I wrote my aptitude test for the Canadian Forces last week, and aced it. Now I have my medical and interview tomorrow. The medical should be a breeze, but the interview has me a bit nervous. I feel prepared, but it's the kind of situation a person can't help but feel a bit stressed over. So wish me luck!

Also, to add a bit of interest to the thread, post your stories of job interviews gone good or bad...hilariously I hope.

Best of luck to you!


Canadian Forces? You guys have those?

look for a position with a big hat
remember, bigger the brim, more important the mountie

>.>

Good luck!

My friend's brother joined the Canadian Forces Air Command a few months back. During the interview they asked if he had ever done any drugs, including marijuana. When he said no they didn't believe him. They also asked how many times he had drank alcohol, and when he estimated around 20 they didn't believe that either. Both responses were the honest truth.

It's both funny and sad.

Good luck.

Joining the CF is one of the things I think about doing after I get my degree next year. How do they determine what job you get? (is it based solely on your test scores and whatever they need?)

I do know that my friend's brother (who has an engineering degree) was able to specify that he only wants to be a pilot. I think he said they try to get you to pick backup choices or something, but apparently if you're fit for the position you want you can basically take a "I want to do this or nothing" stance.

I can probably get actual details if you want.

The pluralization of "canadian forces" is a misnomer, really they're looking to replace the outgoing retiree with someone a bit younger.

<3

Well the day came and passed, and it all went quite smoothly. I was told I am "competitive" for the positions I applied for, and barring any hiccups in the medical process (the doc later said I'm fine and there shouldn't be any), I could be off to basic training as early as the end of August .



You can put up to three job choices on your application. Many people (including myself) mistakenly assume that the choice you put in the first slot will be given priority, but my interviewer told me that they are all lumped together during the consideration process. This is why I had him remove me from consideration for the combat engineer trade. I only put it down to fill in the space.

After you send in your application, you write the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) to determine if you qualify for one or all of the positions you applied for. Then, after your interview, they determine which position you are eligible and most competitive for, and will more than likely give you a job offer for that position after everything has been considered and processed. The military is hurting for personnel, so as long as you have half a brain and they think you can do the job, you're as good as in. At least that's what I've heard from people who have served or are serving. It's during training when the real weeding out takes place.

[edit]: Oh yes, you said you're considering joining up after you get your degree? I assume that means you'll be applying for a direct entry officer commission then. Everything I said still applies, but after your interview, your application gets sent to an officer candidate review board. I'm not sure how many times they sit per year, but you should be prepared to do a lot of waiting.

I guess (I assume degree = officer), I hadn't thought that far ahead. What position did you want?

edit - how long did it take for you to get processed? IIRC you've been waiting on this for a long time. And actually, now I'm not sure if I'd go in for officer. My degree is in music, so it's not like I have in-demand technical skills.

edit - yeah, the website says that your degree has to be in a suitable discipline.

I had been thinking of the forces since I graduated from high school (2003), but I hadn't actually decided and moved on it until this past May. It hasn't taken long at all to be processed. Within a couple weeks of sending in the initial paperwork, I got a phone call requesting some other documents. Then about a week and a half later, I got a call to sign some things, and talk to a recruiter about some options I hadn't considered. It took about another week and a half to get the call to set up a time to write the CFAT. At the Ottawa center at least, they have people write it almost every day, so I could have written it any time. I wrote it last week, and immediately afterward had my interview and medical scheduled for the following week. Now I'm just waiting on the final processing to take place.

I applied for Signal Operator and Infantryman. A Sig Op sets up networks, and works with radios, satellites, and anything related to telecommunications really, with some field and infantry training thrown in to boot. Since there is a high demand for Sig Ops now, and I was told I was most competitive for that trade, that's most likely what I'm going through as. But they're always looking for more people to fill out the infantry ranks too, so who knows. If you apply to a hot trade, you have a good chance at being processed relatively quickly. A healthy individual with a good head and no criminal record on average takes 3 to 4 months to process. This is from what I've seen from various recruiting logs, and talking with a friend who just joined recently.

Depending on the nature of your music degree, you could apply to be an officer in the band. However, the CF music program has been shriveling for a long while now. My dad was a military musician for 22 years, so I heard all about the band room closures and reductions in personnel. I imagine there aren't a lot of command positions to fill, and the wait would be horrendous anyway. Your degree could get you into other trades, though. The infantry, for example, doesn't require a degree in a specific discipline. They just want the piece of paper to prove that you have the capacity for abstract thought. What were you thinking of going in as? If you have the chance, going for a commission might be worth it, but I guess it also depends on what you're looking to get out of your career.

I was of interested in being in the infantry. I did look into the band stuff, but I play guitar (two officers came to my school - they did say that orders had recently come down from the very top to get a bunch of new music stuff up and running, but God knows how long that will take).

I'm also not sure how long a military career I'd want...I'm not sure if I'd reinlist after three years.

If you're not sure how long you'd want to be in, then yeah, enlisted is probably your best bet. I think officers are committed to at least a 6 year contract, and some as long as 9. In any case, this is all definitely worth discussing with a recruiter. Whereabouts do you live?

Toronto area. I'll probably hold off on speaking to someone until next spring...I have to finish school anyways, and I'm still on the fence about it.

anyways, thanks for sharing your recruiting experience and stuff.