Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What are your experiences of looking for a job, is it something you feel you had support with?

Get your CV sorted
How long did it take for you to gain employment, when you left the Armed Forces?

The transition back to civilian life can be a daunting one, more so for someone having served 20 years. However, for others it's a straightforward process. Therefore how much is the MoD really responsible for someone leaving and isn't it ultimately the individual's responsibility to get out there and network and research?

Many veterans say they end up studying or working self-employed despite getting good resettlement after a period of service (the wisdom seems to be that the longer you serve, for example 12 years, the better support you get; serve 3-5 years and the support is rubbish) for awhile but most do find full-time employment. But the length of service is not an issue for everyone. Some say they got good resettlement only after 6 years' service. Then again, some people talk honestly about their resettlement horror stories in which they got no help; and those are many.

Looking at what people posted on our advice boards on the website, the general advice is don't rely on the government to help you:

1. You have to have a contingency plan set before you leave
2. Start the ball rolling BEFORE you leave
3. Keep looking and don't give up
4. It's about Blowing Your Own Trumpet
(this comes from someone working in the Recruitment industry!)
5. Get a CV sorted out

If you're looking for more career advice have a look at our discussion boards online.

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