Dear Service Leaver,

Firstly I would like to thank you for your time served, a great achievement that will stay with you forever. But this letter isn’t about what you’ve done, it’s about what you can do!

This letter is going to give you some keys points, points that will help you in your journey to the world of meaningful employment. You’ll know all the basics, basics that will help that journey on its way, now lets see how we can give you a little more fire power.

1. PURPOSE – what do you want to do and why is it important?

Figuring this out as early as possible is key to a successful transition. Example – if your passion in life is to ‘teach children how to surf’, then ask yourself how great your life would be if thats what you did everyday (and got paid).

What is my purpose – to teach children how to surf

Why is it important – this will enable me to positively impact children from all walks of life. They will experience nature at its best, exercise in a fun/safe way, build self confidence and help them develop a different skill set.

Having your purpose can only lead to great things!

2. PITCH – You need to be able to articulate who you are, what you are doing and where you are going. Basically you’re presenting yourself to the wider world.

We pitch to people continuously, whether you’re in a job interview, at a restaurant with friends or talking to a new client. Practice speaking and talking positively about what you’re all about, you will connect much easier and more effectively!

(Now don’t take 20 minutes! This pitch is around 30 seconds long and should include…)

• Your name and your position (Hi I’m David Smith and I’m the head chef at ABC catering)
• What industry you are in (keep this simple)
• Your speciality, what makes you interesting (i.e. I’m the only chef in the company that has created amazing food in a war zone)
• What you’re doing right now
• The big picture – where do you want to be, what do you want to be doing!

This is a rough guide and we will talk about this in more depth another time.

3. VALUES – You come from a background with amazing values & standards, so don’t drop these now you’ve entered civilian life. Seek out the employers/people who believe what you believe. Don’t just settle for the old style of employment. We have over 1500 companies and organisations right across the country who have pledged fairness and support by signing the Armed Forces Covenant, investigate those companies and see how they do business.

4. PRACTICAL ADVICE – Employment – Please, please, please don’t just send a company a CV. To shine through at a very basic level spend 5 minutes researching the organisation then write a brief cover letter, this will do along way! Also, don’t be scared or insulted to start at the bottom, your skills, attributes and values will shine through very quickly!

5. PRACTICAL ADVICE – Self employment – Understand your purpose and vision as early as possible! Talk about it, write about it, entwine it into every aspect of your company (small companies can almost do this better than large organisations). You are the decision maker, you decide how you run your business.

One final thought, our military community is large. Not just military veterans & reservists but those that support and trust us. Our country know what you can do, so its time to go do it.

Remember – create connections, impact others, have fun and good luck.

Michael