Building Confidence in the Workplace

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are committed to becoming the most diverse and inclusive government department by 2025. DCMS are committed to becoming more representative of the communities they serve and diversifying the socio-economic backgrounds of their workforce is a key focus. 

The social mobility staff network at DCMS supports staff members to progress in their careers at DCMS by providing support such as advocating for apprenticeships, mentoring and learning and development opportunities and hosting workshops and events on important topics. They also advocate for better social mobility data to inform decisions and they publicise stories by staff members from a lower socio-economic background to raise awareness across the department.

We spoke to Dulcie at DCMS about her experience entering the workforce and her advice on how to build confidence particularly within the Civil Service environment where traditionally a greater number of staff are from higher socio-economic backgrounds - something DCMS are addressing and endeavouring to shift the dial on.

“As a first generation student at university, entering the workplace wasn’t something I had thought about too much until my graduation came around. I didn’t have many networks or contacts I could draw upon and instead, I found myself searching for opportunities that represented my personal beliefs and values. That perhaps explains why my career so far has found me working in roles that I am passionate about - from supporting students at the University of Leeds’ International Student Office, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds at the charity upReach, and now in my role working closely with the Civil Society sector as a Policy Advisor in the’ Civil Society and Youth directorate at DCMS.

Despite starting my career in familiar surroundings - at the same university I graduated from - imposter syndrome was hard to shake. I worked in a small team which was responsible for supporting the thousands of international students arriving in Leeds - there was a lot of pressure to support students, train staff, and relationships to maintain and strengthen with key stakeholders. What made a difference to me, was that despite working at a large institution, I was made to feel like my opinion mattered and was valued - and I would always encourage others to ensure that no matter how large or small their organisation is, and no matter how long processes have worked to the same routine schedules, you can make a difference.

My top tip on building confidence in the workplace is to always remember that no one will bring the same insights as you do. Whether that is the passion you might have for a particular topic, your great analytical skills, or your friendly people-orientated nature, it is important to recognise these qualities. Progressing in your career is often reliant on acknowledging the things you are good at, and demonstrating them to other people (that’s essentially all an interview is!) so I would always recommend keeping a log of things you are proud of, and also things that might not go the way you planned, as lessons learned for next time. Imposter syndrome can still rear its ugly head from time to time, but it is important to tell it where to go!

Confidence is something I still battle with - however one more piece of advice would be to do what you can to have a range of people around you who you can trust to give you constructive feedback, and celebrate your successes. My ability to progress in my career has been down to having the support and the feedback of people around me to give me advice, challenge my views - and to show me a different perspective! My colleagues in all jobs have been like that, and I would actively encourage people to focus on building those relationships, as the advice from a colleague or manager who knows you well can make all the difference.”

Many thanks to Dulcie for sharing her experience and advice on building confidence in the workplace. If you are interested in exploring opportunities at DCMS, take a look at their current vacancies here.