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.

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.

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.