No plan survives first contact - a resettlement story

Have a plan, have back-up plans and back-ups for those back-up plans

?“No plan survives first contact” - a phrase most of us in the military use often and fully understand what it means and why we use it. This couldn’t be any more true when you are starting your preparation for transitioning out of the military. Certainly something that I found with my transition out last year in the midst of an unforeseen pandemic that threw my plans into chaos and created uncertainty which I hadn’t factored in. I was in unchartered territory and I didn’t like the control that had been taken away from me. But like most Paratroopers, my training kicked in, time to improvise adapt and overcome, look for opportunities where initially it seems there is none.

This is my story so far. For me it’s the beginning of a new journey, one in which I started laying foundations for in 2014 after an unexpected selection for a redundancy tranche. But in earnest, it started from day week one depot when resilience, perseverance and “infectious optimism” is carved into every soldier fortunate enough to have worn a maroon beret. This is not meant to be a brag about how well (lucky really) I have done since leaving. I am writing this to give fellow, soon to be veterans, advice and guidance on transitioning. To let them know my lived experiences so far, and if they take away any snippet of this that helps them on their journey, then I can feel like my duty to help those behind me has been done. This is a 10 minute read, I’m sure if you have come this far you can work through it, however, bulleted points are on the last page.

2014, redundancy, what?!

?A summers day in 2014, I found myself being summoned to the Adjutants office along with 30 other guys to be informed that I was on the tranche 4 list for redundancy. My first thought was “what a kick in the bollocks”, my end date and subsequent military pension were in sight (4 years). After digesting what was on offer, I decided to apply for it, full pension straight away and an enhanced lump sum, why wouldn’t I? As it happened I didn’t get it. It then dawned on me, what am I actually going to do in civvy street, what ‘floats my boat’, where do I want to be, both geographically and in a career sense? It turns out that that potential ‘kick in the bollocks’ was more of a ‘kick up the arse’ and a period of self-reflection ensued.

I never regretted joining straight from college at 18 when all my friends went off to university, I mean by the time they had finished their degrees I’d been to Northern Ireland 3 times, the liberation of Kosovo and Pristina, multiple overseas exercises and just selected to join the world’s best free fall display team – The Red Devils. However, I always had that itch to get myself a degree, to prove to myself that I could study at that level. I decided it was time to give it a scratch in preparation for actually leaving in 2020 after 24 years’ service. I started a BSc in Environmental Management and Engineering through The Open University, opting to fund it myself as I went rather than spend my ELCs which I wanted to save for vocational training when it came time to leave.

My choice of degree and potential new career path was borne out of my passions for the outdoors, biology and geography, I guess my first nugget to impart is if you’re going to study something long term, make sure it’s something that engages you. There’s no point in choosing a subject that you don’t like, or choosing one that you think will lead to a ‘mega bucks’ job when you leave. Studying will need dedication and time to complete, if you don’t enjoy it you’ll be wasting your time, money and energy. The same advice goes for a career change, make sure it is something you enjoy. If you’re lucky enough to find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life again.

2018 – JPA’s ‘last two years’ email?

“You are in your last two years’ service…you can now apply for transition activities”, or words to that effect. Nugget number two - do exactly that, start your transition activities as early as possible, this is also applicable to those that have done the ‘seven clicks to freedom’ and have only 12 months left. This is your time now, don’t be bullied into delaying because there is some “exercise on that you must attend”. You’re the tiniest of cogs in a massive wheel, the show will go on long after you have left, you have earnt this time whether you have served 4, 12 or 24 years. Book in with your resettlement officer, get your CTP workshop on your calendar in the early days, the earlier the better to give yourself time to plan. Some people know what they want to do, some even have something lined up, but a lot of people don’t. Get your head into a pathfinder/early resettlement magazine, you should find them in your RAO or any decent RCMO’s department. Understand what resources you will have at your disposal during your transition, this is key to making your plan, then refining said plan into a schedule.

This is the kind of basic stuff that you will cover with your IERO and in the CTP workshop, along with CV writing and some other useful stuff. I spent my last few years as an Assistant Regimental Careers Management Officer, the amount of people that I saw that paid lip service to the workshops, amongst other resources provided, was an eye opener. The comments of “it was crap” or “ I got nothing from it ‘cos I know what I want to do” were all too frequent. Nugget number three - go into these workshops with an open mind, it is a bit cliched but you really do get out what you put in. Utilise all workshops that are on offer, they’re free, just your time and commitment is the cost. Personally I took a few snippets away for CV writing, understanding myself and how to present my knowledge, attitude and transferrable skills to a civilian employer. Particularly important as I was hoping to blaze a new trail into renewable energy sector rather than the well-trodden path of Project Management or Security, where employers come across military personnel all the time and knew exactly what they're buying.

I took one really good snippet away from the Financial Aspects of Resettlement brief (that’s not to say there aren’t more) with regards to my split 75/15 pension and commuting lump sums. If I hadn’t known this when it came to completing my PEN1 form, I’d have got it wrong (in my case) and got a much smaller lump sum than expected. Incidentally, it was to do with commutation on the 75 pension and inversely commuting on the 15.

Nugget number four – periods of self-reflection. For me these were probably the most important part of my resettlement. Having a vision of where and what I wanted to be, being honest with myself of where I was personally and professionally, then identifying that delta of knowledge and experience I needed to get to where I wanted to be. Once you have that, then you can start to plan.

2019 – last year starting to ramp up courses?

So I had my plan, it was all written down, mapped out on my calendar with all the interdependencies (I sound like a good Project Manager). I knew what I wanted to do and having done another period of self-reflection I knew where my shortfalls were both personally and professionally. I knew my strengths, knew my weaknesses and what I was doing to address both. A really good book that I read a few years ago called ‘What colour is your parachute?’ by Richard Bolles (about ￡12 on amazon and absolutely nothing to do with jumping out of planes) was key to all this and something that I had used as a Career Manager, and in my own career to get to where I wanted to be, well worth a read for those transitioning.

I was still keen on pursuing the renewable energy path, not sure what exactly (I had a good idea from researching) but I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I realised that I had zero commercial experience from my time in the military, course number one – a 3 week executive management programme that taught me accounting for non-accountants, business strategy, business operations and employment law. An outstanding course to be fair, box ticked on qualification (Level7 CMI Strategic Management and Leadership) although still lacking real experience. One ELC used.

Nugget number five – play to your strengths when deciding on a new career and if you can, professionalise your experience in the military with recognised qualifications. This is particularly true if you are in a non-technical or engineering type trade like I was. The military offer plenty of opportunities to do this through CLM, utilising SLCs or The Defence Academy, it’s down to the individual to seek these out and set aside time and effort to complete them.

For me, most of the things I’d experienced in the military can be considered a project, e.g. organising an overseas exercise, range days, training programmes, infrastructure improvements or unit moves. They are temporary things that will result in a new business as usual, with the aim to change something that was, into a new something that is better. Although not as complex as managing some projects in civvy street, the principles remain the same, you have a start point, you have a desired end point, you line up your resources according to your budget, you plan, you schedule, you assess risk and then you execute in phases, adjusting as you go when you see fit but always remaining in scope. Simples.

Although I didn’t want to move into project management, I already possessed those skills required and a few project management qualifications seemed a great way to professionalise skills that I had learnt. This also spread my risk a little with transitioning, as project management seemed like that 'well-trodden path' for military leavers, and if plan A failed I had my first back up. I had two courses lined up with the same course provider that I did my executive management qualification, Prince2 and AgilePM, all for one ELC.

Nugget number six – Although my experience here is project management specific, this relates to all course providers whatever career you choose. There are lots of providers offering lots of different PM courses (Prince, Agile, APM) in a variety of mediums. Do your research into the providers themselves, look at their reviews and speak to people who have used them if you can. There are some that will offer you 3 certificates for one ELC, sounds great on the surface but they teach you to pass an exam rather than teach you the real-world application. Look at the career you wish to pursue too, as some project management qualifications suit different environments better than others and employers will ask for specific methodology on job adverts. This is obviously dependent on knowing where you want to be a PM, private/public sector, construction, engineering, software development, medical sciences, defence etc. Also don’t get hung up an getting as many project management qualifications as you can, one or two is fine. Anymore can seem a bit badge collecting and at the end of the day they are just different methodologies of achieving the same thing – a successful project. What combination you choose is up to you. Prince2 is a bit ‘old hat’ and process heavy, but still a good qualification and probably one of the most recognised (my opinion) and asked for. APM is a great qualification to have and Agile is the current buzzword in industry and how a lot of projects now seem to be gearing towards. Others are available.

Nugget number seven – Utilise your resettlement resources (money and time) as efficiently as possible. In another move to de-risk my career choice I decided to look at a few basic IT/Cyber courses that were on offer. By attending a few ‘look at life’ type events, I concluded completing some vendor neutral courses such as CompTIA was a good way forward. These were on offer through the CTP and available as contract funded. This meant it was a really cost effective way to use your IRTC grant and get qualifications that would normally cost you in the region of ￡3000-6000 for just ￡535! You would of course know this if you attended the CTP workshops and pay attention??. Again this was adding another string to my bow and potential employment opportunities, I didn’t fancy doing a bike maintenance course for ￡400 anyway.

2020 Covid!

?So, March 2020, six months until my last day, all resettlement activities planned including work placements, military role handed over and in safe hands, baby inbound in 7 months (bit of a curve ball with added pressure), all looking good. And then Covid19! The whole world gripped by a pandemic and the country shuts down, all courses cancelled until further notice…shit! What happens next? Work calls, I’m classed as non-essential personnel, stay at home don’t come in, we’ll call you.

How can I turn lockdown into a positive? Zero Alpha, AKA the long haired Colonel had her ideas and gave me my first tasking, complete all DIY in the new house and turn my home office into a nursery! Roger that. Nursery sorted 6 months out, time to concentrate on adjusting my plan that lay in tatters. I engaged with my course providers who were offering their courses fully online, tutor led via Zoom or Teams, what is this wizardry I’d never experienced? Ok happy to proceed with that, but I waited until they’d ran a few courses so that they can sort out any tech issues, formats and let the instructors get used to teaching this way rather than in a classroom, didn’t want to be a Guinee Pig essentially. (As it happened this also prepared me for hybrid working and interviewing remotely by getting to grips with MSTeams etc). Not being required in work left me with the time I really craved to finish my degree that I’d started to fall behind in. I was really lucky to get this time and do my degree justice after 5 years of sacrifice, one final push for May’s dissertation deadlines.

Final modules of degree complete and submitted, PM/IT courses completed and passed, time to work on my CV and interview techniques. Nugget number eight – take time to get your CV right. I opted for doing mine myself, maybe in reflection I should have employed a professional to do my core generic copy which would have saved me lots of time and about 30 iterations until I was happy with a base product. CV writing and Applicant Tracking Systems are a minefield, it is so important to get it right or you may not survive ‘the sift’ to get to the interview stage where your personality, presentation, discipline and leadership come to light. John Stephenson from the Forces Transition Group (Google or LinkedIn) does an amazing seminar/work group that I couldn’t recommend highly enough if you’re going to save yourself upwards of ￡400 to do it yourself. Failing that, Sian Richardson of forces-cvs.co.uk also comes highly recommended.

Nugget number nine – get your interview technique squared. There’s no point doing all of the work above to get to an interview and tank! There are some great resources from the CTP and LinkedIn, also just use the internet and you will find loads on the subject. Essentially, I found that there are a handful of questions that the majority of interviewers use and why they use them. Research them and have your answers prepped so you’re not caught cold in an interview, nothing worse than being sat there with people looking at you expecting a response and your mind is blank. Practice those answers in a mirror too, sounds and feels weird doing it, but making those pre-rehearsed answers not seem pre-rehearsed and robotic are key too.

Networking, Job applications and securing employment

?Nugget number ten - Probably something I should have started with as this is an essential part of your preparation and most likely route of finding a new role once you leave, networking. Networking is essentially exchanging contact information with people or companies who have interests in similar areas to yourself. Why is it important? Having a good network will allow you access to opportunities you might not be able to find on your own. A great tool for this is LinkedIn. If you don’t have a profile on there, I suggest you get one and start connecting with people and companies in areas you may wish to be employed in. Start with hitting up colleagues and former colleagues, follow companies you may want to work for, there are also lots of veterans and transition groups out there. Slowly but surely you will start to expand your network. Make comments on subjects that interest you or you have a particular expertise in. Generating a LinkedIn profile is a whole other subject, just be sensible about what you post and your picture selection (preferable not upside down lashed up in an Ibiza bar). Again, Sian Richardson is a bit of an expert if you wish to employ her services to make it look sharp and engaging. Most employers will search you out on LinkedIn when they receive your CV (good to have a LinkedIn ‘link’ on there). Just remember it’s not Facebook/Twitter/Instagram etc.

Nugget number eleven – tailor your CV to a particular job application. Employers/recruiters don’t have time to sift through the thousands of CVs they get for an advertised role, they’ll use software (Applicant Tracking System) to search for CVs that are the best match to the advert. If they are asking for particular qualifications or skills, make sure they are mentioned on your CV more than once. But do not lie! If you don’t have a qualification or haven’t done something you say you have, you will get caught out and you integrity and reputation will take a hit. A scattergun approach of sending your newly polished CV to every advert without tailoring may prove inefficient and unlikely to result in a positive outcome.

So back to me, CV polished, interview techniques nailed start getting my CV out there. 30+ jobs I applied for within sustainability and renewable energy sectors, zero replies! Wow, what was I doing wrong. It turns out I didn’t have the experience for the consultant or PM type roles I was applying for, and we’re not talking middle-management roles either, just basic consultant roles. Maybe this was a CV failing (refer back to paying a professional!) As it happened I could secure graduate roles fairly easy, after all I had just graduated with a 2:1. However, no good to me on ￡20k per year with a mortgage and two kids even with a pension. A slight oversight on my part. Not a showstopper, let’s look at ways to gain some experience whilst studying for a Masters.

Next move, I sent out 40+ tailored applications for Project Manager roles, mostly across Defence. Again almost zero response! No need to flap yet. The feedback I was getting is that although I had qualifications and PM experience from my time in the military, I didn’t have the financial experience required in civvy street to back it up. Nobody was willing to take a chance on me, a slight change in approach was required, I took a step back and decided to go left-flanking. I started applying for Project Support roles as a step to gaining that experience, I was inundated with responses. I chose to go to four interviews and was offered all four roles! Two in Defence, one in the NHS and one for a local housing association.

When choosing which role to take I weighed up the commute, the role itself and obviously the remuneration, as well as the contract length. I ended up taking the best paid one which happened to have the longest commute and shortest contract, but would give me some technical experience I needed as well as extending my network appropriately, whereas the others may not have. I also remained in Defence (playing to my strengths) and utilising a security clearance. Nugget twelve, if you have a security clearance, utilise it if needed. During the pandemic I found that there were lots of projects across Defence that were raring to go but lacked suitably cleared personnel to move them forward. These roles often attract higher wages compared with a similar role not requiring a clearance.

My new role required me to setup my own Ltd company and become self-employed, sods law that was the only resettlement brief I didn’t attend as I had no plans to be self-employed. This can be done fairly easy by yourself, I however opted for my accountant to do it for me as I had no idea what I was doing with regards to tax and VAT, I had a new born baby who came 4 weeks early and a new job I had to get to grips so i didn't want the hassle.

As my first six month contract drew to a close I was offered the opportunity to work for a company I thought I had absolutely no chance working for. Via recommendations from people I worked with for the last six months (networking), and a few phone/video interviews, I was offered a role and started two weeks after my contract ended in an engineering support role. Although I lacked some of the deep technical understanding required, I had shown an attitude towards work, the ability to manage multiple (sometimes difficult) stakeholders and continued personnel and professional development enough for them to offer me this opportunity. I can’t thank them enough and I’m now thriving in a technically challenging role that I really do enjoy. It’s not where I initially planned to be, but once you have that foot in the door and prove yourself, other doors open, it’s up to you to seize that opportunity and run with it. I have no idea where I’ll be or what is the art of the possible is going forward with everything I have learnt and continue to learn daily. What I do know is that no plan survives first contact, I’ll keep my brain on a swivel, continue to perform to the best of my ability, continue my professional development and I’m certain the rest will take care of itself.

I hope this has been a worthwhile read, even if you only take one thing from this then I’m happy. Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and hit me up for any advice, I can always make room in my schedule for a fellow veteran or soon-to-be, even for the non-ferocious ;P!

·??????Preparation, preparation, preparation! No plan survives first contact – have multiple COAs

·??????Self-reflection – an honest look at yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, what do you enjoy?

·??????Have a vision – where do you want to be, what do you want to do?

·??????Research your chosen job market – An idea of realistic salary expectations given your appropriate experience and geographical option for relocation.

·??????Only study what you enjoy – no point studying something that doesn’t engage you.

·??????Utilise CTP workshops early! – Don’t be afraid, get in there and learn, keep an open mind.

·??????Identify your resettlement entitlements and resources – What time and money do I have?

·??????Identify courses – research course providers to ensure what they are delivering is relevant.

·??????Plan and schedule – Decide what courses you’re doing and in what order.

·??????CV Prep – Decide your approach ie write yourself or pay for it to be done.

·??????Interview preparation – Research those questions, have answers prepped and practise them.

·??????Networking – Utilise LinkedIn, get involved.

·??????Remain flexible – seize opportunities when you can, you never know where it will lead.

·??????Always reach back – Help others where you can, I’m a strong believer in Karma.

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