an ally for people from other minorities.
Greatest achievements
I was the Race Lead for our Wales region at the time of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Leading our response to those events and the feelings that they triggered for colleagues, and later to the Race Disparity Audit, was incredibly challenging but also rewarding. I built awareness of the issues through regular Yammer (now Viva Engage) posts and through presentations, listening events and bringing together internal and external speakers. Although there is much still to be done, it was fantastic to see real progress in our region. I was also able to influence events across HMRC and the wider Civil Service. I was incredibly proud and humbled when my work in this field led to me being nominated by colleagues for an MBE. Receiving that award was a very proud moment for my family, but by far the best thing for me is seeing the success of colleagues whom I have worked with.
Pete
Situational Awareness Officer
Top Insider Advice
Once established the keep your options open. The department and Civil Service are vast, work is varied and options are unlimited. Look for opportunities to expand your knowledge, experience and contacts.
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!
Gordon
Risk Analyst
Top Insider Advice
There are a huge number of roles within HMRC and the wider Civil Service. There will be some that really suit your skills. Where there is a gap, the training and development opportunities available will give you every chance to fill that gap and find that role where you can excel. You will find management want you to improve and will encourage your development, whether within your current role or to achieve the abilities to change to somewhere else you can be better. Self-belief used properly can be your strongest skill.
