TA & C.V.

When mentioning on your C.V that you are a member of the TA, do you put down what trade you are in and the courses and qualifications you have gained through the army, even if they are not relevant to the job. Or do you just leave it as I am a member of the territorial army and not put down any more.

 

If this is not a wah then:

Fecking obviously!

You are trying to sell yourself (not in a rentboy way) But put it into civvie speak and try and draw out positive points e.g. a previous course for handling explosives: I work well and keep my cool in high pressure situations etc etc

 

Would suggest the wah comes earlier in "when mentioning on your CV..."

Are you daft or what? It's like a bird putting "getting rogered bareback nightly in a frantic efffort to conceive" under Hobbies and Interests.

Employers do NOT generally want someone who may just disappear for 6 months+

 

BUT if you don't disclose this information, you lose your employment rights if they subsequently find out. Tell them.

 

All a bit academic if you don't get the job in the first place.

 

Do you really want God knows how many people at all those agencies to know you are in the TA and have access to your address and personal details.
Just tell them at your interview.

 

Length of service and employment, and bullet points for the key items I want them to pick up on.

Length of service I've found to be quite useful - it's a way to get around the fact that whilst my job history demonstrates I've moved around a bit, I have the ability to stick with one thing.

If your normal job is non-managerial, the TA when you have rank is quite a good way of showing that you can lead and organise teams of people.

The TA is a part of who I am - so if it's not there, you're only opening yourself up to suspicion when they realise that you're not off to Spain for two weeks, or why you need to disappear early on the odd Friday.

If they're not TA friendly (or more likely apathetic) would you want to work there?

 

I've found it better to establish myself first so you don't get judged according to their prejudices before they know you.

 

I can see how you would think this is a wah but it's not, the reason I ask is I have been in the same job for 14 years from school. So I have not done a c.v before, I am now looking at career change and I have put down that I am in the TA but did not know how much detail to go into.

 

Since I have been doing it on and off as a full time job for a few years and its the most consistant thing I have done then yes.

Does that experience, personal qualities and qualifications from the TA help get me a job? The answer is yes, without a doubt.

The only trouble is, and I have a problem with this, is having said how much the prospective employer likes my reserve service they always end by saying "so when are you leaving?" and when I reply that I am not then that pretty much kills the interview.

Just happened again last week. A dream job, I got the interview on the back of my reserve experience, the interview went well and when the moment came as I knew it would my refusal to give up the TA ended with my not getting the job. Oh well FTRS here I come.

Cardinal

 

Try "When the TA ceases to give me new or developed skills that can be of advantage to your firm."

 

"However my commitments to my full time employer would always take priority and if I felt the two were incompatible then I'd put TA on hold."

I've always used words to that effect. Saying that I've only had two interviews since I left uni (pick them carefully), mentioned TA in both applications. One of the panel on the first (a Government agency no less) seemed to have quite a poor view of the military and it didn't go well. Second a private company dealing with consulting, got offered way higher than average wage for a grad. Was usefull to use as answers to 'give me an example of a time when...'. If you didn't mention it on CV but used it at interview they'd want to know why.

 

I would avoid mentioning TA on your CV, I would also suggest trying to attribute any qualifications you've achieved as coming from your current/previous employer (not the TA as that will lower the qual).

I'm not sure the TA has given any quals I could use, except for C & C+E which I wouldn't put on my CV as its irrelevant.

 

I was proud to add my TA experience on my CV but iy never got me anywhere. I started to leave it off and hey presto - got a blinding job.

 

Are we not legally obliged to inform our employer (and presumably prospective ones) that we're in the Reserve Forces?