Making the transition from MOD to a civilian job

The facts:

Andrew had spent 22 years in the Army and had reached the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1. He had worked in the UK, been posted to Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Germany and had specialised in IT. He left the Army and went into a job as a Civil Servant with the Ministry of Defence as a Telecommunications Manager and then running an Army Learning Centre near Edinburgh.

How did I help him?

I helped him to develop his cv to be user friendly in a non-military environment. We removed some of the very technical detail and shortened it to two pages. We focused on his major skills and demonstrated how they could be adapted to suit other types of job roles. We talked about the transition from a military background to civvy street and how different the working relationships would be.

What happened next?

Andrew kept in touch by telephone and email and would often 'run' work situations past me. We would discuss different options and ways of dealing with work related issues. Ultimately, Andrew applied for a job with The Intercollegiate Speciality Boards as a Question Bank Manager/IT Co-ordinator. In the very early stages of coaching Andrew had developed the skill of updating his own cv and gearing it to specific targetted job roles.

Andrew was interviewed in February 2008, after a telephone chat, with me, to prepare for it.
WE discussed the preparation he would undertake i.e. finding out what he could about the job, the responsibilities, which skills he could definitely match and which ones he would need to develop. He prepared questions and did some background research into the Intercollegiate Speciality Boards

What was the outcome?

Andrew was offered the job in February and joined the team on 1 April 2008.

Facing redundancy

Christine was the Finance Director of a manufacturing company that had just recently gone into liquidation. She had been promoted through the company and had developed her experience and responsibilities. She had already identified a similar post as Financial Controller for a Car Dealership. She recognised that her CV was outdated and unlikely to make an impact amongst the other applications.

She needed to refresh her CV to reflect her updated experience and responsibilities to ensure that her application stood out amongst the competition.

Over two sessions, we explored the role and key responsibilities that she had held and skills that she had acquired; exploring activities that she had often done on autopilot. In revitalising her CV to demonstrate the full depth of her capabilities, Christine was also able to recognise the value of her transferable skills.

With newfound confidence Christine sailed through the interview process and secured the job. Her new employers recognised her potential and she was able to undergo further training to grow into her new and demanding senior role.

Correcting a False Start: Skills Training

David had dropped out of his college course and was feeling bored and frustrated working as a machine operator. He was unsure what he wanted to do and his parents were concerned for his longer term future.

Through a fact-finding exercise we explored his achievements, motivations and aspirations to draw up a C.V. as a starting point. He had pursued sport to a high level whilst managing diabetes. This demonstrated that he could be focused and tenacious. At school he had initiated a basketball team for pupils and had encouraged those pupils to take part. He demonstrated clear leadership ability and a desire to help others.

Creating the C.V. helped build his confidence and enabled David to recognise some of the areas which held him back. Having identified stumbling blocks such as time management and goal setting, we had a couple of sessions to equip him with strategies to address them.

Our sessions enabled David to recognise that he could achieve whatever he set out to do. When he revisited what truly motivated him, he realised that he was at his happiest when helping others. He wanted to work in a care setting supporting individuals with Special Needs however was worried that his parents wouldn’t approve. We worked on building his confidence, reinforcing his conviction in his choice of career, so that he could tell his family.

Three weeks later I drew his attention to a job opening for a Residential Care Worker with a local charity dealing with adults with Special Needs. He submitted his application including his C.V. which we had tailored to suit. We did further sessions on Interview Preparation including handshake, dress codes and rehearsed different types of interview to alleviate his nerves.

He has held his post for several years now and is considering management level training. Residents particularly love his youthful, energetic approach no doubt inspired by his enduring interest in sport.

His parents are delighted to see him settled in his career and in the new home he has bought as a result of his success.