Career history: Daniel

Whilst the variety was good from a personal point of view, I was very conscious that it didn’t look so good on my CV. In the quest for some career stability and a realisation that having turned 30, I really should do something about a pension, I decided to pursue a career in government libraries.

Before too long I had secured a job as the Enquiry Manager at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Library, now Information Services Group (ISG). I joined as a Librarian, although recruitment is more commonly at Assistant Librarian level.

The job I left to join the MOD was managing the tape library for Planet 24, a TV production company who made programmes such as The Big Breakfast. It was quite a culture shock to leave a workplace full of mainly young, casually dressed people and enter a more mature and formally attired office. This was the superficial difference, of greater significance was the fact that in just under two years at Planet 24 the only training I received was a half day session on preparing for redundancy, here I was faced with my line manager asking me what my development needs were and what training would I like to do? In addition to the plethora of courses MOD’s training branch offers I was also funded to do a Certificate and then a Diploma in Management with the Open University. Here was an employer who valued me and was happy to invest in me, expecting only in return the improved performance I would deliver.

I also went from working eight or nine hour days without a break to a system of flexible working where any hours worked in excess of my standard 36 hours a week could be banked as credit to be used for additional days off. This was work / life balance in action – government as employer practising what it preaches.

But was this worth sacrificing the variety of jobs previously held for? Well the great thing is that it turned out I didn’t have to. Since joining ISG I have pursued a policy of saying yes whenever I am asked to take on something new, initially driven by being a compliant kind of person, but soon realising that this was a win-win outcome as I got to develop all sorts of new skills.

So from Enquiry Manager I was asked to project manage the move of the Library into a new building. I then led a feasibility study into providing access to MOD’s Intranet for trusted industry partners, then it was on to managing the MOD internet team and site – and subsequently the project to redevelop it. Once that was delivered it was more project management this time on the Defence Intranet, picking up PRINCE 2 Practitioner status along the way. Whilst no longer at the forefront of what I do, my Information Management skills have provided a solid foundation upon which to build additional skills and experience, and helped me achieve success.

During this time I achieved promotion as a generalist to a Senior Executive Officer level post, and now few months I have passed MOD’s Assessment Centre to secure a promotion ticket to the next level. It’s probably at this point that I will say goodbye to my specialism, but because I’m choosing to, not because I have to. I know the skills I have gained managing information, services, teams and products have helped me get to where I am and will stand me in good stead for the rest of my career.