SEPTEMBER 2014 PATHFINDER 7 6 PATHFINDER THE ORIGINAL RESETTLEMENT MAGAZINE T EN M LE TT SE RE Each month the Officers’ Association asks industry experts for insight on the questions anyone going through transition wants answered... OA INSIGHT ASK THE EXPERTS This month we ask: I’ve heard that some recruiters and employers want to hear about your military experience whereas others don’t. Could you please outline the best approach for describing skills and responsibilities gained in the Services? isn’t wise – they might not want to make the effort. So, how do you ensure you’re seen as a very good candidate? The first thing is to do some analysis of what the new role may involve. Sometimes this is easy to do from the job description and the person specification. But if there is not enough information, or if you can see some gaps, you will need to do some research of your own. The internet is the obvious place to start, but if you have contacts in that particular field, now is the time to use them. Next, decide on what you are think are five or six essential aspects of the role. Then, think about your Service experience and how, and where, you SARAH THEWLIS have successfully deployed similar MANAGING DIRECTOR skills. Translate these into a context that a civilian reader will be able to THEWLIS GRAHAM understand. ASSOCIATES This will involve giving some An international Executive dimensions – focus on size of budget, Search and Selection number of direct reports, external consultancy based in London organisations involved, timescale and www.thewlisgraham.com complexity. Remember, using Service abbreviations and shorthand might cast One key way in which a very good doubt on the compatibility of your skills candidate differs from an average with civilian employment, so be candidate is how they cautious here. demonstrate their past Make sure your CV is experience fits with the to the skills they The first thing weighted skills and responsibilities say they’re looking for. For of the role they’re is to do some example, if the new role is applying for. An average a general management/ analysis of what candidate does not leadership role, don’t have tailor their CV to the role, the new role may a CV that focuses very rather, they leave it to the involve heavily on your technical employer or recruiter to expertise, rather than on work out how they’ll fit. This your leadership skills. NICK EVERARD MANAGING DIRECTOR J1 CONSULTING A Recruitment Consultancy specialising in placing ex-military Former Commanding Officer 9th / 12th Royal Lancers; Managing Director within the FTSE 100 Capita Group; Operations Director World Challenge www.j1consulting.co.uk Your CV describes your experience, and its job is to get you to interview. The general belief is that ‘civilianising’ the CV is the way to succeed but this is simplistic. Typically in a large company, applicants’ CVs are screened by HR before a selection is passed to the Hiring Executive for review. Neither are military experts. Therefore, you must make it easy for them to identify achievements that are relevant to the job – they have to ‘see’ how you can add value. It’s the same if you are applying via a recruitment company, they’ll only put you forward if they understand how you fit. The common mistake is to concentrate on outlining past responsibilities which, however impressive, may be completely irrelevant. Generic CVs used for every application simply don’t work – instead, you should customise each time from a baseline document. Civilianising shouldn’t make your career unrecognisable, though do avoid military acronyms. Relevance and Clarity are what counts. Use ranks, but interpret them – you confuse everyone (including us!) otherwise. For example: 2011 – 2013 Adjutant, The Loamshire Regiment. Captain; executive assistant directly accountable to the Commanding Officer (CEO / Lieutenant Colonel) for administration of a 650-strong, multifaceted organisation in peace and war. Achievements: Generic – use for all applications. Managed…..select each achievement for relevance to the job Reduced…..use active verbs to maximise impact; quantify where possible Ensured…..vary achievements for each application Before you submit any CV, read it though from the Employer’s perspective. Does that person seem relevant to the Company’s needs? If not, amend! presentation skills, time management, leadership behaviours and mentoring relationships are all examples of transferrable experiences, which carry relevance and value in the workplace. In the case of some specialist roles, examples of when candidates have worked with or used any of our technologies, and are able to describe what their experiences of using them were, can also be beneficial. A combination of all of these skills can be invaluable when presenting to a customer, working on a bid, or working For us, it is with a team to develop important to technology in support of understand the an existing contract or PAUL FARMER individual as a programme. For us, it is important to HEAD OF whole. understand the individual RECRUITMENT as a whole. We want to know RAYTHEON UK what makes people tick, what Raytheon UK is a technology they are passionate about, what drives and innovation leader specialising them to succeed and what they look for in defence, national security, and in a good employer. It is only when all of other government and commercial these elements are evaluated that we can make a thorough assessment as to the markets around the world suitability of the candidate for the role. We welcome further applications from Candidates who attend interviews with members of the armed forces. To apply, us and have military experience can best please visit the Raytheon UK website and describe their skills and responsibilities upload a CV and cover letter on-line using gained in the Services by explaining the following link: how they are able to apply them to the www.raytheon.co.uk/careers role they have applied for. Excellent
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