How to Complete Your Application to Show Experience and Gaps

Once you have completed your tour in the armed forces and are ready to return to a more quiet and simple life amongst everyone else in society, it can be quite daunting initially, to adapt to such a different setting. Therefore you might think to yourself, do I have what it takes to integrate myself back into civilian society? This is when you need some expert advice so that you can receive the full support and encouragement that you require to get yourself back into the working world.

So What Opportunities Await Me? 

You might be wondering to yourself, so I’ve just spent time in the Marines/Armed Forces. What on earth am I going to do job wise when I return home? The answer to that is anything you want.

You could venture down a similar route within the same industry, so marine engineer, or ship refit. Or you could seek roles that are non military related such as Industrial Painter or Mechanical Fitter. That decision will be down to you ultimately, but the sky’s the limit really as you certainly have a variety of skills that are transferable.

How Do I Include This On My Application Form?

You should not feel embarrassed that you may have a gap on your CV due to your time spent away in the Armed Forces. In your work experience section after the last job you completed, before entering the army, you could write a brief section stating how long and when you joined the marines/armed forces and the duties you undertook during your time away. The main objective is to highlight all the different skills you acquired and are proficient in.

What Skills Are Transferable from the Armed Forces? 

There are a multitude of transferable skills that you have acquired since working in the armed forces, so ideally you want to mention these on your application and demonstrate how you can transfer these to the role in which you are applying.

You could discuss how you have great team leading skills, if you were in charge of a group of servicemen/women and had to gather everyone together for daily assignments.

The ability to think on your feet. You would have undergone quick and important decision making on a frequent basis, so you have the capability to make important, informed decisions independently.

Physical Fitness is going to be another asset that you can transfer into a more demanding role that might require you to lift heavy goods such as Shipbuilding or a Ship Refit role. So you would certainly be able to complete this with ease.

It can also be useful to have a copy of your military service records to hand when applying for your job role, so that you can include more detailed information in your CV about your time in the military/marines.

Get in contact today to begin your application process.