Military HR looking to transition into a Civilian Career. - HR Qualifications and studying - Careers Clinic

3 Military HR looking to transition into a Civilian Career.

14 Mar, 2017 09:19

Good morning All,

I am currently serving in the Royal Air Force and i have been working in HR for the military for the past 8 years. i joined when i was 18 and i am currently 27. I am in the next 18 months looking to leave the Military and move across into the civilian "HR world"

I wanted to gather some information from people in the HR profession as to what opportunities i can expect or maybe not expect once i leave. I would be looking to go into HR management and i wanted to know if this is achievable and if so what would be the best route to get into it. A little back ground on myself; I have just started my CIPD level 5 in HR Management and i plan to finish this qualification before i leave the service. I am currently at the middle management level within the RAF as my rank is Cpl, this means i currently manage a small team of 4-5 people in my organisation. i have experience of working below this rank in a generalist member of the HR team but at the moment my main role focuses more on managing people.

By the time i leave i will have nearly 10 years in a HR environment i understand this is a little different to a civilian work place but HR experience none the less, this coupled with the qualities i can bring that i have learned by being in the military i wanted to see where i would stand against other people in the competitive HR area.

I would appreciate any information or guidance anyone can provide. I wanted to gauge if i am way off the mark and may need to alter my perceptions or if i can keep my plan and with strong will look to force my way into a different environment and succeed.

Thanks

Michael

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Steve Bridger | 0 Posts

Community Manager

17 Mar, 2017 11:15

Hi Michael... and welcome to the Community.

Robey is your man. See his excellent advice here.
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Sarah | 0 Posts

20 Mar, 2017 16:19

HI Michael,

I can completely appreciate where you are coming from. I was an Officer in the army for just over 8 years and I left last summer to take up a job in civilian HR.

One of the best things you can do is get the most of the career transition workshop and use it to help you sell yourself on your CV properly. Initially I found it really hard to translate the roles and responsibilities of a Squadron 2IC into something a civilian employer would understand.

I spoke to a lot of HR specialist recruitment agencies and it really helped them to understand the sort of person I was and what I had to offer. If you have some time off during your resettlement period then I would highly recommend going in to see local companies in the area you plan to settle to see if you can speak to their HR departments about what they do. They worst they will do is say no, but civilian HR is significantly different to military HR and the more info you can gather the better.

Well done on starting on your level 5, I am 3/4 of the way through an MSc in HR Management and wish I had completed it before I left. My only advice on what level you go into is based on the feedback I had from some of the interviews I went to. Whilst I had previous experience working in HR and I managed over 120 lad in the army, most employers for HR manager jobs wanted to see some civilian HR experience on my CV. I would say don't rule out HR manager as a first job, but certainly look at other roles such as advisor even if they are to gain you that civilian experience.

10 years in the military gives you a wealth of experience, so if you can put the across to a perspective employer then I have no doubt you will find yourself a job in no time.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your remaining time in the RAF :)
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Robey | 0 Posts

2 Apr, 2017 18:25

As Sarah has already discovered, fighting your way into civil HR at the level you left in military HR is very difficult - and not unreasonably so: there are substantial differences in practice between the two areas. I made my own case doubly difficult by taking a six-year career break before getting back into HR, but when I did, a three-month FTC at the local council was the foot up I needed. I've not hung about and, after four years and three jobs, I'm just about, now, back to the level (and pay) I was on when I PVR'd.

You know, it's going to reach the point, soon, when none of my knowledge will be relevant any more. From the sound of it, Michael joined up the year I left!
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