covert munkey

As promised folks please find below a Q&A session with an experienced CPO recruiter for a very large and well know Security company.


Question:

Hello Im still serving in the military at the moment, due out shortly and will have to start posting out my CV. I asume that a covering letter is quite important because it could or is one of the first points of contact between the employee and the employer. What kind of information would you expect, or want to see in that covering letter, also which format. Any help or advice would be of help to myself. Lastly is there anything you would not want to see, as far as I can tell most of the detail is contained in the CV itself. Again Thanks Vick


There is really no hard and fast rule when it comes to the inclusion of a covering letter. As you rightly point out, the relevant information should be covered within your CV and for that precise reason, I have never paid a great deal of attention to the covering letter and tend to focus my attention to the CV. However, that is not to say that you should dismiss the covering letters as many recruiters (unlike myself), do read these and they grant you an opportunity to both introduce yourself and demonstrate a basic literacy proficiency.



Again, there are no rules as to what should go in the covering letter, but keep it to the point, don’t waffle and make sure that you take a few seconds to run a spell check – there is no excuse for spelling, or grammar mistakes in this day and age and it only demonstrates poor attention to detail. Remember this is your first chance to impress and such errors can cost you at this is early stage.



Here is an example of a covering letter I wrote some time a go. On this occasion I was recommended for a position through a third party with another company. As a result there’s slightly more content in this example than I would have used if I were just emailing a random company. You may however find this to be a useful guide for future reference:



Mr. ********.



Further to my telephone message, please allow me to introduce myself as *******. I am currently employed with *********, as ******** . I am pleased to say that in a short space of time I have built a very good reputation within this company and consequently have been selected for many of the more demanding and prestigious tasks. Furthermore, I have been offered promising promotions for the future. That said, I am ambitious and am open to new ventures within companies that may afford me the opportunity to further myself and take on even more responsibility.



I have been informed of the opening within your company via ******* and having read through your list of requirements, I feel I would be able to present myself as a suitable candidate.



I served **** years with HM Forces (Army), as a member of ********, in which time I deployed on a number of ****** operations, attained many qualifications and specifically, successfully completed **********. I have CP experience in the theatres of ********, where I served in a military capacity, with ********* and presently as a consultant to ******. Additionally, I have experience in the field of ******. Please find attached to this e-mail a copy of my current CV which shall provide greater detail.



Official references are available upon request.



I sincerely hope that my qualifications and experience meet with your current requirements and that I may hear from you in the future.



Kind regards,



******.



Question:

What catches the recruiters eye in a cv today? What i want to say is most of us are ex mil. Most spend at least one tour in the middle east or other high risk environments (Northern Ireland,Kosove etc.)and i guess by now 90% are CP/Psd trained and have some medical training of some sort...and many got lots of more tricks in the back so to say..so what qualifications are the most sought for these days?



Having recruited for one of the major security companies (which receives on average 200 CV’s per week), I can state that you are absolutely right, the majority of operators on the Circuit these days all have pretty much the same level of experience and qualifications i.e. ex military, Psd trained, etc, etc.



The days of there being an abundance of available positions on the circuit have long since passed and now companies are able to stockpile CV’s in vast numbers.



Each company and individual recruiter may have their own system for cataloguing these CV’s, but you may be surprised to learn that getting a job on the circuit now can be very much a case of ‘luck of the draw.’ All the CV’s that came over my desk without any specialist skills went in to the same large folder and in most cases, this was regardless of rank. When I needed a basic operator then it would be a case of the first good CV that I came across in this folder who possessed all the relevant skills and was still available, they would be the one who would be invited in for an interview.



Here are just a few examples of qualifications that can take you out of the ‘Operators folder’ and in to one of the smaller folders and thus improve your chances of employment. This list is not an exhaustive one and there are various other ‘eye catchers’ that I shall not have mentioned:



Language skills: If you are able to speak another language then this shall never hurt your chances of finding a job. There are certain posts around the world with various companies that you shall not be considered for unless you are able to speak a specific language.



Commercial experience: It’s not to say that you can’t leave a forces background and enter in to the commercial sector, but employers prefer people who have already had experience on the private circuit.



sia accreditation: Whilst you legally don’t require a SIA licence to work abroad, some companies will not employ you without one and for everyone else, this is still a desirable tick in the box. Besides, you never know when you might need it. I myself got mine whilst I was working abroad and before I knew it, I was working at home in the UK. You may not wish to work in the UK now, but you never know what is going to happen tomorrow so it is better to have options.



Management or specialist experience: This could include anything from Project Management as a civilian to a CQMS in the military. These are all desirable qualities and will instantly give you a better chance over everyone else.



Medical qualifications: Qualified combat medics are in very high demand and there is an overall shortage. As an example, I once spent four days – my entire working day – searching for a single operator who had the right medical background. If you are qualified to a standard of a paramedic and have a military background then you should never be out of work.



In theatre security passes: If you have valid passes e.g. DOD card, then don’t forget to list these. I have been in the position on a number of occasions where I need to find X amount of operators for fast ball tasks and there is no time to have these people badged – they literally need to hit the ground running so to speak. In these cases I have been authorised only to employ operators who already have the required passes, so don’t forget to list them in your covering letter/on your CV.



Visa’s: Similarly with the security passes, if you have valid country visa’s in your passport then these could mean the difference between a job and your CV being passed by.



Courses: It goes without saying that the more qualifications you have, the more likely you are to be employed. I was once required to recruit a PSD Operator who was also a SIA qualified medic and who had a background as a tactical driving instructor.



Presentation: Remember that your CV is your first and possibly last chance to impress a potential employer so ensure that it is laid out in the correct format, there are no spelling mistakes, provide contact telephone numbers (you’d be surprised how many people neglect to do this) and remember to sell yourself.



Last, but not least when speaking of CV’s, my biggest tip of the day is DO NOT LIE! Any hint of exaggeration, or embellishment of the truth shall in my company equate to an instant dismissal of your CV and you’ll never be considered for a position again. If you have basic medic skills then don’t advertise yourself as a fully qualified medic – the recruiters know what they’re looking for and the chances are you’ll be caught out!



A suitable example would be my interviewing someone for a position a short time a go. This person had all the correct qualifications, was extremely well qualified, arrived for the interview looking the part, presented himself well and even shared the same military background as myself (the ‘old boys network’ is a fact we must all face within this industry). However, in order for him to take this position I required an SIA licence, or at the very minimum, an SIA reference number to prove that he was in the system. Prior to and during the interview I was lead to believe that he had a full licence. However, having conducted a subsequent background check it later transpired that he didn’t have the licence, nor was he in the system with a reference number. The interviewees excuse was that he was booked on to a forthcoming course and would get it before the task was due to begin. Sadly, as we have already demonstrated, there is a high level of competition out there and our first impression of this operator was one of trust and integrity issues. As a result, he was not considered for any further positions within the company I work for.

Question:

Hi I have no Military or police experience but i have done some hotel security and asset protection what can i do to make myself more desirable to CP employers?


If you haven’t already done so then you may wish to consider taking a recognised Close Protection course and obtaining a sia licence. You could also try to attain other course and skills that would compensate for a lack of forces (military, or police), background. However, these courses are very expensive and there is no grantee that you’ll be taken on by any company as the competition is so high from others who have served in this forces themed civilian sector. Realistically speaking, were you to invest in such courses then I think at best you’d be looking at picking up Residential Duties (guarding homes), or may if you’re lucky, pick up CP roles in non-hostile environments. However these tasks are scarce and usually on a short term contract.



Question:

Im finding it extremely difficult to break into the Circuit. I have my sia badge, usual FAAW etc but just cant seem to find any work. Do you have any advice for us new non ex mil operators.


The points made from the question of ‘how to make your CV stand out’ should answer this question. The fact remains that it is now becoming increasingly difficult to break in to this industry having just left the military as there are already hundreds of experienced operators on the Circuit and not enough contracts to go around.



Age can also be a factor. The more professional companies shall not consider Operators below a certain age (25 being a guide line) and the days of 60 (and above), year old Operators working overseas are pretty much gone as well.



Question:

Hi there basically I am doing my CP course on 9th August im an ex Grenadier with tours of bosnia and iraq under my belt who and how is the best way about going to get work in the Circuit


This is another question where the points should pretty much have been covered in full during previous questions. So far you’re doing everything right. I’d suggest you maintain your fitness levels, get the necessary courses and then float your CV and see what happens. If you have friends who are already on the Circuit then make sure you listen out for advice on who is recruiting and continue to submit your CV again and again until one of them picks you up.



Question:

There are many CP training providers within the industry. Which one stands out from the rest when your reading through endless CV's.



Not really, provided you attain your qualification via one of the main providers. Without disclosing names, there is one held in South Africa by a British company where you also get to spend some time working with paramedics on Ambulances over weekends. You may find this a useful consideration…

__________________
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwcloseprote-21

elsiejay

Hope you don't mind me tagging on to this, but even with our tasks we receive many cv's and applications. Can I use this posting to mention few of the do's and don'ts?

1 Send a round robin cv - shows youhave no read about the company and do not

hippy

All good valid points, which as a recruiter I agree with 100%!

Another good thread cm... Well done.. Please remember my offer...

Can anyone guess the type of position I find most difficult to fill?

def

some one to make a decent cup of tea
lol ready which one? regards def

Marian

"paramedic"?

R2700m

underwater knife fighter?

Legioner

Spaceshuttle Rear Gunner?

hippy

Nope... Its Underwater Yak Straddler!

mally

Some excellent advice on here, cheers CM

__________________
Mally

Add Your Company - Competitions - police military security equipment

Competition Prizes Needed, please send me a private message if you have any items you can donate!