This Remembrance Week let us encourage all employers to champion our veterans

The new Office for Veterans’ Affairs can be an ideal vehicle to communicate the benefits of employing ex-forces personnel, but it requires strong cross-party support, argues Lee Holloway, Chief Executive of the Officers’ Association. This week we will take time to reflect 0upon the ultimate sacrifice that men and women have made in the conflicts […]

14th November 2019

Quilter’s launches trainee programme for Service Leavers

Lauren Ashworth, Recruitment Manager with Quilter Financial Advisers School, met Service leavers at the launch of Quilter’s fast-track financial advisers programme. Sitting around the table with 5 military personnel, looking for their next career move, I was struck by their nervousness around this next phase of their careers. I mean, to me, these individuals had […]

22nd August 2019

Careers Insights: The hidden power of networking

Whether you are seeking a transition into your ideal civilian role, or are already in a job trying to expand your business, face-to-face networking can be your secret weapon – but you need to do it effectively. It may be tempting to think that you can just turn up to a networking event, chat to […]

19th August 2019

OA Supports Military Careers Access Day in Newcastle

The Officers’ Association (OA) is calling on local businesses and Service leavers across the North of England to attend an event promoting the benefits of hiring ex-military personnel. The third HM Forces Careers Access Event will take place on Thursday 20th June at Virgin Money in Gosforth, Newcastle and will be opened at 11am by […]

20th June 2019

Officers Explore Self-Employment in New Workshop

The first Self-Employment Discovery Workshop, designed for former Armed Forces officers and their spouses, has been met with positive feedback from attendees. The workshop was delivered by X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) in partnership with the OA. The one-day events help attendees kick-start their business ideas and discover if working for yourself is a viable career move. […]

15th May 2019

How Veterans Can Become Consultants

Rob Whittle, founder of the niche management consultancy JPTS ltd and an Infantry Officer, shares his thoughts. Consultancy in its purest form is helping a person or organisation with solving a problem. If you like learning quickly, working with different people, taking the lead and implementing change, then you should consider becoming a consultant. I […]

14th May 2019

Identify Your Key Transferable Skills

Attend the Officers’ Careers Briefing in York on Tuesday 21st May. This information packed half-day event is for serving and former officers looking to develop their post-military careers. The Officers’ Careers Briefing will include formal presentations, popular career focused breakout sessions as well as a lively panel discussion. Breakout sessions will address four common career […]

8th May 2019

North East Firm TSG Marine Honoured for Work Recruiting Veterans

TSG Marine has won the 2019 Officers’ Association (OA) Employer Recognition Award, in recognition of its commitment to providing veterans with innovative and sustainable job opportunities in the North East of England. The OA is the only Tri-Service military charity dedicated to helping the officer corps transition into civilian life. It awards the OA Employer […]

10th May 2019

Apply for the AlixPartners Insight Evening for Veterans

The global consulting firm is hosting an insight evening  on Thursday 9th May in London, for serving and former military personnel interested in developing a career in consultancy. You will learn more about working life at AlixPartners, and hear from speakers in a range of departments. There will be a Q&A panel, which is your […]

17th April 2019

What is the commercial value of being creative?

Increasingly businesses want creative thinkers but what does this mean for former officers? June MacMahon, Principal of Forces Media Academy (FMA), shares her insight on this topic. You may not consider yourself creative, but in reality many Service leavers are perfect for roles in Media. FMA started in 2017, offering veterans an intensive full-time course […]

16th April 2019

Supporting the Next Generation of Veteran Entrepreneurs

The OA and X-Forces Enterprise (XFE) are to launch a series of self-discovery workshops for officers and their spouses keen to launch their own business ideas. The one day workshops will help attendee’s kick-start their business ideas and discover if working for yourself is the right next career move. As well as giving an insight […]

27th March 2019

Over 5,400 Officers Helped By OA Employment Services in the Last Year

We have increased our support to serving and former officers developing their post-military careers, as highlighted in our latest Impact Report. The OA Employment Team provided 1,125 one-to-one career consultations and CV reviews. In addition, over 1,100 jobs were posted onto the OA Executive Jobs Board. Gemma Jones is one officer the OA supported, who […]

19th March 2019

How is work changing and how do you prepare for this?

Will Hogg is a former Army officer and founder of Kinetic Consulting, which helps businesses to improve performance. He shares his views on how to adapt as the world of work evolves. The employment landscape, like the rest of the world, is becoming increasingly VUCA: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Your civilian career is likely […]

14th March 2019

New Bristol Office Opens

The OA has moved its South West office to increase support for the local officer community. The new premises are larger, reflecting the newly expanded team. This will make it easier to run one-to-one career consultations, where serving and former officers can get independent tailored advice, and run employment events, such as workshops and training […]

28th February 2019

The Six Steps for a Successful Elevator Pitch

Aaron Gracey is a former Royal Artillery officer, and is now System Operator Policy Advisor at Network Rail. He shares his insights on what you should say to a new contact. An effective elevator pitch is a clear, concise direct message, which outlines why you could be an excellent employee to new contacts. Like everything […]

19th February 2019

Officers’ Association Supports New Non-Executive Development Programme for Senior Service Leavers

OnBoarding Officers is an accelerated non-executive training programme established to help transitioning and former officers hone their military leadership skills in readiness for Non- Executive roles in UK organisations. Participants will be provided with a critical insight into the commercial world, whether their aspirations are to take a Non-Executive Director (NED) role immediately, or at […]

4th February 2019

Could The KPMG Military Leavers Programme Be Right For You?

This Big Four accounting firm wants transitioning officers to apply. KPMG is committed to supporting the Armed Forces community and its Military Leavers Programme offers an opportunity for veterans to make an immediate impact in a business environment. In addition to its core function of auditing some of the largest companies in the country, KPMG […]

25th January 2019

How To Find A Job That’s Worth Getting Up For On A Cold Winter Morning

John Lees is a leading career strategist and author of How to Get a Job You Love. He shares six steps to help you find the right job. Work absorbs a great deal of your best energy and attention, and takes out a large chunk of your working life – so choosing what you do […]

23rd January 2019

You Have the Leadership Skills Business Needs

Joff Sharpe, a former Army officer and Chief Operating Officer at British Land, shares his thoughts on how former officers bring value to civilian organisations. Service personnel typically have leadership qualities that are in short supply in the commercial world. Commissioned officers, in particular, go through a year or more of structured leadership training before […]

18th January 2019

What Does Your Ideal Job Look Like?

John Lees, a leading career strategist and author of several career advice books, including ‘How To Get A Job You Love’, shares his career top tips. You need to identify what your ideal job looks like, and the steps required to achieve this. For example, what skills do you want to use, and do you […]

16th January 2019