Resettlement success

Forces: Ex-RAF

Graham L - Sergeant

“Focus your search on what you really want to do; don’t just go for any old job, or you’ll be unenthusiastic, unhappy and move on. Ensure you tailor your CV, interview, and covering letter for each application.”

Ex-Sergeant Graham L served for just over 26 years in the RAF, specialising as a Communication and Information Systems Technician. On his resettlement, Graham says that he found the Career Transition Workshop useful for “meeting other Service leavers in the same boat, and bouncing ideas and experiences off each other.”

He also used some of his resettlement time to complete a Civilian Work Attachment in his new civilian role, enabling familiarisation and training.

Graham now works as a Junior Systems Engineer for the Civil Service, and says, “I didn’t have much experience in job interviews, but it wasn’t like anything I expected. The bulk of the interview was giving examples to meet the competencies they were looking for. I wasn’t asked why I wanted the job!”

Graham is based at Corsham, with His boss at the LSRC (Land System Reference Centre) at Blandford and his role involves part of the management of the centre, along with Technical Assurance and Subject Matter Expertise – Decoding Technical reports into Laymans terms for Projects/Case Officers.

Having been based at MoD Corsham in his previous military role, Graham said he faced no real obstacles when settling into the role: “Just turn right instead of left when entering the building. I’m working in the same place as a civilian, as I was in the RAF! Starting a new role is just the same as a posting – meeting new people, watching and learning before opening your mouth too much.”

Graham says that his “general military communications background knowledge and job experiences” are both useful in the new role, and advises other Service leavers: “Focus your search on what you really want to do; don’t just go for any old job, or you’ll be unenthusiastic, unhappy and move on. Ensure you tailor your CV, interview, and covering letter for each application.”
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