Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant and Service Leavers 

At Mane, we’ve signed the Armed Forces Covenant, which means we offer service leavers a guaranteed interview for internal roles. We support those who want to be reservists, but we also work hard to secure roles for those who are leaving and want to work for our clients.  

Service leavers often have the skills our clients need, and we aim to ensure they are given every opportunity to succeed. 

What is the Armed Forces Covenant? 

The Armed Forces Covenant is a national pledge to support service members, service leavers, veterans, and their families by making sure they have fair access to government and commercial products and services, including education, housing, healthcare, and financial support–and, should they wish to, starting a new career. 

The Government, the Army, Navy and Air Force, businesses, charities, and community organisations all take part. If you’d like to know what you’re entitled to or how you can help, you can find out more at https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk. 

Why hire service leavers? 

In the current talent drought, finding the right people is more challenging than ever. Hiring someone whose only work experience is in the military may seem counterintuitive–but it’s actually sound business sense. In fact, 71% of businesses would consider hiring a veteran, according to research by Veterans Work. 

Industry experience can be acquired on the job, but the transferable skills service leavers bring from their time in the military are much rarer and more valuable. Serving in the military teaches rock-solid teamwork, planning, strategic thinking and creative problem-solving–not to mention a good sense of humour. 

In the current climate, if you’re struggling with skills gaps in your workforce, it’s more than worth reconsidering your preset hiring criteria and tapping into the enormous talent pool service leavers represent. It’s not an act of charity–it’s an investment.  

While they may need support during the transition to civilian life, veterans tend to be loyal, reliable team players with excellent communication skills and perform outstandingly under pressure, staying calm and confident when most employees would falter. Negotiating, leadership and people skills developed in the military transfer well into fields like sales and project management. 

In today’s rapidly changing world, a third of medium and large organisations are suffering skills shortages in the areas of problem-solving, change management, strategic management, people management and teamwork. Service leavers are exceptionally qualified to fill these gaps. 

New technologies like AI and robotics are opening up new opportunities for Britain–but to take full advantage, we need more people with the ability to adapt, to handle a fast-paced working environment, and to make smart decisions under pressure. People with resilience, grit, a can-do attitude, and sound critical thinking and reasoning skills.  

Working in the armed forces develops these skills. It also exposes people to different countries and cultures, something that’s increasingly valuable as business becomes more global. In short, there’s never been a better time to hire service leavers. 

If we’ve whetted your appetite for working with these talented people, contact us today for a no-strings chat about what the process involves and how we can ensure it all goes smoothly. 

And if you are a service leaver looking for a new career, please do get in touch to find out all the ways we can support you in making a successful transition.