Knowledge Hub

The One That Got Away: Why Margins Matter in Engineering Recruitment I wasn’t planning on watching much of the Winter Olympics. Like many people, I caught a few highlights and then somehow found myself completely drawn in. What struck me most wasn’t just the athleticism or the spectacle. It was the margins. In the Women’s Downhill Skiing, the difference between…

In the military, accountability is built into everything. You’re accountable to your commanding officer, your team, your unit, even your kit. Someone’s always checking. And you’re always reporting. But as you approach the end of your Armed Forces career and begin that all-important transition to civvy street, things start to feel different. You enter the job search phase and suddenly…

As 2025 draws to a close, the Demob Job team wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year and say thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey. Throughout 2025, we’ve had the privilege of supporting ex-military personnel as they transitioned from the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force into civilian employment. For…

Great recruitment is a collaboration. When both the recruiter and the employer communicate openly, work transparently, and share the same goal, the result is almost always a smoother hiring process and a stronger outcome. Recently, Joanne Foster experienced exactly that, a textbook example of how effective recruitment should work. It left a lasting impression on both sides. Clear Communication Makes…

From 300 Job Applications to the Perfect Role: Lee’s Story Transitioning from a military career into the civilian world isn’t always straightforward. For many, the job search can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and discouraging, even for highly skilled engineers, managers, and technical professionals. This was certainly the case for Lee, a former Royal Signals engineer who spent three months applying for…

The Five-Minute Test That Predicts Job Search Success Over the years, I’ve spoken to thousands of people leaving the Armed Forces. And here’s something I’ve learned — within the first five minutes of our conversation, I can usually tell how successful their job search will be. ❌ It’s not about luck. ❌ It’s not about qualifications. ❌ And it’s certainly…

The dreaded words no professional recruitment consultant wants to hear: “Just send me CVs.” You’d be amazed how often this happens. Companies reach out and expect us to find them their ideal engineer with little more than a job title, a salary bracket, and a short job description. It happened again this week. “I’m too busy, just send me CVs.”…

Busting the Myths: The Truth About Employing Ex-Military Personnel Despite the skills shortage across many UK industries, some employers still hesitate when it comes to hiring ex-military personnel. Often, this reluctance is based not on reality, but on outdated or inaccurate perceptions. At Demob Job, we work every day with highly skilled individuals leaving the Armed Forces, people who are…

The Day I Got Brown Enveloped: Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity I was sat in my office, in uniform, when there was a knock at the door. One of my team was coming onto shift. But something wasn’t right. He looked shaken. He had been “brown enveloped.” If you know, you know. It’s an old military term, used when someone receives…

Transitioning from the military into civilian employment can feel overwhelming.One minute you're leaving a structured career with clear targets.The next, you're facing a civilian job market that can seem chaotic and hard to navigate. But what if the skills you already have, skills drilled into you during your service, could be the key to unlocking a smoother, more successful job…

Ever tried to force a square peg into a round hole? It doesn’t work, no matter how hard you try. In recruitment, that square peg represents a candidate who isn’t right for a role. The round hole? A vacancy demands a certain type of person, skillset, or mindset. Trying to force the two together is painful for everyone involved: the…

Written by Adrian Cheesman Recently, as I was driving through Catterick Garrison on my way to Leyburn, I noticed the familiar sight of red range flags being raised Instantly, it took me back to my Army days all those years ago. One of my distant memories of those range days was how much the group’s overall shooting improved when the…