5 Reasons why ex-service men and women make great security guards
Deciding to leave the army is not an easy decision. For most service personnel, being part of the armed forces is so much more than just a job, it’s a way of life.
With the comradery, the varied work and sense of duty to the Queen and country, transitioning back to civilian life can be difficult for many service men and women. Sadly, according to the British Legion, working age veterans in the UK are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as their civilian counterparts. Despite these statistics, veterans have a lot of transferrable skills and unique training that could make them suitable for numerous positions, particularly in the security industry. To celebrate our armed forces and their contributions to society, we’re running down the top 5 reasons ex-service personnel make excellent employees, especially in private security, and why your business should consider hiring veterans.
Decisive leadership and initiative
Being in the armed forces, whether that’s the Army, RAF or Royal Navy, develops strong leadership qualities in service personnel. The armed forces focus on cultivating leadership and initiative in recruits, through training exercises, sports and adventure activities. Leadership opportunities arise early on in a military career, allowing even entry-level recruits to take on greater responsibility and learn to stand on their own two feet. This often means that ex-service personnel are excellent at using their own initiative and working independently when required.
Adaptability and can-do attitude
A career in the armed forces is like no other. Enlisting, not only changes the way you work, but also the way you live. This sort of change requires immense adaptability, as well as mental agility and strength. Recruits receive training in a wide variety of areas, which requires them to be tasked-orientated, driven and motivated throughout their military career– qualities that are highly valued by employers and make ex-service men and women highly motivated and hardworking employees.
Team working and people skills
As well as developing leadership qualities and managerial potential in recruits, the armed forces also instils team working capabilities and people skills. Service life is all about teamwork and comradery, whether that’s in training, active duty or socialising. The ability to work well in a team is an essential skill for all employees, something which ex-service personnel have in spades.
Instinctive service ethos
Whilst ex-service personnel have a variety of transferrable skills that make them excellent employees, an instinctive service ethos makes veterans ideally suited to a role in the security industry. Most recruits enlist in the armed forces to protect the country and the British public, with values of integrity and honesty characterising many positions. This makes ex-service personnel particularly suited to a career in the private security sector, which is orientated around protecting the public and private property from criminals.
Specialised skills
The armed forces provide a variety of specialist training opportunities and continuous professional development to recruits, including qualifications in engineering, electronics, IT, construction, catering, driving and logistics. This equips ex-service personnel with unique training and experiences that civilians do not have, making them stand out as candidates and potential employees.
Churchill Support Services’s very own heroes
At Churchill Support Services, we’re proud to say that we have ex-service personnel in our ranks. From on the ground security officers to managers and directors, we understand the value that ex-service men and women can bring to a company. We spoke to Churchill’s very own Ray, formerly of the Light Infantry, to ask him what he learned from his time in the military and how his experiences have followed him into civilian life.
Ray is Director of Corporate Accounts here at Churchill and has 27 years’ experience working in the security industry. After 12 years of military service, Ray returned to ‘civvy street’ and a career in the security industry where he started off as a security officer.
“I feel like a lot of aspects of army life are duplicated in the security industry. They both involve protecting people and tackling issues. I certainly feel that my career in the army gave me a good grounding in the security sector and as a security officer. From there, I could progress into several different areas and positions in the industry, both on the ground and on a management level.”
When asked about what abilities he developed in the armed forces that helped him in the security sector, Ray highlighted several crossovers between the security industry and armed forces.
“I think the main quality that’s needed in both the security and armed forces is integrity. The ability to make quick decisions is also something that’s cultivated in the armed forces which is vital for any front-line job, particularly as a security officer. Due to past training and experiences, ex-armed forces can perform well under pressure. In the army, the ability to make decisions quickly could literally save a life, so good judgement and quick decision making is really something that’s worked on during a military career.”
Are you an ex-service person struggling to find employment?
Check out these dedicated resources for British veterans.
This charity provides employment support for those who have served in the armed forces, including employment advice and guidance, to help veterans understand the local job markets and the challenges and opportunities faced by ex-service personnel.
An organisation that provides skills and employment support for ex-service personnel looking to join the building trade. They specialise in a 5-week intensive course in Foundation Property Maintenance, as well as employability skills such as CV writing and interview techniques.
The Poppy Factory specialises in providing employment support for wounded, injured and sick veterans, including grants for training, development and qualifications, arrangements of work placements, CV development and application and interview guidance.
A charity for Scottish veterans, Poppyscotland offers employment support through their programme Employ-Able, which is aimed at veterans who are struggling to adjust to civilian life due to mental health conditions.
Churchill Support Services is a leading cross-industry security company supplying professional and comprehensive security solutions to organisations seeking expert Security Guards, CCTV & Event Security, Key Holding & Alarm Response, Mobile Patrols and Thermal Imaging & People Flow.
To find out more about how Churchill Support Services can protect your business, contact us today.
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