Moving to "Civi" Street

Smiths Detection are proud of their Armed Forces friendly approach to recruitment and life as a Smiths Detection Employee. We are here to support your transition to ‘civi-street’.

Having been in the Army for 16 years, it was a massive personal and work/life change when I decided to have a more balanced life and end my military service. Although I was fairly confident that I would settle into the personal aspect fairly easily, it was the thought of starting a new career which gave me a level of anxiety.

Having spent my entire adult life immersed in an all engulfing, intense, regimental, life altering job, the unknown factor of how these “civvies” worked gave me so many questions which I didn’t have the answer to. Would I fit in? What would I talk to them about? However, from the minute I had my first phone interview with Smiths Detection, I knew immediately that they had a mentality which was so closely aligned to the environment I had operated in for so long.

The Service Manager himself was ex forces, which put me at ease instantly. As the interview progressed, I learnt that more and more of my former Comrades in Arms are inside the organisation. It seemed a no brainer to accept the job offer. What I thought might be an experience where a company could try to take my military mindset away, Smiths Detection actually embraced all of the skills and ethics I had and have continued to support me in enhancing these elements of my working life and personal approach.

They have supported me throughout my personal development, allowing me to upgrade the leadership and mentoring qualifications I gained, and giving me a platform to grow personally and professionally. Smiths see more than just the individual, they see the work ethic, organisational skills and proactive attitude service leavers have, and use them to the benefit of the whole company.

There are so many Smiths Detection employees who have such a varied military background, all 3 of the Services, and the way we have this huge experience in common brings the team together in a way I would never have expected.

Smiths Detection as a company allow these new friendships and work relationships to flourish, and actively promote inclusivity for all veterans. They have an active Veterans network which hold events, talks and a safe space to discuss anything from personal struggles to funny ‘dits’ (if you know, you know).