Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

DB suggested that I might like to record my thoughts post CPR, so this blog is an amalgamation of Steve Dollimore’s email to me immediately after his CPR and my thoughts and views post my CPR (both written before results).

I understand that it is quite early for the current course but it is really worthwhile thinking about this now, as the groundrush at the end of Phase 3 and Phase 4 can be pretty full on!

 

Reports

I spent quite a while on the reports (2k (Experience Report) & 4k (Project Report)) to try and get them just right, working on the assumption that if it was covered in the required detail the interview would be easier. In reality, I probably agonized over these a little too much and left far too many ‘hooks’ as it is not possible to cover everything in enough detail.

I found the reports to be good revision of my time on attachment, but highlighted just how little useful information I had gathered to support my attribute claims. I know this will probably go unheeded, but it is well worth thinking about your CPR docs now and gathering the required info as you go so that you have relevant photos, calcs, or standards to refer to when compiling your reports. As a rough guide, if you are using something as an example for your DO’s it is probably worth building a decent pack of evidence in prep for your report.

If you can get the reports final drafted prior to leaving your Phase 3 attachment, you should get a civilian perspective on what you have written.

 

Preparation

The CPR rehearsals with the lecturers/mentors are really worthwhile. Be prepared by re-reading past AER/TMR’s and most importantly ER and PR. Prepare your presentation well in advance and have a good couple of run throughs prior to the event. (I left this late and only managed a couple of practices before the mock – I think I could have gained more from the experience if I was more prepared.

It is worth doing a second/third mock with somebody willing, to gain a second perspective (I borrowed Steve Dollimore’s recent knowledge and a civilian mate who had just been through CPR). As a result there were very few tough questions that had not considered). I think using a non-military mate worthwhile as they will have a more similar perspective to the reviewers (i.e. not tainted by green).

 

Presentation

The CPR presentation should tell an interesting story, not just be a list of attributes. I found that writing a script then leaving bullet points on the back of the presentation slides was most useful (avoided the temptation to read it).

Scripting is good to ensure you contain the correct information but be careful not to come across too wooden. It should be an informal style presentation that is interesting.

Don’t get sidetracked when you notice them writing during the presentation, at the range you are it is obvious you are looking!

Buy a presentation flipchart early – not many places sell them. A3/A4 is a personal choice, but I would argue that at the range of about 1m across the table from your reviewers, an A4 flipper is perfect (and cheaper).

Keep slides clear. A few photos, or one big one without wording I would say is best.

 

Interview

The interview runs for about 60mins, and I would say is broken down into 15mins fro presentation Q’s, 30mins PR Q’s, and 15mins ER Q’s, with a few randoms thrown in for good measure. By randoms I mean unrelated questions about the ICE, and your views on Civ Eng in general. For example “What can you offer the ICE?”

You can largely guess what the presentation questions will be based on your preparation. This is a good chance to demonstrate sketching ability, either built into the presentation, or to elaborate on something in it after. Don’t sketch in the middle of the presentation – it kills time and looks too planned and therefore suspicious.

In honesty, I don’t really remember much of the interview; it really was over in a blur. I remember being highly attuned to the reviewers reactions to my answers though (At one point one said “Oh dear, that’s not good!” but I was unsure whether it was my answer of the situation I was describing that merited the reaction).

I think all of the reviewers had conducted CPR’s at the RSME before. I was hoping for a couple of newy’s who would be interested in Afghanistan, but that wasn’t to be. That said there were several questions on the military, “How does the Army approach E&D?” “Describe how you did something in AFG?”

I found it interesting that there appeared to be no outright technical questions. Whether there were but I didn’t think they were that technical, or there just were not any I cannot fully remember. The interview was more like an informal chat about my experience that was genuinely quite relaxed. I am not sure if I actually relaxed, but at one point I even strayed onto who the greatest Briton was! (My view that IKB should have come top over Winston C in the UK documentary (Backed up by Jeremy Clarkson) a while back was enthusiastically agreed with).

 

Written Test

Everyone seemed to be pretty happy with their written questions, ranging from views on military future to management strategy.

You are looking at an intro, 6 paragraphs of narrative, and a conclusion – about 1000-1200 words. 

I handwrote, as I think that you can easily waste time by re-writing on a computer, and it also shows you can work without IT. I think only 1 of 4 used a laptop.

The time goes very quickly, but do not skimp on the essay plan, it will keep you focused.

 

Aftershocks

Good to be done, but a 2 month wait for the results is a little too much. Obviously we all spoke to each other afterwards to dissect the interviews and share with each other how we probably f@*ked it up, but retrospectively looking at it I think we all tend to focus on the bad bits and take for granted the level of knowledge that we portray without thinking about it.

Ultimately, there is nothing that we can do now, but I am not burning my notes just yet!

 

Overall

The reviewers will most probably stay in the mess overnight. Therefore time breakfast right to chat in the morning. It is important to show you are normal, even if you are not. 

I think we all spent a lot of time the week before review chatting with JM and RF. In my case, probably worrying too much about the trivia. Without blowing too much smoke up their proverbials, they know their stuff having worked in industry, and offer sage advice that makes you think a little more. Just chatting about engineering puts you in the mindset and helps hone your vocabulary prior to interview.

It is not worth researching your reviewers. I don’t think anybody did from our course, but purely from the work addresses we could work out the rough bent of each of them. It made no impact on the questions asked.

Its not as bad as you think it will be – the reviewers are old pros and they went beyond the call of duty to calm you down.

 

 

Hope that helps. I don’t know the result yet, but will happy to chat through the process and prep with anybody either way nearer the time.

Enjoy the rest of your attachments. Take lots of photos!

 

Westie