TipTopJob Blog

One of the most daunting experiences for you right now is making the transition from military to civilian life. Not only will it seem like an uphill battle trying to fit back into this daily life but trying to find a new career can further complicate the situation. We have put together a few words of advice when faced with the task of putting together a CV.

What career?
If you know what kind of job you are going to go for, then you are half way there. Trying to decide what kind of job you want to do is difficult and it may be that you do not just decide on one job but several options. To get to this point, you need to sit down and list ALL of the skills you have developed pre-military and whilst within the military and cross-check this list with the skills required in an array of careers. This is the time to research all kinds of job opportunities, speak to your network of friends, family and acquaintances and get some first-hand feedback to work out if it is something you may be interested in doing. It is important to invest time in reading around all kinds of careers to see if something interests you! The internet is a great place to start and there are many sites out there with great explanations of what is involved in different job roles.

More than one CV?
It is highly likely that you may be interested in several kinds of jobs so it is very common to have more than one CV. We allow up to 5 CV’s to be saved into a jobseekers account on TipTopJob so that they can be used to apply to different kinds of jobs and this is the same for other job boards. Each can include different skills and experiences that relate to the role you are applying to. Each CV needs to be kept to under 2 pages.

Skills and achievements
As someone who has no direct experience in the role you are going to be applying for, it is important to pick out the “transferable” skills that you have picked up in the military and that can be used in civilian life. Some of these skills may include team work, decision making, leadership, IT and communication. You are likely to have some good quality and varied achievements that you can use to your advantage so try to pick out those most relevant to the role you are going to be applying for.

Language
Try to minimise any military jargon, acronyms, slang etc from your CV as this can be confusing for a recruiter. If you are describing specific military terms, try to explain and elaborate. You can always ask a friend to read over your CV to make sure they understand it before applying to a job.

Personal Development Record
This is something that civilians will not have so it is a good idea to use this to your advantage. You can quantify each of the areas and be specific with what you have done, who you have managed, what you achieved, what equipment you used etc For example, say that you managed over 20 soldiers, explain that you managed a budget of over £1 million and describe a situation that resulted in saving your department over £50K.

To finish
When putting your CV together, remember to keep it simple, not too wordy and relevant. There are companies that can help you to put a CV together or provide a review on what you already have. Invest some time in getting this right as it can help you to get your foot in the door. If you are rejected for a role, always ask for feedback as this can help you to tweak the content on your CV before applying for another job.

Most employees find that it is "The Company" that hinders career progression over anything else. In our latest survey we asked what most employees find holds them back from moving their careers forward out of a number of given options including "The company", "The Role", "Colleagues", "The Boss", "Their Skills" and "Their Confidence".

37% of responses selected "The Company" as the main reason for hindering their progression. Second to this were the individuals "Skills" of which 22% responded. Next, 14% selected "Confidence" from the options available - amazing that so many people have a lack of confidence that holds them back in their career!!

"The Role", "Colleagues" and "The Boss" were at the bottom of the pile. Only 6% chose "Colleagues", 8% "The Boss" and 12% "The Role".

Whatever the reason, career progression is so important to keeping an individual interested in their job and willing them to work for the company for the longer term rather than just the short term. The fact that most employees are stating that it is "The Company" holding them back shows that there are potentially no opportunities to progress within the company they are working for so the only option for promotions or advancements would be to move elsewhere. Have you got experience of a company hindering your career progression? Tell us the details here....

Deciding to leave your current career for life in the classroom can be daunting. Check out these top tips from education charity Teach First on retraining as a teacher and putting your industry experience to work in the classroom:

1) Know how to transfer your skills

You won’t be starting from scratch in a new career in teaching. Whatever your background the skills and competencies you have gained will be essential, especially for engaging and inspiring pupils. Over 20% of those who joined the Teach First Programme last year came from other careers, bringing a wealth of skills and experience into the classroom.

2) Prepare yourself for immediate responsibility

Moving into the classroom can be a challenge. Changing career through Teach First harnesses your experience and enables you transfer your skills, so be ready to demonstrate your ability to communicate and be a leader.

3) Tell us about you

Many people consider teaching as they want to give something back and share their knowledge and experience and become positive role models. Whatever your motivation be prepared to be open and transparent about your background, and don’t be afraid to ask frank questions about what teaching involves. Share your stories of leadership and overcoming challenges and communicate your enthusiasm for heading in a new direction. 

4) Look at your options

There are many different routes into the classroom. As a charity, Teach First offers a Leadership Development Programme which is focused on supporting pupils from low-income backgrounds. As part of this, our teachers are provided with a salary while they are training in schools over two years, as well as receiving a full teaching qualification (PGCE) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) after the first year.

Teach First recruit on a rolling basis and have a team dedicated to supporting career changers through the application process. For more information, visit their website.

You can also find the current opportunities being advertised by Teach First on TipTopJob here.

If you are struggling to work out whether you want to be a lawyer or not and you want to investigate what the role involves, what training is required, what the entry requirements are and skills needed then check out this useful job profile we have put together for you…

“The lawyers’ role varies depending on the actual job. It is a myth to think that it involves being in a courtroom all day long defending or prosecuting.

A lawyer will act on its clients’ best interest advising them what their legal situation is throughout a case. Your actual role will depend on who you are working for and if you specialise in a particular area. Lawyers may work on civil or criminal lawsuits as well as other legal proceedings.” 

Read the rest of the article here on our website.: