Civilian Jobs: Preparing For A Civilian Career With The Right CV

As an expert CV writer for people searching for civilian jobs on leaving the uniformed and military services, I want to explain why, after you complete your Armed Forces or military service, or leave because of redundancy, you need a different approach when you start to prepare your jobs CV and apply for jobs alongside civilians.

Civilian careers, although having superficial similarities to some military careers, demand a new way of thinking and a new way of presenting your skills and experience. Many military jobs of course have absolutely no equivalent in 'ordinary' life, so your approach must be considered very carefully.

I am an experienced CV writer who understands the differences between services jobs and civilian jobs and can help you get the CV that will make you stand out from the strong competition for jobs of all types. And with the latest redundancies in the Armed Forces there is more competition for every job.

The key issue is that it is important to draw parallels between your services roles and civilian roles based on the skills you use, so that the eventual reader can understand the actual ability and competence you will bring.

A standardized CV that just lists your jobs will not do that. I have the knowledge and expertise to prepare a first-class CV that will sell your real skills and help you get a job quicker.

Comparing Jobs

There is no simple comparison between an Armed Forces rank and a job title in civvy street, so the underlying skills, accountability and authority have to be equated to the job role you want, so that there is a demonstrable equivalence upon which you base your job application.

It also needs saying that a good civilian jobs CV, whether from a military background or otherwise, needs to be understandable by the reader, which means it should be free from the jargon and acronyms which are rife in many sectors, especially within the military.

Writing an effective CV for civilian jobs can be quite difficult, because the emphasis needs to demonstrate specific capabilities and the delivery of added-value to the prospective employer's business.

Competency Criteria

When writing an effective jobs CV you must be aware of the demands and responsibilities required of the eventual job holder and provide tangible, quantified illustrations of fulfilling similar duties and responsibilities.

For instance the main competency criteria may include:

• leadership
• presentation skills
• team building
• strategic thinking
• financial management
• people management

All of which need to be put into terms that equate to civilian jobs, so when writing your CV the reader needs to know more about your people management skills as well as your financial and budget management skills. Be as specific as you can with numbers and timescales and include the numbers of military and civilian employees you managed, where appropriate.

Prepare short 'competency' statements which demonstrate the more intangible qualities of 'leadership' and 'strategic thinking' which will be helpful for an eventual interview, and can be distilled into an information point on your civilian jobs CV.

To help the reader even further with their understanding, try to say to whom and what position you reported, and identify their position in the organization. This helps to put a level on where you fit in and your respective status.

This is why it is not sufficient, when writing an effective CV to refer simply to responsibilities. You have to define the substance of the responsibility or the crucial purpose of the role and then place it into context. The difference then becomes clear: the statement becomes one of responsible TO (i.e. senior management) and accountable FOR. Writing in this way removes any doubt about the true purpose of your previous Armed Forces job role and leaves the way open to describe HOW you discharged your responsibility.

Nothing makes it clearer to a prospective employer or recruitment consultant than specific, concise statements of purpose and delivery. It also makes for a very focused CV that works for civilian jobs applications because it wastes no time in getting it's message across to the reader. Which also says something about the job applicant - YOU!

My Military to Civilian CV Writing Expertise

Quite rightly, my clients demand quality CV writing services and I fulfill this demand by guaranteeing my work so that all my clients receive the highest quality. My approach is to focus the CV or Resume on the future needs of each client so that it is forward looking and demonstrates their potential as well as recording past achievements. I also promise to work with each client until they are satisfied with their new CV or Resume.

Recent clients who have benefited from my CV and Resume writing expertise have included:

Highly trained Royal Marine with fleet protection experience protecting facilities and property in situations that include all of the hazards of an exterior environment, adverse climatic conditions and slippery surfaces. Extensive field operations and driving experience. Skilled in protecting property and ensuring only authorised access to sensitive secure installations. Very good interpersonal skills; is outgoing andworks well within a team. Confident, fit and enjoys the rigours of being a bootneck.

Royal Navy Lieutenant leaving the Armed Forces after 24 years and now seeking a managerial role in security management or investigation management involving high level instruction or teaching in these specialist subject areas. Portsmouth, UK

Ex Royal Marine with 40 Commando in Iraq and Afghanistan. Left the Armed Forces and now established a security investigations and close protection business working for banks, insurance companies and private individuals.

Ex Detective Sergeant Metropolitan Police now managing security operations alongside preventative electronic surveillance systems in conjunction with police and government agencies to assist in investigations and identifying strengths and weaknesses in security systems and procedures.

Leading Seaman Specialist: A highly trained and experienced Team Leader and Senior Communications Technician who possesses an exceptional work ethic and takes pride in completing every task within deadlines, to the highest standard. A structured approach to complex tasks, including hazard identification, with a high level of expertise in fault finding, installation, service and repair of on board systems for the operation of mechanical, electrical, electronic and computerised devices and displays.

Police Officer & Investigator with 25 years Police Service and 5 years with the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Extensive quality operational experience within investigations (including serious crime) and diversified roles throughout career such as Traffic and Accident Investigation. Possesses a broad range of skills including communication, teamwork, problem solving, personal accountability and strategic thinking. Security cleared up to SC level.

As an experienced CV writer, I understand the differences between Armed Forces and Services jobs and civilian jobs and I can make sure that you get an individually written CV that will make you stand out from the competition. As you know with the latest redundancies in the Armed Forces there is much more competition for every job going.

Find out more about my Professional CV Writing Services, how you can use my expertise to prepare your civilian CV, and what it all costs, by going to CV Writing Services.

You are here: Civilian Jobs

Return to the top jobs page for my job search engines for all types of jobs, or the find a job page for other ways to find a job using more links to search engines.

Go back to the CV writing information page or go to Your Career Change Home Page

---

Looking for something specific to help you find civilian jobs?

An answer to an interview question? A CV or Resume layout? How to start Networking? More free Cover letter examples, or some ideas of your options?

Just enter your keyword in the search box below to find your answer on this site or anywhere else on the web. You will see some adverts that may be of interest since Google targets ads to your particular interests, but your results will be below that.