During my time as a civil servant, I consistently filled out the "Personal Statement Form" every year. My success rate in getting my desired assignments was around 80-90%.
If I had to pick one thing I'm glad I did during my civil service career, it would be that I properly wrote down my preferences on the Personal Statement Form every single year.
It wasn't just about location.
I wrote what kind of work I wanted to do.
What kind of career path I wanted to pursue next.
Why I preferred that specific job.
I included reasons so that HR personnel could clearly understand my intent when they read it.
For me, this was standard practice.
However, looking around at colleagues, many didn't seem to fill it out thoroughly.
They would just check boxes for preferred locations or duties.
Write a single word preference.
But leave the reason blank.
I saw several colleagues doing exactly this.
Looking back over 20 years,
I often felt, "Surprisingly few people actually write this carefully."
Why don't they write it?
Perhaps some thought,
"Writing it won't change anything anyway."
I understand that feeling.
Personnel transfers aren't decided solely by individual wishes.
There are organizational needs.
There's a balance with your experience and abilities.
Just because you wrote a preference doesn't guarantee you'll get it.
Still, I believe
Not writing is a bigger waste.
If you don't write it, no one knows what you're thinking.
"I want to try this job."
"I want to gain this experience in the future."
"That's why I'm requesting this assignment next."
Without this information, from HR's perspective, it's natural to assume,
"Maybe they have no particular preferences."
During my civil service tenure, I experienced over a dozen personnel transfers.
Not all were 100% aligned with my wishes.
Yet, by my own estimation, about 80-90% went in the direction I hoped for.
For example, I once requested an overseas posting.
I did end up going overseas.
It wasn't the exact country I specified, but I got to work in a European nation.
For me, there was no sense of failure because it wasn't "100% as requested."
I gained the core experience I wanted.
Because of experiences like this, I still believe today that
You should clearly articulate your preferences.
Of course, if your wishes vastly exceed your current track record or abilities, they may not be fully considered.
Even so, there is value in conveying,
"This person wants to build a career in this direction."
At least, it's better to provide the material yourself than to think,
"It won't happen anyway, so I won't write it."
That was my mindset.
And this isn't just about transfer requests.
Whenever there's an opportunity to write your thoughts—like performance reviews or personal statements—I believe you should write them properly.
You don't need long essays.
The key is making sure the other party understands:
What do you want to do? Why do you think so?
Civil service personnel decisions have many factors beyond your control.
But whether you communicate your wishes is entirely up to you.
Your wishes might not always come true.
But if you don't write them, they won't be heard.
After working as a civil servant for 20 years and experiencing numerous transfers, this is one of the things I'm most glad I did.
From local government to Kasumigaseki (central government), and then from 20 years in civil service to the private sector.
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