Supporting Chris Longhorn On His Resettlement Journey
Category: Success Stories
Publish date: 30/06/2020
Background
Chris Longhorn left the Royal Marines as a Corporal in 2019 after serving for 9 years. After taking stock of his career and personal life, he decided to transition from the military into civilian life and registered for resettlement with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).
"I am immensely proud of my career with the Royal Marines, but I recognised that the employment opportunities outside of the Service were greater. I also wanted to live with my family instead of having to commute across the country to spend a day and a half each week with them."
Resettlement
One of the first things Chris did when beginning his transition was sign-up for and attend a mixed-ranks Career Transition Workshop (CTW). Through doing so, he received valuable insight and feedback regarding his CV; a resource he recommends every Service leaver makes the most of.
Chris also chose to undertake several optional training courses and workshops, including Agile Project Management, Management of Risk and Change Management courses.
"The courses were well run, reasonably priced and could be paid for/subsidised using IRTC and ELCs. They gave the corporate accreditation for roles that I had already been undertaking within the military – Helping to highlight my suitability for positions in the corporate world"
Finally, Chris talks about his relationship with his CTP Career Consultant, Carolyne, and how she helped him throughout his journey:
"Carolyne was excellent, offering me a solid sounding board. She provided plenty of impartial suggestion as to how I might go about achieving my goals, and even suggested individuals and organisations that I could begin networking with.
She also reviewed and offered advice on my early CV and has remained in touch to keep offering support if I’m ever in need of it."
Successful Outcome
Chris is now a Management Consultant; a role he found via networking with his former bosses on LinkedIn. Having used the support provided by CTP to tweak his CV and begin understanding how to effectively translate his military jargon into impactful corporate language, Chris applied for the role with his former boss acting as a referee.
In his job, Chris is responsible for the Defence and Security sector, coinciding with the passions and interests he developed during his 9 year service. He cites effective communication, problem solving and his ability to build relationships as being crucial in fulfilling his job – all skills that he acquired and developed during his time in the Armed Forces.
Advice
As his closing words of advice to fellow Service leavers, Chris goes on to say:
"Be as informed as you possibly can about what you want to do once you leave the military, and make sure that you identify any gaps in your skillset and do whatever you can to fill them.
Reach out to your network and prepare for any interviews as much as you possibly can. Finally, start working on your CV before you leave the Service, as your CV is hugely important and can take longer to perfect than you think."