Member News
Sim Hall is the ex-Army managing director of a specialist recruitment firm and is highlighting the significant skills former members of the Army, Navy or Royal Air Force have to offer in civilian life.
He is offering support to anyone who has served and is looking to progress their civilian career or take their first steps onto civvy street, so that they can go from deployment to employment.
Sim Hall, the founder of Populus Select, a global recruitment firm based in Tees Valley, believes that many former members of the armed forces don’t appreciate the value of their abilities and experience in the current jobs market – and he wants to help change that
He said: “We actively search out former services candidates for lots of the roles we are looking to fill, especially in engineering. The issue we find is many people don’t know how to properly sell their experience in a way non-military people understand. But because I’ve worked on both sides, and I can help them with that.
“I’ve had some employers tell me it’s like I am acting as a translator helping them understand the significance of what a candidate is telling them about their military career.
“People who have served can be very desirable from an employer perspective. They are reliable, cool under pressure, work well independently or as part of a larger team, and have lots of specialist skills thanks to their training.”
Populus which supports The Forces Employment Charity jobs board and a member of the British Legion – are offering assistance to anyone who served to update their CV, coach them on interview techniques and, if possible, put them forward to clients who are recruiting for relevant roles.
Thanks to Populus’ involvement with The Forces Employment Charity, they can also connect service leavers with training opportunities and other help and advice.
Sim added: “There were a record 1.7 million total active job adverts at the beginning of June, so there is clearly very high demand. And that’s in almost every town and city across the UK, and is reflected globally, and for almost every type of role. It’s a great time to be looking for a new start or to take that next step.”
Sim left Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers after eight years of maintaining armour and other vehicles across Europe, before finishing his career at Catterick Garrison. He went on to work in various engineering and management roles before setting up Populus Select, which focuses in placing highly skilled and experienced professionals in bio-tech, life sciences, specialist engineering and manufacturing roles, in 2007.
Those who would like to speak to Populus can email hello@populusselect.com or call 01325 488518
