New Applicant - Sig O / Reserves

[Bleuberry]

Hi there,

After months of scouring the CF recruiting website, reading as much as I could find here, speaking with recruiters, and generally getting the best understanding I could beforehand, I've submitted my application for a DEO Signals Officer position with my local Communications Regiment.

To be honest, I'm both totally excited and also very nervous about this process! I'm 33-year old female who works in an HR senior management role; married - no kids, but an enthusiastic dog, Bleu... hence the handle, and no - that's not a typo. His name is actually "Bleu" and not "Blue." 

I don't have many folks in my life who are currently involved in the CF (but do work with a retired Air Force Major, and have a friend who is at Lieutenant with the CIC) and much of military life is simply foreign to me from my civilian perspective. That being said, I've been very interested in the CF for a number of years now, and would have applied to the Reg Force but am not able to re-locate at this point in life due to my husband's business... and my desire to stay happily married! 

I finished my MBA a couple of years ago and have been feeling 'antsy' in the day-to-day grind of working in HR. I'm excited about the opportunity to meet new people, learn a whole new set of skills and perspective on leadership, work my butt off, and hopefully come home exhausted and yet with a sense of accomplishment at the same time.

This is primarily an introductory post on my part - no major content questions here (since I've done my homework!) but if anyone reads and has any thoughts they'd like to share on the following questions, I'd love to hear your perspective!

- How would you describe the CF corporate culture? Is there anything in civilian life you would compare it to? (I'm trying to understand how I would/could fit in, but don't have much to compare it to...)

- In terms of physical fitness, would you say that it's more practically useful to be "strong" or to be "fast?" (I'm a hiker/camper-type who builds muscle quickly, but definitely not a runner - I know I need to work on my running, but frankly a 5km run scares me more than a 13km march!)

- Phase III Sig O training involves a 3-month (can't remember the precise number of weeks) training time, which is definitely a challenge for scheduling with work. How have you (or have other reservists you know) worked through that sort of scheduling challenge with your employer?

Thanks, in advance! 

PS: I should also mention that I've already *really* appreciated the wealth of knowledge here in this forum. There are some fantastic subject matter experts here, and it's been a tremendous resource to me in better understanding the CF culture, processes, and policies along the way. Thanks!

 

[Bleuberry]

Quick update:

I wrote the CFAT and completed the first part of the Medical today. I gather that I achieved a sufficient score for my chosen trade, since our group was told "Congratulations! Since you're still here, you've made it through that portion." No complaints.

A couple of observations for others who will be writing:

- Seriously folks, if a piece of paperwork asks you to lists all your addresses, or countries you visited over the past 5/10 years then KNOW that information, and preferably complete it all in advance. We spent a bunch of time waiting for some folks who seemed confused about this concept.

- The first portion of our Medical was completed as a group, which came as a surprise. This included the medic instructing us to say our height, weight, and waist circumfrance aloud, and she responded with the metric measurement. Maybe it's my "girlie" side coming out, but I was a little flustered by this since I wasn't expecting to share my details out loud with a group. It's not a big deal, but thought I'd share that as a possibility.

- I got that CFAT online prep subscription; mostly to practice the spatial exercises. While I would say that the spatial part was handy, the math on the online prep wasn't. Their examples weren't terribly helpful and were frankly just confusing. The verbal part wasn't something I was concerned with, but the prep was fine for that. I would say, however, that I think some of their definitions were a little vague and debatable, but that's just me being snotty. 

- It was a LONG process. I was there before 0800 and didn't get out until 1345, ao I would advise others to have a hearty breakfast in advance. Also, we were reimbursed for travel and for a meal, which I hadn't expected, but wouldn't say "no" to! 

I should also mention that I observed the CF staff to be quite professional, friendly and often funny - but with little patience for those who didn't follow instructions. As has been written by many others; be smart with your words (quantity & quality), listen carefully, follow instructions, and be prepared to wait, wait, wait.

Well - one more step completed! Onward and upward! 

 

[Rheostatic]

- Phase III Sig O training involves a 3-month (can't remember the precise number of weeks) training time, which is definitely a challenge for scheduling with work. How have you (or have other reservists you know) worked through that sort of scheduling challenge with your employer?

Take a look at this site: http://www.cflc.forces.gc.ca/, then find out if your employer has a military leave policy. Then again, if you're a senior manager in HR, you should write one!

 

[Bleuberry]

Take a look at this site: http://www.cflc.forces.gc.ca/, then find out if your employer has a military leave policy. Then again, if you're a senior manager in HR, you should write one!

Thanks for your feedback, Rheostatic. I was actually thinking about writing a policy... but I don't think I could defend it as being objective and 'above reproach' in relation to my motives.  That being said, I'm thinking of writing an Unpaid Leave of Absence policy that could be interpreted for this purpose, versus one specific to military leave.