I don’t think I need to explain, especially on this blog, why lining up your ducks and getting your CV and other professional marketing collateral such as your LinkedIn profile is important in what will no doubt become a very competitive jobs market. We encountered similar challenges back in 2008 – 2012 during the last recession, and the candidates which won then were the ones who got their house in order and quickly learned how to promote their value proposition to potential employers.

• Are you clear on your career direction?
• Is your CV the very best it can be?
• Do you have an All-Star optimised LinkedIn profile so that recruiters/potential employers can easily find you?
• Are you ready and super confident to ace those interviews or would working with a coach for a few hours help to calm those nerves, structure your answers and give you ways to communicate your military experience in clear, concise civilian terms?

Your CV is the document you’ll rely on to secure an interview for your next job, or your next advancement up the corporate ladder. Needless to say, it’s a pretty useful asset. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen many businesses start to lay off staff and freeze recruitment, despite the government’s best attempts to save as many jobs as possible through the furlough scheme.

However, things are not all so grim. The economy will pick up again, businesses will start to open up vacancies that will get snapped up very quickly by a wave of applicants. Now, more than ever, is the time to prepare to get back into the jobs market. Update your CV, practise your interview skills, ready to compete with thousands of others for the finite number of jobs available.

Don’t worry, you are not alone. The good news is that you can prepare for it. Make a start by looking at your CV as it currently stands and assess your skills and achievements. Use whatever is left of the lockdown to refine and refresh your CV. This is important for two reasons. One, you will be one of the better organised, better prepared candidates. This is crucial. The more prepared you are, the more opportunities will come your way, and the more confident you come across, the better you’ll perform at interview.

So line up your ducks and get started!

Are you clear about the kind of job you want to target? Do you know your stuff? Have you researched that job to see if you fit the bill in terms of the skills, experience and qualifications that the employer is looking for? Is your marketing documentation (CV, LinkedIn profile) up to scratch? And does it effectively show employers why you’re their ideal candidate, and why they should employ you, rather than just regurgitating the last twenty years of your career? Ask yourself these questions. It’s vital that you know where you want to go, how you can get there, and what you can do to prove that you deserve to be there and have what it takes to do the job well.

Employers will want to know:

Can you do the job? Will you do the job? Will you fit into the organisation?

Working on your interview skills is an excellent investment of your time. Make sure that you can clearly communicate your military skills and experience to the employer in a way they would understand. Finding ways to translate these qualifications into civilian language will give you a far greater chance at being considered for the job. Do you know how to properly structure your answers and score high marks in competency based interviews? Confidence is key, and as I said, this comes with practise and preparation, and the best way to boost yours is by having a coach to lean on and with whom you can practice until you get it right. All the top performers have a coach.

We have over 50 year’s combined commercial experience and know exactly what employers want to see in CVs and at interviews. We have helped thousands of people just like you to secure their next role. Our best days at work happen when clients come back to us with news of a new job or to update their CVs. That’s when we celebrate! We are also happy to just offer some friendly advice and guidance or provide free feedback.  So feel free to get in touch for a chat anytime. You can contact us at info@forces-cvs.co.uk , give us a call on 07715 302312 or find out more at www.forces-cvs.co.uk.

Tom Richardson – Personal Assistant at Forces CV & Career Services