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Using Your Personal Development Record
HMForces.co.uk
Former military personnel have one advantage over their civilian counterparts: Personal Development Records. Use them!
Each evaluation should describe your duties, the number of people you were responsible for, and will point out bulleted, performance-related results.
Use these RESULTS to sell yourself. Employers need to see accomplishments that they can relate to with regard to the open position. The hiring manager will want to know “What can this individual do for me?” When it comes to getting a job, past performance is the best indicator of future success.
This is what you need to do: Personal development plans
QUANTIFY: Describe what you accomplished with numbers and percentages. Explain how many times annually, what percentage of increase or decrease you produced, how large a group you supervised or trained or the actual value of equipment under your guidance. Here are some examples:
• Supervised 14 member staff
• Produced 150% over quota for eight consecutive months
• Resulted in £250,000 savings
• Administered travel budget of £15 million
• Reduced inventory loss by 20%
• Developed training program for a 600 person organisation
Your PDR SHOULD have this type of action-oriented successes.
Useful links:
HMForces.co.uk on-line job board – Search for jobs that fit the skill set of your military trade
CV tips to make the transition – Find out the best way to present your military experience to civilian firms
How to use your Personal Development Record – Your PDR holds a summary of your military achievements. Use it to impress employers.
Job hunting tips – Find out how to get ahead of the pack
Back to: The 10 Steps to Resettlement and Leaving the Armed Forces
