Move Up or Move On

The problem: New year, where does my career go now in a smaller civil service?

Why it matters: Do you know who I am? I’m a STAR

The solution: Shine my Situation, Task, Action and Result examples

“Ministers are planning to cut more than 10,000 civil service jobs”, “voluntary redundancy scheme” and “natural wastage” are headlines rushing through my mind as I search for a career path in “a smaller, more highly skilled, more agile and better-paid civil service”

Reciting ‘I am enough’ in front of the mirror might be good for my self-esteem but not enough to prosper and progress. Working in human resources (HR) does not make me immune from organisational redesign. While being involved in transformation can enhance my CV, would a smaller civil service mean less of me? Pushing me to embrace a career of experiences with different employers or make the most of my job for life.

I am talented. I am an asset. I am proud to work for my organisation, but if there is a Civil Service People Plan for 2024 to 2027, I need a plan too. I read the book Move Up or Move On to map out my options for my career. “When we align to purpose, we consciously examine what brings us satisfaction,” says the authors Lane and Gorbatov.

I agree that careers aren’t static and what makes us satisfied changes over time. I want to avoid their characterisation of a chaser who prioritises job titles over contents and leaves roles before making a meaningful contribution. Many of us face the civil servant dilemma of whether to become experts enshrined in our work or be fluid multipotentialites. You can count on me to get the job done.

Am I in demand?

The book says I should identify the motivation for my work, the work I like to do and my desired work environment and outcomes. When faced with replicating exercises in books, I think the answers rather than write them on the page or on screen as the clock is ticking to fulfil my potential. I am not going to waste my time writing for myself when I am motivated by my burning ambition to tell stories and change the world around me.

I feel at home in HR, need autonomy to be at my best and always learn something from the people I work with. After my vision statement the next step is to set my destination. I want to get promoted but “your dream job may disappear by the time you get there. Today, the half-life of a job skill – the amount of time it takes for that skill to lose half of its value or become obsolete – is about five years. Technical skills have an even shorter span at 2.5 years.”

Wonderful. As the book says, it is easy to focus on the wrong things by keep doing what you’re not doing and not what you need to do to build your skills. I need to chart my pathway to a more senior HR role or take my chances in another profession.

Positive visualisation

From my perspective the civil service is developing its approach to skills-based recruitment. Promotion is based on how many points I can score in supporting statements and interviews. Transposing my lived experience to my assessment under fair and open competition.

If I want to develop, the authors say I should envision the future. The from-to statement asks me to describe my current level of competence and development needs while the ‘to’ part brings clarity on what good looks like. Breaking the future state down to micro-skill level seems sensible. Maybe I play the long game and temper my ambition to elicit deep insight and discovery.

But deep knowledge does not equal higher salary. To not be “just a box in the org chart” I need to craft a compelling brand statement that shapes others’ views with my output reinforcing my reputation. When they talk about me, my reputation precedes me and a legend is born.

The book chimes with my annual career conversation on what to do to show I am ready for promotion. A credible brand statement must be built on solid foundations with proof points and external validation. My "wow stories" alive in people’s memories because of meaningful results rather than existing as a figment of my imagination through a proliferation of superlatives in job applications.

Invest in today to imagine tomorrow

Do great work, be rewarding to work with and develop intentionally are my takeaways from the book. It’s easy to float on big dreams and end up nowhere. Maybe it’s time to spend more time planning and upskilling to find my North STAR. Whatever is happening around me, my action will lead to a result.