Stubbington submariner pens book to help veterans bag a job on civvy street

Michael Sykes, of Titchfield Road, Stubbington, spent years 23 years in the Royal Navy, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander before retiring in 1987 to pursue ‘a second career’ in his thirties.

He landed a job as a director in the health sector before starting his own business and later becoming the chairman of anti-piracy firm, Neptune Maritime Security.

During his time with Neptune, the dad-of-three sat on a number of job interviews for ex-forces personnel looking for work and noticed not all were able to sell themselves to potential employers.

Now he hopes his new book Leaving The Armed Forces And Getting A Job will be a one-stop-page-turner to help veterans clinch that first civilian job.

The 203-page book has tips on CV-writing and preparing for interviews as well as getting the right attitude and sorting out pensions.

Former nuclear submarine officer Mr Sykes, 70, said: ‘It was frustrating at times to be interviewing these service personnel and to see them not knowing how to sell themselves.

‘I often thought: “God these guys have done an incredible job but they should be given more help to find work, not just a pension and a pat on the back but real practical help to find a second career”.

‘This book is really meant to be a working tool that veterans can dip into.’

At the start of 2018, Britain’s civilian unemployment rate was 4.1 per cent while a Ministry of Defence report recorded a nine per cent unemployment rate among service leavers.

Mr Sykes’ book is available for pre-order on Amazon at £9.99 per copy. It will be released on January 30.