In this interview, Our Defence Talent Expert Emma Homann explores how to navigate your job search and land your first civilian job!
Emma was lucky enough to have an insightful Q&A with Pete Kavanagh-Barnes, Head of P3M, Eagle Eye Innovations who just two years ago transitioned from the military into the civilian defence sector. Pete shares his invaluable experiences, offering practical advice and strategic tips for fellow veterans looking to embark on their civilian careers.
Emma also gained advice from a second ex-serviceman, Drew Campbell, UK & Ireland Talent Acquisition at Jacobs.
Whether you're a recent veteran or considering a future transition or even an employer considering hiring veterans, this article offers invaluable insights to empower you to thrive in the civilian workforce.
Q: Pete, could you give me a brief overview of your military background and then fast forward to where you are now?
"I was in the Army as a Direct Entry officer for 17 years, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and EOD duties all over GB and NI. I led a squadron of around 100 personnel, worked with DE&S as a Requirements Management and a military advisor with DSTL.
I really hadn’t thought about getting back into Defence after leaving but my experience made it quite easy to get into consulting. Going back to Defence gave me a renewed sense of purpose. I have no regrets about moving into Defence as a civilian.
I am now Head of Portfolio, Programme and Project Management at Eagle Eye Innovations Ltd, a rapidly growing provider of drone services into the military and commercial sectors. I manage the portfolio risk on behalf of the board, the various programmes the company has contracts for, project manage internal change initiatives, and directly manage the P3M team. We work in all delivery functions across the business and support commercial as well as operational activity.
Eagle Eye are a gold level signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, meaning we have a demonstrably significant level of commitment to assisting veterans and their families succeed in the work force.
With around 40 full time staff, we have nearly 600 years of combined military service, a considerable number of active reservists and an enviable track record of delivery for the UK MoD.
We are also the longest accredited recognised assessment entity (RAE) for remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) for the Civilian Aviation Authority (CAA)."
Q: Can you give me an overview of your experience transitioning from the military?
"I am almost a perfect example of what not to do on leaving the military! My only focus was on getting out and getting the military in the rear-view mirror: I was looking forward to a sweet six-month career break as me and my wife welcomed twins a month after my last day in uniform! The only thing I have done well that contributed to this transition was curate a network on LinkedIn from my time as a junior major and updated my profile!
I added EVERYONE I met at DE&S & Dstl, and everyone from every conference or joint planning meeting – this absolutely saved me. I used the green “open to work” banner and was quickly approached by a recruiter. I was invited to interview with a defence facing consultancy and landed the job."
Q: How was the job search itself?
"Finding things to apply for is easy. Search jobs and hundreds come up on LinkedIn. Deciding what to apply for is HARD. Endless lists of indecipherable, mandatory qualifications, no salaries on adverts.
There are 3 courses of action available. And as a veteran, you are free to pursue all three routes simultaneously.
Route 1: Referrals
Use your Network, friends, ex colleagues – EVERYONE. There is usually something in it for them too if you land the job.
Ask for feedback on your CV and if your CV makes sense to non-veteran colleagues.
Route 2: Recruiters
Speak to recruiters. Even if you have secured a job already, take the call. Pass on contacts that might be a better fit if its not for you. Be open to opportunities, and generous with your time. It’s a small world and it will pay itself back in ways you can’t predict. Stay in touch with the ones that get back to you.
Route 3: Apply directly
This is the hardest route. Straight through the electronic door applying to an advert. This process can be frustrating. Your CV can be at risk of being filtered out as it probably won’t have the right buzz words. If that happens, its no loss to you. A company searching that way for its most precious resource is unlikely going to value its people.
Q: That sounds like it was straight forward! What would you do differently or recommend to others in your position?
Don’t take my approach. I got very lucky! Here’s what I should have done…
Engage with resettlement resources on offer (Careers fairs, networking events, webinars! I felt like a mug when I realised how useful the CTP fairs were when I’d already landed a job!) and use your resettlement to gain qualifications (PMQ, APM, MSP, MOP, RMs courses). Freebies are much harder to come by outside of the military.
Write your CV and story in a way that a non-military reader will get. Leading a battle group through the Yakchal River Valley to interdict lethal aid networks might have been your finest hour and personal Waterloo: it almost certainly does not impress on paper the same way you hope it does in the pub. Try…led a team of 600 personnel over a period of six months with overall accountability for operational objectives, this might have more relevance. Focus on the business change you had to plan and lead, and its degree of success and lasting impact.
Maintain a membership of a professional body. This shows civilian employers a standard that they can level with. If you are a chartered engineer, manager, logistician, whatever, a hiring manager knows exactly what this means.
Shamelessly seek advice. Speak to people who are a year or two out as much as you can.
Prioritise your resettlement. You've given some (or many) years to the military. They want you to now use this time to transition to your next career. Don't feel guilty about putting your transition first.
Q: What is your advice around bringing military skills to the market?
There are skills that you will have as a veteran that you and employers might not immediately recognise as being so valuable, but you are likely to be at a considerable advantage to non-veteran competition. Take mission analysis and planning. The basic skills that underpin these processes, at whatever level translate so well into businesses it’s almost unreal. Using something as near comically simple as the three column format to conduct analysis of a proposal and distribute tasks: you’ve proven you can do it in a bush, at night without a torch, having not slept for three days. With the power of modern IT applications and working from an office where nearly everything actually works, you almost feel omniscient.
You have experienced “operational tempo” like few others. In the civilian sector this would likely be described as a “dangerously pressured work environment,” for you it was “Tuesday.”
You are almost certainly much more comfortable with something completely new compared to a non-veteran co-worker at your new employer. Embrace that. Presenting and briefing in front of large audiences on unfamiliar topics at short notice? You’ve done it hundreds of times. Making a plan for a month’s sprint based on one or two sentences of guidance from your boss? You did it every week for a three-year assignment. Delivering more output with less resource, week in, week out? Surely anyone remotely familiar with Defence knows that is an unofficial, core operating concept?"
Drew Campbell, UK & Ireland Talent Acquisition at Jacobs.
As a veteran who has gone through this process not once, but twice Drew shared his top tips for a navigating your exit. Drew is now leading recruitment for one of the UK’s biggest engineering consultancies and knows his stuff!
Drew said:
"Start networking early - Talk to other veterans, industry professionals, seek advice and attend events. Speak with industry leaders that can help translate military skills into value that businesses desire.
Develop a LI profile - Create a strong LI profile, add skills and ask for endorsements, make introductions and be interactive.
Comment on posts and share industry news. Your LI profile becomes a CV a lot of the time.
Attend events - Events are a great way to meet new people, understand the market, how your skills translate and even learn about what inspires you. Not all events are equal. I recommend SC Expo, DSEI, Insight days, Farnborough Air Show, Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.
Get a mentor! When deciding to leave the forces, a mentor can help provide perspective, map the market, translate your skillset and manage expectations.
Make the most of ELCAS & SC."
Drew is not only an advocate for veterans but also an amazing example of how well military skills can transfer into a new career.
"The military instils the ability to produce creative solutions in high pressure situations, a competency that is highly relevant in the business sector.
This new outlook enables the business to approach challenges from distinct angles, resulting in innovative solutions that can significantly influence outcomes.
Adaptability and problem solving are the basics of all service leavers that companies can benefit from."
The transferable skills of ex-military personnel are extremely valuable. The employment rate of UK service leavers has reached a record high of 89% six months after leaving service, according to data published in February 2024 by the Department of Defence Statistics Health within the Ministry of Defence.
If you are a veteran exploring new opportunities, or if you are hiring and considering hiring veterans then I hope this article gives you the confidence to go for it!
Get in touch for any support.
Emma Homann, Defence & Engineering Consultant