Explain CV with previous Foreign-Military Service

Curious Mike

The heading says it all. Retrained recently but when i go to interviews i think they suspect i am not been entirely truthful as regards why i emigrated to UK. I usually say i wanted to travel although i was only briefly regular service, the rest TA. So should i just tell them in the interview to better explain my previous work history? I definitely will not put it on my cv!

Frosty McSnowballs

Dude, what the hell are you talking about?

Just put something down like "2 years full time military experience, 3 years reserve service", or something like that. I'm sure they will ask you to elaborate during the interview.

Sell all the usual "soldier qualities"...leadership, responsibility, determination, improvisation, key abilities etc.

Best of luck.

tac foley

Given that since 1999 the minimum term of service in the British Army is four years, or until the soldier's 22nd birthday, the choice of 2 years is not really appropriate. In the infantry it can take that long to put up one stripe/rasher.

tac

Frosty McSnowballs

tac foley wrote: »

Given that since 1999 the minimum term of service in the British Army is four years, or until the soldier's 22nd birthday, the choice of 2 years is not really appropriate. In the infantry it can take that long to put up one stripe/rasher.

tac

Well the idea was to tailor it to his/her own level of experience, not to be taken verbatim.

tac foley

'kay.

Just that if the OP had said that he'd served for two years, around half of that, maybe more, he would have been engaged in training until he'd found out it was all too much and bought his way out.

That wouldn't look too good, now would it?

tac

Frosty McSnowballs

tac foley wrote: »

'kay.

Just that if the OP had said that he'd served for two years, around half of that, maybe more, he would have been engaged in training until he'd found out it was all too much and bought his way out.

That wouldn't look too good, now would it?

tac

Which is why, if he used it, he would have actually tailored it to his appropriate level of experience.

Plus, the use of "briefly regular service" would suggest less than four years, would it not?

Considering your background, could you not offer advice to the OP as to what you would reference on a soldiers annual appraisal. The characteristics and traits may be relevant for his/her CV. Maybe you could help the OP instead of pulling apart another posters suggestion.

tac foley

Somebody who writes 'Dude, what the hell are you talking about?' is not in any position to criticise MY attempt to give any kind of meaningful response.

Moving on smartly from there, I have to admit that right now, I'm not quite sure whether -

1. The OP is trying to join the PDF, having actually served in the British Army.

2. Is still IN the TA and has not resigned.

The latter SoA is somewhat tricky, since if he has NOT yet resigned, he is still eligible to be called up for service - and failing to do so will get him into a world of woe.

I think that until we know how long he actually DID serve, and can therefore make a reasoned judgement on what he should actually say at his interview [with recommendations] - wherever that might be taking place -we are farting in the wind.

Let's not forget that his record of service in the Crown Forces - a real and physical document handed to you when you leave - lists what a fine upstanding, bold, faithful, much-loved and truthful fellow you are, and what a loss you are to the Colours - or otherwise. If I were the interviewing officer of the PDF, I think I'd rather like to see that.

tac

Manic Moran

I'm not quite sure I understand the question. If you've been in, just list it like you would any other work experience on the CV. Years from until, title, one line description of job. What's to explain?

tac foley

As MM notes - just write or say, I spent x years in the whatever it was, where I got to the rank of XXX and as a result I have wide experience of junior management in stressful situations and often life-threatening situations.

Nothing but the truth.

tac