Today I am writing to be able to present why veterans are a good investment for business.
I am a software test analyst, in english that means I break stuff. If you use an app on your phone , it has been tested, if you online bank, that has been tested. Testing has become an important part of the software development process. The risk of failures in frontline systems in hospitals, aircraft or other items driven by a computer is too great, so testing has been introduced to reduce the risk.
The "how" I became a tester is not important, it just goes to show that I have applied new skills and adapted, but had I taken the career path I was going to take I may not of loved another job as much as I love testing.
I have been Testing about 4 years, I have done alot of technical testing ( using my own code) using SQL, Groovy, Angular JS languages. I ask myself what if and test if a product is designed to process a, does it do anything else ( process x) does interfere with anything else on the system ( process y) can it cope with foreign characters, simultaneous multiple operations, in other words can i break it?
I love software testing. It engages my brain everyday and when I discover a defect I class that a minor victory in the battle between me and Machine.
This article is not to talk about me its to talk about people like me, or veterans that thing a job in a civilian company is thing of myth. ( which probably explains why a lot of ex service personnel end up working for defence contractors) .You may be a service leave searching for help. Well this is mission critical information, your next mission is to go covert into civvie street, assimilate into their community and prove that you can do this. The weapons of choice are confidence, transference of skillset and ability.
The truth is though it is not unobtainable. The CV is the most important thing, but it needs to be in business context. If you were a squad leader that needs to translate to supervisor, and the subordinates were your team members, the customers were the people you were assisting at the time. It is really important to be able translate military skills into a business context. Even as a heavy machine gunner operator ( I was RAF sorry, i m guessing here), the customers you were helping were the rest of the squad, there would be pressure situations, leadership , teamwork and discipline. These are the qualities that make your skills transferable to the business sector.
Recently I attended an Interview and all the way through my military resettlement courses it was more or less a "thing" that military experiences should not be discussed , largely because "civvies" would not understand. I have learnt recently this is complete Tosh.
At the interview I was asked to produce a example where I had worked well under pressure.Using the STAR response My answer was that in (Situation) 2004 I went to Basra Airport and was tasked with implementing an airside security system from scratch. ( Task). despite tight timelines and limited personnel and being under fire, I utilsed the strengths of my team.(Actions).We delivered the security system on time within 3 weeks. (Result)
Now there are alot of pressure situations I have been in, as will all ex military people, I was Air Traffic Control so multi tasking, hyper awareness are essential but each every facet of the military will have examples of their own. The point is not to get bogged down in the weeds of the military task and keep it simple, but get the point across.
The point of this, is that military training teaches you that the job still needs to get done and everything else is an afterthought. Yes we reacted to mortar fire, we dealt with the personnel shortages and we met the deadline. This told that employer that I was focussed on getting the job done and can react well to extreme pressure.
This is just one example. Ex military people are often overlooked because they have head machine gunner or other military specific roles in their CV that do not relate to business, or their CV isn't in a business context. That doesn't mean that this shouldn't be included persay, it means those skills need to be put into a business context. How did that role effect your customers. To answer that question you first need to figure out who your customers were. You can translate some of these skills into a supervisory or leadership role, this is what you are trying to market to companies. You are trying to demonstrate the transferable skills and therefore the value you can add to their company. The underwritten skills are teamwork, self discipline , good time management, leadership, adaptability, fast learners, ability to follow instructions and not afraid of hard work.
If we translate that a little bit , someone who will work hard be reliable, turn up for work early, be able to work with everybody and become a success in any field of their choosing. The other thing that I thought about, which has prompted me to rewrite this ( well add to it precisely) is that in the military we speak a slightly different language, we have different mannerisms, a different sense of humour. You as the service leaver need to be aware of this, get some of your civvie friends to get you practice interviews, the questions are immaterial its body language, and eye contact. They can give you valuable feedback on how you sat in the chair, whether you come across as uneasy or whether they thought you were engaged. Did you fidget? do you have any unusual mannerisms or habits you are unaware of? Once you know this information its time to revisit that CV.
Now the average recruitment agency looks at your CV for less than 20 seconds. It will probably go through a word filter too. So it is really important that all the keywords from the job description actually feature in your CV. There is nothing wrong in copying the job description and inserting it into your CV, providing you can prove that you can give situations where this occurred. Practice in front of a mirror. Remember if you were the section leader of a machine gun patrol, you were a team supervisor, and get in to the habit of using team supervisor rather than section leader.
Trying to break into industry is like trying to learn a new language. It will take practice everyday. Know your CV so that any questions on your CV will not catch you out. This seems like common sense right? The next thing is there is no such thing as a standard CV unless you are applying for the same kind of job that has job description commonalities. ( even then its worth noting that if there are any differences in the new job description that you are able to give examples or demonstrate knowledge of these "new" requirements).
When you have done this we need to thresh it out and seperate the wheat from the chaff and ensure that unless stated, that the CV should be no more than 2 pages. My recent interview for Deloitte, had requested extra information which meant that my CV was actually three pages. It had alot of my military stuff ( in civilian language ) to show my supervisory, leadership and management experience.
Whilst we are talking about leadership and management, there are military courses you will have undertaken that were probably ILM accreditted. In the RAF , Junior NCOs go to Junior Management Leadership training. ( this is ILM accreditted), but this also demonstrates that you have had training in a management discipline and is worth including.
If you have done any kind of resettlement ( Training) this will also need including. Some companies like to see a comprehensive learning history to prove that you are not an old dog that cannot learn new tricks.
So the checklist for you is ;
CV is in chronological time order?
All Military terminology is removed/ converted into civvie language?
Job description from Job being applied for is incorporated into your experience with examples given?
All qualifications listed ? including management and leadership courses? ( that could hold value for business) .
Is your name and Mobile number in the footer of every page? ( in case your CV becomes seperated?)
Your CV is not stapled together.
You have hobbies and interests on page 2 of your CV ( to prove your not an automaton?) You can use these to boost or reinforce some aspects of the job. For example if you are involved in your local Youth club, you could demonstrate organising events, running a schedule, handling money, leading a team,Mentoring young people, all kinds of transferable skills. It will also boost your profile from within the local community. ( this is even more important for companies looking to increase their local community engagement strategy).
It seems all ex military people have problems getting adjusted to the civilian business environment, but once employed adapt and apply themselves like they used to. These problems are usually attributed to the military mindset and the advice given during the resettlement process.
It seems to me that the resettlement process mostly thinks we are only good enough to be truck drivers. This is great if you want to be a truck driver. I didnt even have a HGV licence, so it left them scratching their heads a bit. If you have no idea what it is you want to do, dont worry. I was like this.
Networking is the key here. Maybe see which hobbies you really enjoy and see if you can get a job doing that? or ask people from the same sort of military back ground how they faired. This is where the Armed Forces Breakfast clubs come in. Everybody knows someone that knows someone. Its definately not what you know , but who you know that counts. The more friends you make., the greater chance you have of finding that elusive opportunity.
Your next point of focus is finding local companies that have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. This means that a small percentage of their workforce is Veterans of the Military and therefore you have a better chance. Do they have a military programme?
Have you googled companies in your area or commutable distance that offer military programmes?
Times are changing and more companies are realizing the potential and value that ex military personnel bring to business. This is your most important mission yet, Good luck...
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