Forces Recruitment Services Ltd was the first commercial Recruitment Consultancy set up to place ex-military candidates across the board. It was set up by former Army Musician Graham Brown in 2001 and has now grown into a franchise operation supporting 11 offices across the UK and expanding; the company has also recently been nominated by Recruiter magazine as Best Small Recruiter 2010 from thousands of agencies. If you are interested in making money for yourself, helping place ex-servicemen and women into work and running your own diary, contact Graham Brown on 01353 645004 or graham@forcesrecruitment.co.uk. This is a case study featuring ex Squadron Leader Nick Lyons, a recent addition to our military network.

I served for 19 years with the Royal Air Force gaining the rank of squadron leader. The majority of my time was spent in the Infrastructure specialism responsible for new construction and maintenance within the military estate. The highlights of my time within the RAF were the majority of the overseas opportunities as well as the camaraderie that you encounter wherever you may be.

Not immediately; however, I wanted to capitalise on my background and experience within the built environment. To this end, I did my research and made approaches to both recruitment consultants and employers alike. One of the essential elements of this job search was getting my CV right. Whilst I was keen to ensure that my CV reflected all my service experience it was essential that this was presented in a manner such that non military recruiters/employers would appreciate. I produced several variants of my CV dependant on the job on offer and had these CVs checked by friends, families and recruiters before I had the finished articles.

I may be pretty unique but I left the RAF on a Friday and started my new career on the Monday. I attended a CTP workshop but required little else when I left. That said, I intend to use the Enhanced Learning Credits available to me in the near future.

I would always reinforce the military maxim regarding the 6 Ps – Prior Preparation Prevents, well you know the rest!

I was at that stage in my second career where I was performing well but earning a lot of money for somebody else. I decided, at that stage, I wanted to pursue my own business concern. I had been involved in recruitment in both the military and commercial sector and recognised the potential to initiate a profitable business. I had considered buying an established agency when I was approached, fortuitously, by Graham Brown and introduced to the FRS concept. Rather than start from scratch, the FRS model gave me the reassurance of the support and mentoring I would receive as part of a professional franchise organisation. Moreover, FRS is a recognised and respected brand in the marketplace which certainly helps when establishing credibility with new clients.

Furthermore, having served for 19 years you really do know your product and the qualities that ex-service personnel can bring to the commercial workplace.

To find out more about a recruitment franchise with FRS contact Graham Brown on 01353 645004 graham@forcesrecruitment.co.uk or visit www.forcesrecruitment.co.uk/franchise.html.