# Nervous about being accepted.



## Mudskip (20 Jan 2011)

Hello everyone,
I'm 19 and I'm in the beginning of the application process. I applied for a few of the in-demand jobs but I'm really worried I wont be accepted. I don't have much work experience and compered to people in their late 20's and early 30's who may be applying for the same positions it's almost laughable. I also haven't worked in a year and I only have my grade 12.

What really bothers me though is that I was only able to give 2 references instead of 5. I have grown up in a low-income community and most people I know wouldn't be awake throughout the day and if they were they would probably be too stoned or drunk to give a proper reference. So I had to go with one of my teachers and my previous employer and that's it.

I really want to get away from this lifestyle. I managed to avoid being trapped in it(by not having many friends). I just don't see a way out and I thought the army would be a good option. I've been wanting to join since I was 13.

Honestly, what do you think my chances of being accepted are? I'm Writing the CFAT in a few hours and I aced the practice test so I'm not really worried about that.

Also if you have any advice or words of encouragement that would be great. This is probably the most important thing in my life at the moment.

Thank you,


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## FDO (20 Jan 2011)

You have as good a chance as anybody else. Just because you have no job experience doesn't put you out of the running. You'd be surprised how many 30 year olds have no job experience. Depending on the occupation you want you may not need any job experience. As a former Recruiter and Career Counsellor I can tell you that what you need to do is ace the CFAT and do well on the interview. Just be honest and straight forward. 

Good luck


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## Chilme (20 Jan 2011)

One thing the military is extremely good at doing i training its personnel.  If you don't have the previous experience the CF will provide you with the tools.  You're an ideal candidate.  Just make sure your fit and be willing to work when you get there.


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## lethalLemon (20 Jan 2011)

Practice Long Division for the CFAT. You'll need it.

Otherwise, it's pretty hard to _fail_ the test, but if score low it limits you to only a few trades rather than many.




(And a word of advice, unless you are truly hopeless - don't study for the CFAT, I did VERY well [Qual'd for all trades] when I wrote it the first time in Grade 11. The practice test is a joke and doesn't do much justice)


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## Mudskip (20 Jan 2011)

Thank you all for the encouragement. 

I'm leaving for the recruiting centre now to write the CFAT.


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## nuclearzombies (20 Jan 2011)

Good luck to you man, and hey - being nervous a/o scared is normal. It is a biological reaction to external stimulus that has often (not always, see Darwin Awards) prevented members of our species from doing fatally stupid things. Dont think that the goal is to be NFO (no fear of _____ ), because most folks I know like that are loose cannons. Lack of fear removes many safety and social boundaries, often to a detriment.
When I went down to CFRC, I was cool until I stepped into the Harry Hays Building. Then, my mouth went bone dry, my mind went blank. So I took a couple deep breaths, and marched my midget arse upstairs. 

I believe what makes us different is we keep moving forward in spite of fear and doubt. Just my  :2c:


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## Mudskip (20 Jan 2011)

Passed it! Thank you all again for keeping my morale up. Now I just need to worry about the interview


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## brihard (20 Jan 2011)

Best of luck to you!

Try talking to more teachers- you'd be surprised how willing some can be to do references and the like, especially if they see someone like you trying to escape a crappy situation.


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## Nauticus (21 Jan 2011)

lethalLemon said:
			
		

> Practice Long Division for the CFAT. You'll need it.
> 
> Otherwise, it's pretty hard to _fail_ the test, but if score low it limits you to only a few trades rather than many.
> 
> ...


In my opinion, the CFAT is actually more difficult for those who have been out of school for extended periods of time. Remember, most mid-20 or early-30 year olds haven't had to use much long division, or English punctuation skills.


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## Dash (21 Jan 2011)

Nauticus said:
			
		

> In my opinion, the CFAT is actually more difficult for those who have been out of school for extended periods of time. Remember, most mid-20 or early-30 year olds haven't had to use much long division, or English punctuation skills.



No kidding! I thought I had my head screwed on the right way until I popped open a math prep manual and went "Oh." At 30 you have life skills, but math - I digress. Needless to say, my math manual became a surrogate boyfriend. Word of advice to test-writers who are a wee out of school: practice and practice under time constraints. You'll do amazing.


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## RememberanceDay (21 Jan 2011)

Dash said:
			
		

> No kidding! I thought I had my head screwed on the right way until I popped open a math prep manual and went "Oh." At 30 you have life skills, but math - I digress. Needless to say, my math manual became a surrogate boyfriend. Word of advice to test-writers who are a wee out of school: practice and practice under time constraints. You'll do amazing.



Heck ya! Over the summer, once I got back to math, I realised I didn't know next to any of it. So, practicing all aspects of math (fractions, basics, integers, patterning) and going over writing things (essays, and such) should help.

By the way, good luck with the interview! Answer honestly, and you'll do fine!


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## BDTyre (25 Jan 2011)

Nauticus said:
			
		

> In my opinion, the CFAT is actually more difficult for those who have been out of school for extended periods of time. Remember, most mid-20 or early-30 year olds haven't had to use much long division, or English punctuation skills.



I would say its more difficult for those who have been out of high school for extended periods of time (it is designed for people who are still in high school after all). I did my CFAT while working toward my degree and at that point I had been out of high school for 4 years. Despite being in university I found the math and the spatial recognition quite difficult. I ran into the same problem with the math on a municipal police exam. That's what I get for pursuing history.  ;D


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## cn (25 Jan 2011)

lethalLemon said:
			
		

> Practice Long Division for the CFAT. You'll need it.
> 
> Otherwise, it's pretty hard to _fail_ the test, but if score low it limits you to only a few trades rather than many.
> 
> ...



Bad advice.  Better to be prepared.  Some individuals may not need to study to pass the CFAT, but others have failed.  

I passed my first time.  Did I need to study? Probably not.  Did I want to do the best possible?  Yes.  How does one prepare themselves to do their best on an exam?  Study.  

For others reading this thread who have not written the CFAT; if you feel a refresher in certain subjects will help your chances of being successful, then go over that material.  Some advice I will offer:  be mindful of the time constraints, you have to work quickly on the test so don't get stuck on something you're not sure of.


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## untouchables (25 Jan 2011)

Some good advice when writing the CFAT: USE THE NOTE PAD THEY PROVIDE, yes they give u a notepad and some pens and pencils to write your rudimentary work use it to do the math. The watermarks depicting service men and women and a CF-18 may be distracting at first, but use it as a motivation. BUT don't hesitate to use this as an extension of your brain, jot down important things such as the numbers provided, how many liters of gas there is etc.

*DISCLAIMER* Some CFRCs may or may not have it, depends on the location. I do not know for all  for I've only been to one CFRC my whole life.


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## shiska (25 Jan 2011)

No fancy notepads in Winnipeg. Just a dozen pages of foolscap.


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## BDTyre (26 Jan 2011)

Same thing when I first did it 8 years ago in Vancouver!


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## Nauticus (26 Jan 2011)

cn said:
			
		

> Bad advice.  Better to be prepared.  Some individuals may not need to study to pass the CFAT, but others have failed.
> 
> I passed my first time.  Did I need to study? Probably not.  Did I want to do the best possible?  Yes.  How does one prepare themselves to do their best on an exam?  Study.
> 
> For others reading this thread who have not written the CFAT; if you feel a refresher in certain subjects will help your chances of being successful, then go over that material.  Some advice I will offer:  be mindful of the time constraints, you have to work quickly on the test so don't get stuck on something you're not sure of.



This.

Different people have varying amounts of difficulty with the CFAT. To this day, I still don't know what my "mark" was, but it was good enough for my three trade choices.


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## Mudskip (16 Feb 2011)

Hey guys thank you for everything. My Interview is tomorrow and I was just wondering if anyone has any last minuet tips.


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## CountDC (16 Feb 2011)

Yeah - don't get tied up on a question, if you don't know the answer move on.  One key to all tests is do the questions you know first then go back and try the ones you didn't.  If you are looking dumbfounded at a question for longer than 10 seconds you are wasting time.  Some people will spend forever trying to answer a question they don't know only to run out of time to answer the questions they could have.


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## Mudshuvel (16 Feb 2011)

Hey dude, grats on the CFAT.

Research your trades. You will be asked why you want them and what you know about them. I heard of a guy who was asked about why he wanted to joining infantry and he responded with, "You get grenades, a gun, and can kill without the killcam showing where you are."

Also, dress pretty. If you don't have a suit, wear khakis and a nice shirt with shoes. Its a job interview, just like any other.


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## Mudskip (16 Feb 2011)

Mudshuvel said:
			
		

> Also, dress pretty. If you don't have a suit, wear khakis and a nice shirt with shoes. Its a job interview, just like any other.



I have a suit but it's a formal dress suit that I last wore to a wedding. Would that be a bit too much?


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## vonGarvin (16 Feb 2011)

Mudskip said:
			
		

> I have a suit but it's a formal dress suit that I last wore to a wedding. Would that be a bit too much?


If it's along the lines of a business suit, then that's fine.  Make sure that it's ironed, your shoes are clean, and be well-groomed.  In spite of this day and age where people like to pretend that they don't have prejudices: they do.  And having said this, first impressions matter.

Earlier it's been said that you should research your preferred trades.  That is very sound advice.  You don't need reams of info, but a basic understanding helps.  And during the conduct of the interview, relax, but don't slouch.  Maintain eye contact, and for the love of all that is holy, if you have a cellphone, iThing or Crackberry, TURN IT OFF PRIOR TO GOING IN.  If you nod to everything he says, muttering "uh huh" as you text away, you will make a very lasting impression; however, it won't be the one you want.

In summation, as someone said earlier: this is a job interview.  Treat it as such.  

Tell us how it goes, and I wish you the best!


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## Peeves (17 Feb 2011)

Mudskip said:
			
		

> Passed it! Thank you all again for keeping my morale up. Now I just need to worry about the interview


Congrats. Just wondering are you applying for regular or reserves?


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## Mudskip (17 Feb 2011)

Peeves said:
			
		

> Congrats. Just wondering are you applying for regular or reserves?



Regular.

I'm off to bed now. Have to be up in 6 hours to get ready  Thanks for the suggestions.


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## Mudskip (17 Feb 2011)

bleh did horrible on the interview since I only have a GED it turns out I could only apply for 1 of the 3 trades I chose and I didn't look up much info on that one.

I also have to get another blood pressure test they said I might have "White Coat Syndrome".


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## Iron Man (17 Feb 2011)

As a applicant myself, all I can say is DON'T GIVE UP! I have had bumps in road toward my goal, although I'm sure different than yours, and at some points it would have been easy to throw in the towel, DON"T. If you have to wait to apply again, wait. If you have to get extra medical clearance, do it. You've come this far, don't quit over a little bump in the road. Good luck to you!


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