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20 min read

Get in Step: Finding Your Way to Civvy Street

7-Clicks to Freedom…?

I should start with a disclaimer. What follows is going to be honest. Brutally Honest.

From the moment I submitted my notice to leave the Royal Navy I started making mistakes. 

Lots of them.

What’s more, I’ll bet you can relate to at least one of my top three, I’ll even list them: 

  1. Thinking I would be fighting employers off, because…well…I’ve served in the military. That makes me better…right…?
  2.  Deciding that after 18 years working and certifying IT and Cyber Security, a job I love, to start looking at jobs Project Management. Why not? People talk about it a lot on social media, maybe that’s all civvy’s do these days?
  3. Trying to convince myself I wouldn’t miss the mob, why would I? I’m so much better off outside, the suns always shining out there…

But what strikes me the most is how quickly I started believing my own nonsense. Unfortunately, it took me longer to realise that a decision that impacts every facet of your life doesn’t leave much room for nonsense. 

Told you I was going to be honest, didn’t I? 

To spare even one person from my mistakes, I’ve decided to write a blog about my experiences. It’s not entirely altruistic, I still look back on my thought processes back then to amuse myself, so its selfishly cathartic really. 

So, let’s start by addressing those first few weeks after your notice has gone in. The dead-zone between the initial euphoria of thinking you’re free and the crushing realisation that you have 11 months left to serve. 

This period seems to draw out a common behaviour I see time and again, myself included. The urge to rush into everything. 

I realise that may be an anti-climax, it’s hardly Freudian in its assessment of human behaviour, but it’s so common. From the second that seventh click goes in, the madness takes hold.

Job adverts? Apply for them all. Doesn’t matter, they’ll wait for me. 

Industry to work in? Anything if I’m a civvy! 

Training courses? Book them all in one go – is that one for shoeing a horse? Cool. I’ll be a farrier. Or I’ll Project Manage the Farriers. Easy.

What didn’t occur to me was just how unhelpful this approach was. Looking back, I wish I’d taken the time to reflect. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done well and landed a great job – but only because someone said something to me that was the mental equivalent of a reality slap. (Word of warning, I’m about to be brutally honest again). 

“Being ex-forces doesn’t entitle you to a job any more than a civvy. I'm sorry. But there it is.”

Before you go and take your notice out, let me caveat that statement. They didn’t say my skills weren’t transferable. Leadership? Definitely. Adaptability? Absolutely. Calm under pressure, team player? Yes, and yes.

But do civvy companies care that I can clean a rifle, or my fundamental inability to keep step whilst marching to the tune of Hearts of Oak? Not really.

This isn’t a poke at veterans (I am one) – just a reality call. Now is the time to take stock of those valuable skills and decide how to deploy them.

Which leads me to my next point. I generally see one of two reactions from veterans, or soon-to-be veterans, who’ve been told they’ve no more right to a job than a civvy.

Firstly, disbelief. They’ve seen the Armed Forces Covenant; they’ve seen posts on social media from recruiters who want to employ them, so it’s a done deal, right? Wrong.

The Armed Forces covenant is a fantastic scheme. But it’s not a guarantee of work. Recruiters? There are some very good and very bad – but they both earn commission so they’re going to tell you it’s all rosy. In both cases you’ll still need to sit an interview to sell your unique skillset. An interviewer isn’t legally or morally bound to employ you.

I don’t say this to scare anyone. And it shouldn’t because there is something that separates you from the pack. Your USP. Those transferable skills I mentioned earlier - they are as much a part of you now as your own arm. 

Employers know this. Skilled recruiters know this. There’s no God given right for a veteran to get a job. There doesn’t need to be – what they offer is valuable enough. 

Which leads to the second reaction I see. Underselling themselves. 

I’ve had countless veterans send me their CVs, and in almost all cases there is some element of downplaying their own worth. It genuinely annoys me, although I have a theory as to why it happens. 

Realising they have no more right to a job than anyone else, panic sets in. That little voice that wants us to stick with the status quo starts whispering “Hey, Dave, it’s been years since you sat an interview, and your last CV was done on Windows 95. You’ve got no chance mate”

From there, the cycle of self-doubt sets in… 

“You know what, he’s right. I haven’t sat an interview for years, best not put “good people skills” on a CV. Might be called a liar. Oh, and hang on – I know I’m a SATCOM and information Systems Manager currently, but this job advert is asking for IT skills…maybe they mean programming or, worse still, gaming? Best put “No IT skills” - don’t want to embarrass myself”

I see this cycle repeated time and again. I’ve seen Senior Officers, whose role in the forces was so critical to national defence they report directly to central government, describe themselves as “Support staff”. Really? 22 years in a command position and you couldn’t bring yourself to add the word “manager” to your employment history. And even that would be underselling it. 

What we’re seeing are the first sniffles of a nasty little virus called “Imposter Syndrome” which is particularly common amongst the institutionalised. But we’ll address that another day. 

For now, accepting that valuable military experience can be accurately translated to civilian equivalents isn’t lying is enough. And you can prove it to yourself. 

As you work through your CV, ask yourself a question: “Can I confidently justify this claim to someone and back it up with an example?”. If the answer is yes, I doubt it’s a lie. Your career has been unique. No-one should take that away from you – least of all yourself. 

Professional pride is fine. You’ve earned the right to sell yourself, not the right to a job. Your family have earned it too. Kids who missed their parents at Christmas have earned the right to have said parent sell themselves as a valuable resource that a civvy company needs. 

Ultimately, these early weeks are all about reflection and focus. Take a marching pace and consider where you want to be and how you’ll get there. There are few organisations that will offer a resettlement package that equals the MOD. Time, money, free advice – use it. All of it. You may want to do something entirely different – that’s great, I applaud it. But take those first few weeks and months to research it and consider what it will take to get there. 

I lost focus almost immediately. What possessed me to randomly decide I would become a Project Manager, something I know nothing about, will remain a mystery. Fortunately, the right people said the right things to me and now I’m in a career I love. 

I’m going to close this entry by addressing my final mistake. Trying to convince myself I wouldn’t miss the forces. Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like, but I can tell you that you’ll miss it. You might convince yourself you won’t, but I’m confident most do. 

For me, it was the regimented lifestyle with your mates. It’s all I’d ever known, and I miss it still. The ridiculous, unrepeatable, conversations that would offend civvies. Those mates who would drag you out of your cabin for a beer if you were down and then laugh at you the next day when you were reemed for being hungover and unshaven. I missed it from the day I left. So much so, I wanted to go back. 

You must just accept it. You’re going to miss it. Whether you’ve done 4 years or 40, denying that part of your life is unhealthy and its not easy leaving something that made you who you are today. 

Over time you adjust, and soon enough you’ll be confident you made the right decision. Just don’t rush yourself into acceptance – it doesn’t happen overnight. 

Until next time, 

Dave.

MicrosoftTeams-image

 

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Dave is a natural leader, passionate about empowering teams to embrace the culture of security - proving that a motivated, well trained team is the best defence an organisation can have - period. He loves helping clients adopt, adapt, and optimise their security posture - helping departments across the public and private sector stay secure in an insecure world.

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