In my opinion, in order to call a civil servant an "official", at least the following conditions need to be met:
First, they must have the position of deputy director or above. The Deputy Directorate rank is a higher level in the civil service and usually corresponds to a position such as a Deputy Director or Director. Only when this level is reached, the authority and influence of civil servants are sufficient to represent the decision-making and execution ability of the ** department. Although civil servants in grass-roots positions such as section members and chief staff members are also serving the state, their influence and decision-making authority are not enough to be called "officials".
Second, you must work in important departments, such as ** departments, ** enterprises or key universities, etc. Civil servants who work in township or neighborhood units with less influence have a high rank but limited actual impact, and are not as able to truly feel the demeanor of "officials" as civil servants who work in important departments.
Third, there must be significant achievements in the work. Even if a civil servant has reached the level of deputy director, if his work performance is mediocre and his influence is very limited, it is difficult to call him an "official". Civil servants who are truly "officials" should have made remarkable achievements in their posts and made important contributions to the development of the country or localities.
Fourth, we must have a strong sense of public service. "Official" is not only a rank and position, but also represents the responsibility to the society. Civil servants who truly deserve to be called "officials" should always take serving the people as their own responsibility and embody the image of public servants with practical actions.
I believe that the above points are all important criteria for civil servants to be called "officials". Only when these conditions are met at the same time can civil servants truly have the qualifications and demeanor of "officials." Of course, with the development of the times, the concept of "official" is also evolving, but the above points are still applicable to a certain extent.