Always the assistant, how to get out of comfort zone and move up

[Hoolit]

Advice or kick up the jacksey needed.

I have worked in the public service for over 10 years, I have worked my way up to a reasonable level but due to cost cuts etc there is no where else to go
I enjoy my job but feel its time to move on and up as I am always the assistant making everyone elses job go well when my own is going no where. Also I often look at others getting paid more and think I could do that, they have even taken credit for things I have done but then I pull myself down again thinking thats just a small part of their role I couldn't possibly do the rest!
The issue is I'm scared and lack confidence. I do reallywell at work , push myself and take initiative and get really good feedback but I'm safe if you know what I mean.

The next step up from my role is manager but I've not got direct managerial experience ie with my own staff but I do have experience of managing 3rd parties/contractors

Am I even up to the next step? How do I show I am ? Then if I get in, what next...will I be left to get on with it? Is the private sector as terrifying as I think?
I am pathetic aren't I?

Why don't you look at job descriptions for roles you want to do and if there are areas you don't have experience in then ask for exposure around your organisation if possible.. If you do have the experience required then just apply and sell yourself. You can do it.. be brave or regret it!

Thanks you are right, I will regret not having a go.
I can't get much experience at work as everyone is so scared for their job they keep everything to themselves.
I am scanning the jobs boards as I have nothing to lose really, I like my job so can wait it out and in the meantime stick in and learn what I can.
Do you know what I can expect in the private sector?

Sorry I work in public sector. To be honest though things are definately sressful with job cuts in public so worth a change just look at whole package e.g sickness and mat entitlements as well as salary etc.

I wrote a reply this morning, but my phone appears to have eaten it - will try again later.

Thanks ebear

In the private sector, it hugely depends on what you do - I'm in IT with specific technical skills, and for the same role, I am paid substantially more in the private sector than I was in the public sector.

It's not just about money, though. Working experience in the private sector will vary massively, depending on whether you're in a small company with a handful of people, or a global corporation with thousands of people worldwide. The latter may have good benefits and scope for internal moves and career development, but being a very small cog in a massive machine doesn't suit everyone - and in a smaller company, you could get to do a far wider range of tasks because there isn't another department whose responsibility it is.

I've never been sure why people make such a big deal about the public/private sector. What tends to make a job is the people, and there are great people all over the place. There are good and bad managers everywhere. Organisational size makes a difference, as does the culture of a place, but there's far more to that than just whether it's public or private.

You need to work out what is important to you in a job, and find employers who fitthat, whether public or private.

Its not so much the money but I just want more out of work, I feel capable of more but think being in the same dept for nearly 10 years has not helped my confidence.
I do want more scope at work, chances to learn etc and I have learnt a lot where I am but I'm not going anywhere with it.
So I do need to make the leap and look elsewhere as its not going to get any easier nor I any younger!
I am just very nervous about being new and managing new employers expectations, in case they think I'm not worth it!!
But, this feeling of not reaching my potential has niggled for some months now so I am at least going to have a go and apply for something new and take it fromthere

I am finding that being in a department that I've been in for a long time, and feeling underutilised and bored, it has affected my confidence and self-esteem negatively, and being turned down for another job earlier in the year really knocked me back. However, I did get another interview last week, and while I still haven't heard back, there were a couple of comments the interviewers made that made me think, I probably sell myself short, as there was one thing I mentioned as a passing comment which clearly impressed them, and they asked for more details. So even if I don't get this one, that's a useful thing to remember for the next one.

Also a couple of years ago, I went for another job, which I was offered but for a number of reasons, I really wasn't keen on. The recruitment agent was really trying to encourage me (because of course, he makes commission on me accepting), and I said, I wouldn't take the job for a salary which was about 25% more than I was earning at that point, thinking it would price me out of the running. It was quite a shock to me that they took this seriously and negotiated with their HR department, at which point I said I was really sorry, it wasn't just about the money. But again, it taught me that others might well value me more than I value myself.

So, work on your CV, work out what your current goals are, what you need to do to achieve them, what your transferrable skills are that can get you there, and get out there applying! If you don't get any interviews, find someone to review your CV - does it really present what you've got to offer, in a way that the recruiters for the job you're going for will be able to match to their requirements? Are you lacking skills or experience that you might be able to improve by taking a course or doing some job-shadowing in another department? And if you get interviews, but don't get past that, ask for feedback. Even if you don't get a job, every interview is practice, and I think most people come out of interviews thinking, "oh, I should have answered that one better, and why didn't I mention..." So listen to yourself, and make sure next time you do answer that sort of question better and mention whatever it was you left out - prepare some stock answers for typical interview questions, and be ready to refine them. I particularly need to work on "What's your biggest mistake?" because I was sat in my last interview with my mind filled up with, "Don't mention, 'believing I could trust my current manager to have my best interests in mind', too negative for an interview, what was my prepared example, can't remember anything!" And I ended up giving an example from about 14 years ago, but it was a safer answer.

I quite like John Lees' book on CVs, as it gives examples of different ways of presenting CVs according to whether you're going for promotion, changing sector, returning to work, all sorts. He's also done more than one book on interviews, and I've found the one about top answers to tough questions helpful, too. But there are loads of resources out there, free and paid for, and other people would recommend other ones. There may also be stuff available from your current employer - mine is currently really pushing personal development and so on, so there are some useful resources online, and some free courses to develop your skills - so make the most of what's available free.

(I also realise that I am writing this post as a displacement activity from some of my own career-related stuff which I told myself I'd complete this evening. Ahem.)

Thank you Ebear you have made some very relevant points that I will bear in mind.
It's funny isn't it that maybe more people feel like this than you realise, you assume everyone else is confident!
I think a trip to the library is in order. I have submitted my cv for a job so let's see if anything comes of it, its slightly more than I'm on but I think will open doors andmay still be in my comfort zone! A recruitment agent called me for a job paying loads more and that put me off straight away as I thought I'll not be able to do that!
I think I'm my own worst enemy!
Well done to you for getting an interview, fingers crossed. Now go focus but don't forget to let me know how you get on.

Don't think about the money! I mean, you do need to think about in the sense that you probably need to be on similar or more than what you're currently on, but as long as that's met, look at what they say the content of the job would be, and whether it's the sort of thing you want to do, and whether your experience covers at least some of it. Take another look at the other one which is offering loads more, and think about whether you could actually do it.

There's some statistic about men will apply for jobs if they match about 20% of the requirements - women only apply if they match about 80%. That's certainly true of me and the last two I've had interviews for. And yet I also know I've worked with some men who are actually quite rubbish, and they still got the job, so I probably could go for something more demanding than I do. I know this rationally, that even if it was difficult, I would get through, when I look back on some of the other challenges in my life I've got through. Sure as hell mostly don't believe it emotionally, though...

(No, I still haven't done what I said I was going to do, but I know in reality, I've got the whole weekend.)