Former British Army Captain launches recruitment firm for ex-Royal Signals

A former British Army Captain has launched an ITC recruitment company for ex-forces personnel after experiencing little help when he left the Royal Corps of Signals last year.

Chief executive and founder of Jobs In ICT, Peter Wilson, set up his ex-Royal Signals recruitment firm as a result of several frustrations he experienced after leaving the army.

“Resettlement can be a bad experience for many and recruitment consultants are the main issue. They do not understand what the Royal Signals do, the military jargon we use or operational experiences we possess – ultimately the recruiter therefore struggles to find suitable civilian jobs.”

“You have to have served with the Royal Signals to really understand and be able to add value. There was currently no one there to comprehend their skills and to help translate them....but now there is.."

During his eight years in the Royal Signals he served an operational tour to Afghanistan as Squadron 2IC and ICT project officer, underwent Arabic interpreter training, and spent a further two years with the Gurkhas in Nepal.

As a Squadron 2IC, a main element of the job focussed on the soliders’ careers:  “I helped soldiers plan their careers and offer advice on what courses to take. This involved discussions about which career path they wanted to pursue and which skills/qualifications were needed. There could be multiple routes available to the soldier, every job in each Regiment demanded a different skill set so it was incredibly complicated but essential to get right. Effectively, it was my job to fit the person to the job and ensure it was a solid match.”

Before joining the army he worked as a recruitment consultant at Monarch Recruitment, within the IT division.

With a degree in Computer Science and mathematics from Leeds University and training from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), Wilson was chosen for the Royal Signals for his technical background.

Wilson explained that after he left the army he received “ridiculous jobs” from recruitment companies that were unrelated to what he was trained for or wanted to do.

“Royal Signalmen have served and delivered ICT solutions in the most challenging of environments,” he said. “They will be an incredibly useful asset to any organisation.”

Recruitment consultants do not seem to be the only issue as Wilson explained inflexible HR departments can be just as frustrating for getting ex-military employed.

“Some HR departments are not very flexible on accepting candidates. They do not see that I’m bringing them a unique pool of people and will blindly follow their preferred supplier list. They are not willing to adapt.” he added.

Jobs in ICT also focus on a candidate’s interview skills in addition to perfecting CVs: “It’s not just the CV that’s the issue, but also the interview. Some leaving the military are so indoctrinated they do not know where to start. I ensure that they have the best fighting chance to find the right job first time.”