employment – Terence Eden’s Blog

Weeknotes: fin. (So what did I accomplish?)

@edent — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 11:34:50 +0000

I hate being introspective. But I'm told it's good for me. A few months ago, I handed in my notice to Cabinet Office. And now I'm no longer a Civil Servant.

It's hard to sum up those 2,462 days. Every day brought new challenges. I saw my work presented to the highest offices in the land, discussed on the nightly news, cancelled due to General Elections, and implemented across the nation. I represented my country across the world, helped protect it from attacks both digital and biological, and tried to speak a little truth to power.

Along the way I met some fascinating and fantastic people. I was challenged technically, intellectually, and emotionally. I leave a little less naïve, but just as enthusiastic about the power of open technology to transform the state.

It would be impossible to list everything that made me proud to be a Civil Servant. And I carry with me the memories of hundreds of brilliant people that I met. Whether the informal explosion of creativity which is GovCamp, to the rather more genteel meetings in the House of Commons, everyone I met was generous with their time and passionate about their work.

Here is an (incomplete) list of my highlights in no particular order.

Obviously, the absolute top of the list was meeting Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, Larry. I know it's a bit "I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales" - but I've scritched a cat who has been scritched by monarchs, emperors, and presidents. That's pretty nifty!

And, yes, I got the obligatory photo of me outside №10. I learned that it's not a brilliant idea to wear a black shirt while standing in front of a black door. So I tarted up my wardrobe for a subsequent visit.

It's sometimes a little heady to think of the audiences I've addressed. I spoke around the world on technology matters in Government. But it was absolutely surreal to address the various security services. Obviously, there's no photo pointing the other way!

I had the immense privilege to represent my country at a number of international events. In the final days of the UK's membership of the EU, I was one of the delegates to an EU committee looking at closer co-operation through technical standards.

I was also the Government's representative to the W3C - which allowed me to become an editor on the HTML5 standard.

While I didn't get to the UN, I was a delegate to ICANN. Which meant I got to enjoy the experience of simultaneous translation.

I've blogged extensively about my time at NHSX - and may blog more once the inquiry has finished. It was... intense. Being asked to help launch a new team, briefing the Secretary of State on tech matters, launching an app which made headlines around the world, and only once getting into trouble with the press!

Some of the highlights are less tangible. If you search the Digital Marketplace you'll see that nearly every project mentions open source, open standards, and open APIs. If you read various announcements by ministers, departments, and directors you'll see them banging on about the need for interoperability. That is, in part, due to my influence.

One of my main reasons for getting into the Civil Service was because, a decade ago, I was appalled at the lack of security on .gov.uk websites.

I spent the last 18 months helping fix that. The vast majority of .gov.uk sites use HTTPS by default, there are effective policies which stop the worst attacks, and there's continual monitoring in place to detect when things go wrong. The brilliant team at Securing Government Services toil tirelessly to keep everyone in the UK safe. It was a joy and an honour to work with them.

Of course, there are some things which didn't go as planned.

Regrets?

Perhaps I should have agitated harder for there to be an Open Source Program Office. When the Head of Open Source left GDS, there was no one to replace her. I tried getting Government funding for the various OSS projects we use - but there are so many complications around funding non-tangible projects. And, anecdotally, some OSS projects didn't want to receive money from Government. If it had been my full time job, I might have made a dent in it. Alas, it fell by the wayside.

I know it sounds stupid, but I found no adequate way to stem the tide of PDFs being uploaded to GOV.UK. I'd present to people, they'd agree it was a problem, and then nothing would happen. I discussed whether we could just ban departments from uploading them (no), put big warnings on the site discouraging use (maybe), or tell directors that their departments were breaking the rules (yes) - but it didn't make much of a difference. Everyone agrees that PDFs are inaccessible and don't work properly on mobile. But publishers love a fixed layout. So they stay.

It was a similar story with Open Document Format. Over the years, the number of Word Doc and XLSX files diminished. But ODT and ODS uploads never really took off. Partly it was a lack of tooling and partly a lack of native viewers on operating systems. Plain CSV had a resurgence though, which was nice.

I think both of my failures were due to my ideology not accounting for either inertia or fear of change. Sure, I was hampered by Microsoft's defaults and Apple's lack of filetype support - but the major problem was that I never found an adequate way to reassure people that change was necessary and safe.

And the less said about the PAF the better. I tried, I really did!

As I look back, I think the good outweighs the bad. Could I have stormed the Prime Minister's office and screamed at them until they installed Linux on every desktop in Government? No. And even if I had, it wouldn't have made a difference. Civil Servants advise and Ministers decide. That's the maxim. I pushed the agenda of open technology because that's what I was hired to do.

It would have been impossible for me to have internally lobbied for letting people handle salmon suspiciously - or whatever. I got involved in a wide range of discussions where I thought my expertise could help (none salmon related) and did my best.

Why leave?

7 years is a long time. I went from GDS to NHSX to the Data Standards Authority to CDDO. Each was a new adventure. But each was capped with two unfortunate problems.

The first is that there is no promotion available for people who don't want to line manage teams. I was a subject matter expert at Grade 7. If I wanted to move up to G6, I'd have spent a substantial portion of my time working on clerical, pastoral, and managerial duties. I don't enjoy that - and I'm not very good at it. People deserve a line manager who is interested in management. That's not me. Expertise is valued in the CS - but generalists are needed at the higher levels. I get that - but it puts a career limitation on anyone who does want to specialise.

The second is related; pay. I know it isn't the done thing in polite society to complain publicly about money - but that's a taboo which needs breaking. When I started at the Civil Service I knew that the pay wasn't high but the benefits were great. But every year I received a below-inflation pay rise. I asked various managers if exceeding all my targets would get me a pay rise - but the answer was no. Not their fault - the system is inflexible. With the cost of living rising, I just couldn't justify working somewhere which couldn't pay me fairly - no matter how much I enjoyed the team or the mission.

I want to do interesting work. And I need to be paid fairly for it.

And next?

Well, my friends, stay tuned. The next season of The Terence Eden Adventures is going to be... interesting!

How To Write A Cover Letter For A Job

@edent — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 11:34:22 +0000

I've just finished reviewing a few dozen CVs and Covering Letters. Almost all of them were awful!

Candidates - I beg you - make this easy for me!

I have been given a fixed set of scoring criteria and you've given me a 2,000 word essay on your life, loves, and hopes for the future. I've only got a few minutes per candidate to read, digest, rank, and score each application.

Here's my 100% guaranteed method for maximising the impact of your cover letter.

Address the selection criteria.

That's it. That's the tip.

Let's say the job advert says "We're looking for a team leader who can increase sales. You must be proficient with StarOffice 5.1 and Infinidash. Being fluent in a second language is desirable, but not essential."

Here's what your covering letter should say:

Dear X

[Short and polite preamble about why you're interested in the role / organisation.]

With regard to your selection criteria:

Team Leader

I currently manage a team of 7 SuperChimps. I take great pride in keeping them fed and watered. In the last 12 months none have died in the line of duty - which I believe is a testament to the way I have trained them. I set challenging but realistic targets. My 360 feedback indicates that I am a respected leader.

Increase Sales

When I worked for Universal Exports, we were only the 5th largest provider of laser watches in the world. I increased sales 117% - mostly through my ability to destabilise governments by infiltrating them with aggressive SuperChimps. My efforts helped us move to 4th largest provider.

Technical Proficiency

I am an AWS certified practitioner of Infinidash. I have led several workshops for my team of SuperChimps to help them understand the platform. I have used StarOffice 4.7 extensively to create spreadsheet reports and canteen menus.

Language Fluency

I have a GCSE in Latin and a 57 week Duolingo Streak in Klingon.

My background in team-lead sales, coupled with my technical experience means that I am well qualified to take on the role of Technical Lead in your Bananas-as-a-Service business unit.

[Polite boilerplate about looking forward to working with them etc]

There you go. You've taken the essential and desired requirements. You've written them as headings (in the same order as the advert). You've written a short paragraph which explains how you meet the criteria and quantifies where possible.

The poor sod who has to look through your cover letter will be ecstatic.

Disclaimer

Obviously this does not guarantee you will get an interview. But it significantly improves the chances of the interviewer discovering the relevant bits of your experience.

When you create a cover letter or CV or any other document - think about the reader's user experience. This isn't an exercise in writing beautiful prose in iambic pentameter. This isn't the time to stroke your own ego. You are making it easy for the reviewer to quickly see if you meet the requirements for each section.

That's it.

Imagine that you're trying to look through a page of A4 to see if the candidate even mentions their teamwork experience. Then you have to scan through again looking for sales experience. Urgh! Infuriating!

Secret Rules

I loath the idea of "secret" rules. For example, the nonsense idea that you must write a thank-you note to your interviewer. They are discriminatory practices which are designed to enforce a monoculture.

But this isn't a secret rule. Most adverts say something like: "Please supply a CV covering your work history, and a covering letter explaining your suitability."

And no one is going to junk your application just because you don't follow my advice. They'll just find it slightly harder to see why you're a good fit.

I also hate gimmicky tips like send your application in a gold envelope.

But this isn't a gimmick. It's a pragmatic way to answer the question you've been set.

I wish the recruitment industry would junk the idea of cover letters and move to structured forms. Perhaps it is slightly dehumanising to ask people to fill in a dozen little boxes. And maybe it is annoying for candidates to reformat their applications for every job. And maybe I should drop half the CVs in the bin to avoid employing unlucky people.

Either way. To improve your chances of getting an interview - and to improve my chances of retaining my sanity - please consider how you structure your cover letter.

The Secret Rules For Getting Hired

@edent — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 11:02:20 +0000

I'm going to let you in to three TOP SECRET rules for getting hired. These are the hidden techniques used by TOP interviewers…

Never Tell The Candidates The Rules Of Success

I read an infuriating blog post recently: "If someone doesn't send a thank you email, don't hire them".

This is a great way to limit your talent pool. Personally, I've been hiring for a dozen years, and I've never received a thank-you email. So we can already show there is a cultural disparity here.

Did you tell the candidates that they needed to send a sycophantic email to succeed? If not, why not? Is it any different to telling them what the dress-code is? Or that they need to prepare a presentation for the interview?

Perhaps there are some things that you think everyone should just intuit? What biases and assumptions are you making about the people you want to hire?

If you have hidden rules for getting a job, you're deliberately ignoring candidates who don't share the same cultural background as you.

Make Up Justifications For Not Hiring People

These are all things I've heard interviewers say about their "unique" and "quirky" interview techniques.

"Whenever I interview someone, I always mispronounce their name. I like to see how they react to that."
"When interviewing, I go for lunch with the candidate. I ask the waiter to subtly get their order wrong. A great test of the interviewee's character!"
"We always leave candidates waiting half an hour before calling them in. How do they cope with delays?"

OMG! No! Let's ignore the rudeness (and potential poisoning of someone on company time). Here's the problem with these "tests".

You haven't set the success criteria. Do you want the candidate to be deferential? To be confrontational? Do you want women to laugh it off, but men to silently seethe? What's the correct response.

Most often, the interviewer just wants a power trip. And because they didn't set the rules of the game in advance, they get to make arbitrary decisions. They hire the person they like best and then make up a post-hoc justification based on the candidates' reactions.

If you mispronounce a name, you're immediately telling the candidate that people with their cultural background are rarely hired, or spoken about, in this company.

Why would people want to work in such a homogeneous culture? Why would they want to work for someone who couldn't even be bothered to search the web for "How to pronounce Nguyen"?

Be Inconsistent In Your Questions

A few years ago I went for a job I thought I was well qualified for. I didn't get it, so I politely asked for feedback.

"The whole team thought you were great. You were probably the strongest candidate overall, but we were looking for someone with experience in XYZ."

I paused for a moment. They continued. "So we hired someone with 6 months experience, because we needed to hit the ground running."

"Actually," I countered, "I have two years experience in XYZ and have taught several training courses on it."

"Oh!" They said shocked, "You never mentioned that."

"That's because you didn't ask me any questions about it!"

Now, maybe that's my fault for not guessing their secret desires (it isn't). Or perhaps I should have read the job spec more closely (it wasn't on there). Or maybe they could have asked the same questions to all candidates (they didn't).

It's tempting to treat job interviews as casual conversations and have a meandering and natural chat.

Don't do that. A job interview is a structured process designed to let you consistently evaluate multiple candidates. If you are asking each candidate different questions, that's not a fair test.

Bonus Rules

A job interview isn't a set of trick questions. You're working collaboratively to see if you can work in the future - not trying to prove your intellectual dominance. It shouldn't be a test to see if they've read the same interviewing books as you.

You aren't doing the candidate a favour by interviewing them. If you select for deference, don't be surprised if you only get obsequious underlings.

There's no point hiring on "cultural fit". If your culture isn't strong enough to handle a little change, or challenge, then it simply isn't sustainable.

What other people think

It's not just me who finds these hidden rules annoying!

Do you have any interview gotchas that you hate? Let me know in the comments!

Newvember - New Job!

@edent — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 12:08:34 +0000

Welcome to my yearly NaBloPoMo - where I attempt to publish a new blog post every day in November.

This year is likely to be challenging as I've just started a new job. As of last month, I am the Open Standards Lead at Government Digital Service - part of Cabinet Office.

As ever, this blog is personal - and never reflects the views of my employers, past-, present-, or future! I am also now bound by the Civil Service Code which, hopefully, won't cause any issues considering the nonsense I usually publish.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've been working in "mobile" for 15 years. That's a long time in any one industry - so I guess this is my attempt to break out of a huge comfort zone and try something new.

I've long been an admirer of GDS. When I heard about this role, I jumped at the chance to influence how digital standards are managed within Government. Like any large organisation, it has its challenges, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how smoothly the first few weeks have gone. I've got a shiny new security badge, MacBook, and email address. I've inherited a Trello board bursting with ideas, and am working with a smart bunch of people.

So far, the hardest thing is coping with the commute. Sadly "Great" Western Railways have a hard time providing a reliable service and my sub-hour journeys usually end up late. Still, an expensive and overcrowded service is better than... errr... well... Perhaps I'll start working from home more!

Overall, it's good to face a big challenge. A bit daunting - but isn't that what makes a challenge worthwhile?

Onwards!

You Don't Have To Lead In Order To Succeed

@edent — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 09:01:11 +0000

Last week I ran a mentoring session with a young woman working in technology. She's smart, capable, dedicated, confident and utterly un-ambitious.

She was incredibly frustrated that all of the training courses and women's networks she had found were fixated on her becoming a manager, an executive, or a CEO. We were both in agreement that our industry needs diverse representation at all levels - but that doesn't mean that everyone wants to reach those levels.

In her case, she was loving work and loving life. She had great work/life balance, a partner happy to help with childcare, and was part of a fun project. Why should she disrupt all that by trying to climb the greasy pole? This wasn't a question of having less time for herself or her family - her employers are famously supportive - but simply a disconnect between what she wanted and what she was expected to want.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman in possession of a good education must be in want of a management position.
Jane Austen's "Lean In and Lean Out Again"

This is a dilemma with which I've also struggled. A few years ago I took an "Introduction To Line Management" course put on by my employers. In it I learned...

How to discipline an employee who made a racist comment to a customer.
Telling an employee that you need to cancel their holiday.
Dealing with complaints between your staff.
Year End Reviews.
Putting people on Performance Improvement Plans.
Budgeting for bonuses.
Processing sick leave and ensuring it isn't being abused.

And on and on it went. An endless parade of minor tragedies which can befall a modern workplace. Don't get me wrong - all of those skills are important - but it's nothing I want to be responsible for on a daily basis. I want to build, create, discover, improve - I don't want to grouse at people who haven't filled in their timesheets properly or spend days crafting PowerPoints for a budget meeting.

At the end of the course, a bunch of us asked a simple question - "OK, those are the horror stories - but what are the good things about being a manager?"

There wasn't a real answer. A bit more kudos and a small pay rise, that's about it.

I value my time more than the prestige of being a manager. While I'm happy to perform services in exchange for currency - the pay rise associated with more senior positions doesn't offset the cost to my mental health.

I'm lucky in that I've rarely had a bad manager. But their skillset and mine are very different. I also think that their attitude to work is vastly different to mine.

Reading this excellent article by Julie Zhuo - "Unintuitive Things I’ve Learned about Management" - has lead me to conclude that perhaps I'm just not interested enough in people to become a good manager.

I remember having a conversation with a manager several years ago. She asked why I didn't want to go into management. The only coherent reason I could give was that I didn't want to spend my days telling people what to do. I'm not a natural leader and, if I'm honest, would be slightly distrustful of those who chose to follow me.

She really couldn't understand what I found so distasteful. Part of the problem is that our culture glorifies leaders. Would I really want to be Mark Zuckerberg? Sure, I'd like the money - but I'm not sure I'd cope with the endless pressure from investors, constant media attention, or fanatical users. I'm not sure the game is worth the candle.

Returning to the woman I was mentoring; I encouraged her to take every opportunity that her networks afforded her. Take a class on management training, or budgeting, or whatever. Have it as a skill in your back pocket for if you need it. At the very least, you'll be able to understand what motivates your manager.

But it's OK to refuse a kingly crown.

I try to champion diversity at all levels. And if the barriers to your success are external you should smash them down!

But if the barriers to progression are internal...

Success and progress are only weakly linked. If you don't want to be an executive - there's nothing wrong with you! Your success depends on your own goals - don't let someone else's arbitrary milestone become your millstone.

I'm at a loss as to what to do here. Both for myself and those I find in a similar situation. I asked if anyone on Twitter felt the same.

Are you in a technical role? Do you feel any pressure to move "upwards"? Do you feel that it is possible to achieve greatness without managing people? Or should I give in to the inevitable and start to put aside my personal desires and take one for the team?

Touchnote

@edent — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:19:05 +0000

If you haven't already heard, I've joined the award winning team at Touchnote ltd.

I was overwhelmed by the support of my friends on Twitter and by the excellent bloggers at Mobile Industry Review and The Really Mobile Project.

http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2010/04/vodafones-terence-eden-joins-touchnote.html

Starting a new job is never easy - but you guys have given me wind in my sails. My first week has just flown by - so thank you all.

As ever, this blog remains personal. Nothing here is approved, checked or pushed on me from my employers. All opinions and errors are my own and are not those of Touchnote ltd.