Shropshire recruitment firm pledges support for military veteran community

Jonathan Lee Recruitment has helped hundreds of ex-service personnel adjust to life after the military, through securing job roles, providing career advice and supporting with CVs.

After signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant and achieving the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme bronze award, the firm will be taking it to the next level this year by applying for the silver award.

Leading the troops will be Principal Consultant Peter Heap, who joined Jonathan Lee after his own 20-year career in the military.

As well as making sure all policies and processes are in place for the silver award, he is taking on his own personal challenge of climbing the 1,334ft Wrekin Hill in Shropshire 100 times this year to raise money for Telford Mind’s Veterans Café, which brings ex-forces personnel of all ages together twice a month where they can talk and access any support they might need. He can be sponsored at https://www.justgiving.com/page/pete-heap-1706479512958

Peter said: “The café is a fantastic service offered by Telford Mind, and as a veteran myself, it’s great to have a place where you can talk to someone who just knows and understands.

“As per Jonathan Lee Recruitment’s pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant, it’s important to give something back for the veterans and to support them and their families where possible.”

Peter’s experience has also been welcomed by job-seeking veterans because it’s given him a unique understanding of their relevant skills and capabilities, and how to communicate those with the right employer.

“It’s all about opening doors for veterans,” Peter said. “This means highlighting their skills and where to pitch them, career advice about the sort of roles to go for, tailoring CVs, educating candidates about different industries, motivations and terminology.”

Peter spent the first 15 years of his military career in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME), including operational deployments in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He then moved into a role within military recruitment based in Boston ACIO, Lincolnshire, where he found his niche. This military recruitment insight and his engineering background helped set Peter up perfectly for his current position at Jonathan Lee Recruitment.

Peter said: “The recruitment role was what we referred to as a ‘civvy job in uniform’, so it did help me with that transition to civilian life, but not everyone finds it that easy and some negative perceptions do still exist which can make it challenging for some. That’s why it’s so important to do everything we can to help veterans secure the opportunities and the jobs they deserve.”

Jonathan Lee Recruitment Associate Director, Matthew Heath, said: “There is a lot of growth in the defence sector at the moment across product development, engineering and manufacturing, whether for military vehicles, batteries for submarines, UAV technology, military jets and satellite communication systems, or cyber protection.

“We’re finding a lot of clients are looking for someone with that military background, but candidates from the services tend to see themselves as having a narrow field of expertise. That’s where it’s hugely beneficial having someone like Peter, who is the Forces Champion, on the team, because he can help candidates and clients see beyond what the CV tells us on paper.

“Someone might not have industry experience, but if you give them a chance, you’ll be getting all the positive attributes you look for in a team member. A big part of our success is in our selection process, and we’ll never recommend a candidate who we don’t think is right for a job, but we will encourage employers to consider someone they might not look at based on their CV alone.”