I Don’t Have a Trade – Is It Over for Me?

When I set FRS up in 2001 it was skill requirements all the way. Has the need for skilled people gone away? No it hasn’t, but the value placed on behaviour, mindset and values is much higher than it was 20 years ago. This has developed to the point where it can put you in the frame for a job (or not) depending on how seriously you take it.

I’ve seen eyes roll when I talk to servicemen about the military mindset. It's resilience, can-do attitude, calm under pressure, the ability to get stuff done, great leaders and managers, loyalty, fast learners, disciplined, dedicated, good sense of humour. The list is pretty long. We all know as veterans we have most, if not all, of these traits. We’re not very good at trumpeting the cause because we think it’s just part of our job and we don’t need to shout about it. There’s a common misconception that everyone has these traits – military and civvy alike. They don’t. The military mindset is not only a ”thing”, it’s sought after. In my experience, this doesn’t usually happen with service women.

My advice is get your trumpet out and start blowing. I can guarantee you that your civvy counterpart has a brass section lined up, therefore you have to get your orchestra out (I’m a musician so this was always going to happen!). This might not be very comfortable at first but you need to put yourself outside your comfort zone and laser in to landing the role.

It’s not always the best candidate who gets the job, it’s the candidate who markets themselves best. That’s before interview, during the interview and the follow up process. Marketing is the new sales and the sooner you get on board with that the better.
Happy hunting.