Now as with most things within the Military there are systems in place to assist troops of all ranks and services through this transition period,what is often a very difficult time in anyone's life such as moving home family and job to what in reality can be quite unknown, things are kept simple, not because the troops are thick or over protected, it's normally due to the fact that time is limited and so are resources.
One area the MOD would have you believe is well funded and well run by dedicated staff is resettlement re training you to put the gun down and pick up the pen, The military have set in place something known as a transition workshop a week long course, where military leavers of all ranks and services meet and taught by civilian instructors, who cover a wide range of subjects from applying for housing to finding a doctors surgery then going through the basics from creating a CV to interview techniques, many more subjects for individuals to select or attend all designed to ease the move from fighting machine to Mr squeaky clean.
This is where I struggled to be honest, after writing a number of CV's in many styles and being told that you can't have done that many roles in one job or to be more specific in how I managed my troops, as I already owned my home and knew my doctor I never attended anything else I finished the week still no better off someone sat me down and looked over my skills but unless I was staying within my skill they had limited advise which was not their fault but mine. I did have in my hand a letter to say I had attended and a bunch of CV's ready to hand over to a mirriad of employers, armed in the knowledge that as soon as an employer saw my CV they would rip my arm off getting through their office door.
The truth unfortunately is, as well meaning as the instructors comments on my CV where, they could not be further from the truth, the employment climate since the government spending review has knocked the employment market for six no matter the con/dems would have us believe. for example one job I felt I was more than qualified to do, that of managing a team of meters and greeters for an energy group, I applied for the vacancy only to be told, when for once I was given a rare reply that sixty candidates were also trying for it, they took one look at my CV and said sorry you need a degree in marketing, and that managing an military air terminal full of passengers was not what the job required if that's not meeting and greeting I don't know what is, now as possibly 20,000 members of the armed forces go through this process I would like to give some tips on the Do's & donSo going back to service leavers the military have set in place something known as a transition workshop a week long course, where military leavers of all ranks and services meet civilian instructors, who then go through the basics from creating a CV to interview techniques and many more things that should ease the move from fighting machine to Mr squeaky clean.
This is where I struggled to be honest, after writing a number of CV's in many styles and being told that you can't have done that many roles in one job or to be more specific in how I managed my troops, I finished the week still no better off, I did have in my hand a letter to say I had attended and a bunch of CV's ready to hand over to a mirriad of employers armed in the knowledge that as soon as an employer saw my CV they would rip my arm off getting through their office doors.
The truth unfortunately is as well meaning the instructors were, the employment climate since the government spending review has knocked this for six for example one job I felt I was more than qualified to do and applied for had sixty candidates trying for it, they took one look at my CV and said sorry you need a degree in marketing, and that managing an military air terminal full of passengers was not what the job required, now as possibly 20,000 members of the armed forces go through this process I would like to give some tips on the Do's & don't s.
Now there are those that say starting the transition in the last two years of service is more than enough time, and in most part I agree, however now as more and more troops are being medically discharged with physical and mental injuries at short notice, civilian charities are being relied upon to fill gaps and feel will become overwhelmed, this area of training of service leavers transition from military to civilian life,which can be the greatest change in a service persons life, is in my opinion not given attention all it needs.
Now before someone in power starts to blow a gasket at this bloggette, I am not about to slag it off hook line and sinker, the people who run the courses are getting better and better but are being put under increasing pressure to fill in forms tick boxes and move military personnel on out with the old in with new kind of thing, as with the commitment of troops abroad increasing, I strongly believe that more time nearer the very end of their career should be given to this stage not just one week.
The thread in which I intending to follow in part is the language used and been asked to use when speaking civvi, hence my title don't believe the hype," it could have been worse it could been blue sky thinking showers".
During one of the lessons back in the transition workshop an ex serviceman leading the session explained, that the need to convert what your role in the military into civvi speak is very important, but when you tell an employer your role you will often be met with blank stares i.e. leading a mortar team to a civvi sounds like someone working on a site mixing cement, the problem to me was, he never actually showed us how leading a mortar team in civvi language should be put across and this is where a lot of CV's let you down.
Never a true word was ever said for me, when asked in an interview to explain my role as a team leader I started going on about tactical air landing operations, and how the to plan a job and train every member of your team prior to doing a task was essential, the old boy doing the interview looked as though I had just passed state secrets and basically asked me to move on, if I used the techniques I have now I may have been more successful, what also should have been included as a lesson is not only how to write what is required for employers but how to convert your language into theirs.
We have all been in an environment where situations have changed in a flash and we have reacted and finished the job without a problem and dare say debrief a military Boss clear concise and straight to the point, Sometime however putting it down on paper so others can understand is another matter again an area in which I struggle, I have reasonable grasp on the written word and thank goodness for spell-checker but sometimes keeping it short and sweet doesn't paint the required picture and your CV is that picture one feed back form I received claimed I needed to explain everything in greater detail again an area I feel is irrelevant to what I want to express.
Moving from less controlled environment such as operations where actions speak louder than words, to one where no one cares how the job is done or just get it done, in the military is all well and good but to a civilian method obey every rule so I don't get fined it's all about money is possibly a subject for my next blogg.
One man, one job, and health & safety is king, telling a potential employer how you can make things happen, has to be done more tactfully and takes some adjusting too, as doing only what is required for a task, as long as you keep your job was often the view of a lot of civilian employee's, but that said more and more company employers are realising that needs must and are needing to ask more of their workforce and doing it for less money, but only within the rules. This can work in the favour of service leavers as most have worked along these lines for a number of years, more often than not you find yourself trying to cover all bases, but this is an area you need to be carefull, unlike your old job where it may have been an urgent requirement chopper flying in with casualties, in civvi street it has been said by my neighbourly friends that management will just take you for granted, one minute helping someone can soon become an extra duty for full time.
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Throughout my search for work I have tried various styles of CV from broad brush skills and knowledge and experience to pin pointed direct information specific to the vacancy I applied for, even down right cheeky cold calling to simple letters, some of which got me to an interview or response, but most didn't, the truth is it's an employers market and training companies are offering skills and certificates that the military were slow to pick up on, also something I should have been told on the course is that if your CV dose not grab the attention of the reader in the first ten lines, they won't even reply or acknowledge they have received it, an area I wished I had paid more attention in when writing my early CV's.
Statistics show that every 25 job applications you apply for, only one employer or agency will acknowledge or respond to a CV especially when submitted on-line, and now that more people are after fewer jobs that statistic will only rise, but don't despair there are lights at the end of everyone's tunnel they just need switching on.
I'm in the process setting up my own training company in first aid but that's not been as easy or as cheap as I thought and will be going in to greater detail in future blogg s, Hitler has mien Kampf, I have jumping through hoops .
To end this blogg I am going to have promote a book that my wife bought for me some of the things the author has got clients doing has really struck a cord with and hopefully with you, so keep an eye out for Denise Taylor's book on How To Get A Job in a Recession
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