Hi All,

New to the iosh website and looking for a bit of advice. After six years in the RAF Regiment I decide to leave and do something new that would stretch me and push me on in my personal development. I began me research into health and safety about a year ago and at the time most jobs that where coming up were asking for NEBOSH Certificates. Due to this I went and sat 3 NEBOSH Certificates in a intense 4 week course in March this year. Luckily it paid off and pass my General, Fire and Construction Certificates. I really enjoyed the courses and was looking forward to starting a new career.

Since then I have applied for many jobs which don't require much or any experience including Trainee positions all have been unsuccessful. All the feed back I get is my CV and cover letter is excellent and they have either discontinued the position due to too few applicants or if its through an agencies they haven't heard anything back from the companies. I am now not sure what my next step should be. I am very keen to do my Diploma but not sure weather to invest more money into at the moment or wait and see if any jobs come about then invest in it.

Currently volunteering at the local cadets as a instructor and also do the health and safety for them making sure everything is up to date and current.

So has anyone started in this industry with little to no experience like me? And if so what did you do to get the first step on the ladder?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

I finished uni in 2011 wanting to go into the prison service but the waiting list was in years, so I took a job cleaning at the uni to tie me over. I ended up there for 3 years. I took a temp supervisor position which entailed the IOSH Managing Safely course and I fell in love. In Oct 2012 I did my general and feb 13 my fire cert. I applied for hundreds of jobs and heard nothing back. I ended up in May 14 getting a h/s admin/ PA role which was maternity cover- it was more admin related, though my experience in that area wasn't that strong but picked up alot on the way. I then re-did my cv to tailor it to more of health and safety based cv taking any experience I had and fitting into a health and safety perspective. I always state quite boldly in my CV and application letters I self fund quite alot, I think my diploma is number 5 so far- half way through at the minute. Since then I have has more call backs and interviews then I have ever had in my life and am now in a role I absolutely adore.

I'm afraid you just have to keep going, and with what you are doing, wherever there is a chance of some experience, do it. Also, keep a "Boast Book". Note down there what you have done and what you feel you gained out of it, then when you have your CV to hand, add it in. Don't forget it isn't just the health and safety they are looking for. Show what other skills you have and how they fit into a health and safety role- you instruct currently- so you have people skills, you can speak in front of groups, thats training experience as well etc.

And a big one for me- know your limits. The role I am in now, I admitted quite openly (and said more than once in my interview) that no, I didn't have experience in an area- but I was willing to learn. A model answer isn't always the best answer if its not you. My honesty and drive to be all I can be got me a job offer and what I like to think is a career- which is worth than any job.

Good Luck, if I can help in any way please let me know

Jodie

As others have said, you might need to do other work first and transfer over at some point in to h&s.

Remember to write your CV with minimum reference / use of RAF/military terms - often not understood by those with no military knowledge.

I'm ex Trade Group 1, engineer - I did my General Cert when I left, did factory maintenance for a couple of years, before landing a safety consultancy role in 1996. Now in about job 10 specific to h&s. So it can be done - its getting the first break is the hardest part.

I never did figure out what Rockapes do.......

Hi all thanks for all the feed back so far.

Re-looking at a few things now.

Hi
I passed my Nebosh Cert 12 Months ago and did the Pttls teaching course. I am from a warehouse distribution background but managed to secure a position as a h&S adviser. I applied for h&s positions in my specialism. Focus on what you are great at and weave the health and Safety into that. Good luck.

I left the RAF but fell into working for a company which contracted with the RAF, so was doing the same role as when I was in but I then decided to move in Health and Safety (I achieved the NEBOSH Diploma to help in this). I was not very successful at first but with working shifts I worked for a charity as a volunteer Health and Safety Advisor (they paid my travel expenses). This helped as soon after I was then working with a construction company as a regional advisor (I did want to stay working with the charity but the workload meant this was not possible unfortunately), then worked on HV substations, Rail, Oil and Gas and now moving into the water industry.

So don't get too disheartened as I thought it was not going to happen as had no experience within any particular industry. Still gaining more experience as I go along and getting new challenges so hope you achieve the same.

walker

If some forum users think they have comments/information/suggestions to make which might be of interest or use to other forum users, surely the age of the threads on which they post the responses is irrelevant - or is there some unwritten period of time after which dormant threads cannot be resurrected?!

Even so, you deserve some credit for being observant and spotting when this thread was first started! Sadly, some forum users aren't as observant as they should be. For example, some people give inappropriate responses to threads concerning OSH matters outside the UK and which were posted by IOSH members whose details show that they belong to branches outwith the UK. Also, it's evident that some responses to threads reveal that their posters have failed to notice that the original posters are new forum users and therefore could be unfamiliar with these forums!

Graham B

Great news I am in the same situation that you were once in.
Some great advice.