CVs For Military Looking Outside
Join Date: Feb 2000
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I agree with the comment that the CV is a mere hook for the interview.
CTW is the best use of 3 days I've spent in the Air Force. I only disagreed with the 'facilitator' on one topic. She was so adamant that I should civilianise my cv completely, that my final offering made no mention of the fact that I was a Military Helicopter Pilot. Speaking to contacts in the areas I was looking at, (non-flying, non-defence) they all agreed that simply being a ex-RAF pilot would probably get you an interview, just 'cause it sounds interesting'.
DYOR, however I suggest you don't play down your military career too much...unless that is you're in the Army or RN
Good advice also to be had at Liquid List get togethers...
CTW is the best use of 3 days I've spent in the Air Force. I only disagreed with the 'facilitator' on one topic. She was so adamant that I should civilianise my cv completely, that my final offering made no mention of the fact that I was a Military Helicopter Pilot. Speaking to contacts in the areas I was looking at, (non-flying, non-defence) they all agreed that simply being a ex-RAF pilot would probably get you an interview, just 'cause it sounds interesting'.
DYOR, however I suggest you don't play down your military career too much...unless that is you're in the Army or RN
Good advice also to be had at Liquid List get togethers...
I agree with the emphasis on brevity. But the thing which stood out for me at the CTW was being told that 60% of jobs are never advertised. So I fully endorse the advice to network and make yourself stand out in whatever way you can such as hand delivering the application, if it's practicable and in particular:
AA's final para at #30
"Which brings me on to marketing yourself. While it won't be possible to cover all companies/organisations, a full-time job hunter should be highly pro-active and be searching through places before the advertisement gets placed. It's a legal requirement to advertise internally, and government has to advertise externally for some posts, but companies don't have to advertise externally. Get in there before the ad gets placed."
and NoRegrets at #40
"Apologies if this has been said before, but it's worth remembering that the CV gets you the interview only, which in turn gets you the job. Don't try to sell yourself in the CV - you won't have enough space. Instead, you need a 'hook' in your CV - something that really grabs the attention and makes the recruiter want to interview you, if for no other reason than idle curiosity!"
AA's final para at #30
"Which brings me on to marketing yourself. While it won't be possible to cover all companies/organisations, a full-time job hunter should be highly pro-active and be searching through places before the advertisement gets placed. It's a legal requirement to advertise internally, and government has to advertise externally for some posts, but companies don't have to advertise externally. Get in there before the ad gets placed."
and NoRegrets at #40
"Apologies if this has been said before, but it's worth remembering that the CV gets you the interview only, which in turn gets you the job. Don't try to sell yourself in the CV - you won't have enough space. Instead, you need a 'hook' in your CV - something that really grabs the attention and makes the recruiter want to interview you, if for no other reason than idle curiosity!"
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: UK
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I'm on resettlement at the moment, too; just 4 months left, and every day convinces me more and more that submitting my PVR was the best career move I've ever made!
I've found it hard to hit on a CV format that fits the bill for me and my chosen industry (media/PR) effectively, so don't expect your CV to be perfect at its first iteration. The standard is 2 pages of A4, in the third person, note format; 'I' will not get you a job! Give it to your friends, and maybe even your boss; they will pick up on things you've missed out, or point out areas you could re-word. Even better, if you have a friendly on-site contractor (a Serco director, in my case), give it to him to have a look at; there's nothing like a real industry perspective to sharpen your skills.
Careers Transition Partnership is brilliant, and you'll have access to a database of jobs advertising specifically for ex-military types. I'm chasing a financial PR consultancy in London at the moment; the position they're offering is only being advertised through CTP and other ex-mil consultants.
Pay a visit to www.thelistuk.com, too; full of excellent advice, and lots of contacts who've made the transition. Finally, the Officers' Association is a great networking tool, but I've found its CV and letter-writing advice to be a bit fusty for modern employers. Still, give them a buzz; their contacts database has yielded some excellent results for me.
Best of luck, and PM me if I can be of any help!
I've found it hard to hit on a CV format that fits the bill for me and my chosen industry (media/PR) effectively, so don't expect your CV to be perfect at its first iteration. The standard is 2 pages of A4, in the third person, note format; 'I' will not get you a job! Give it to your friends, and maybe even your boss; they will pick up on things you've missed out, or point out areas you could re-word. Even better, if you have a friendly on-site contractor (a Serco director, in my case), give it to him to have a look at; there's nothing like a real industry perspective to sharpen your skills.
Careers Transition Partnership is brilliant, and you'll have access to a database of jobs advertising specifically for ex-military types. I'm chasing a financial PR consultancy in London at the moment; the position they're offering is only being advertised through CTP and other ex-mil consultants.
Pay a visit to www.thelistuk.com, too; full of excellent advice, and lots of contacts who've made the transition. Finally, the Officers' Association is a great networking tool, but I've found its CV and letter-writing advice to be a bit fusty for modern employers. Still, give them a buzz; their contacts database has yielded some excellent results for me.
Best of luck, and PM me if I can be of any help!
