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JobOppO Chat
There has been a lot happening over the last 3 months as JobOppO continues to grow, be recognised and nudge others offering, or suggesting they offer, similar support to ourselves.
Dom O’Sullivan, RAF veteran and host of the NAAFI Break Podcast has begun recording and releasing our collaborative podcast series and has joined the JobOppO team as our new Community Manager – more of that below. It’s great to have Dom (or the Podfather as we like to call him!) on board and he will be a great addition to the team.
We continue to strive to change the narrative around veteran employment and feel it’s time we started talking about our veteran community in a far more positive light – it’s about being valuable, not vulnerable. If you are with us on this, we ask that you please #TellYourOppO to allow us to engage more widely and effectively. Our social media channels are busy and we’ll soon be releasing a JobOppO App for Apple and Android which will give members of JobOppO’s Veterans’ Employment Community an agenda and algorithm-free platform to help themselves and each other. If you’re interested in helping us test the JobOppO Community App, please let us know and we’ll invite you along to try it out and give us your thoughts.
We are excited about the speed and direction JobOppO is headed and over the coming months we will focus more of our Education, Insight and Opportunities on 12 sectors – sectors we feel are the most attractive and receptive to veterans and service leavers. The sectors we are concentrating on are:
Engagement
We kicked off our exciting podcast collaboration with Dom in September.
“A Naafi Break with JobOppO” is a 12-part series running from September – February that will shine a light on the sectors mentioned above. Each pod will feature a blend of guests including employers, trade bodies, ex-military focused support organisations, veterans, and those on their way out of the Forces. The series is exclusively available to registered members of the JobOppO Community and episodes are available via the dashboard.
In line with our sector approach, we have partnered with a Facilities Management event company and will host a live event, at the Churchill War Rooms on the 28th October. The purpose of this get-together is to introduce several employers to a room full of veterans and service leavers and let them bring the audience up to speed about the diverse careers and opportunities available in the FM sector. While we are doing that, we also aim to dispel some myths about military experience and attitudes.
If you can...
Development
As mentioned in the last newsletter, our 6-part Employability Skills Development Series can be accessed via the dashboard. It will answer many questions you may have about the skills you may not realise you possess and will also provide some handy pointers when it comes to CVs, interviews and networking etc… Don’t just take it from us;
“I watched the short animated video and read the documents the night before I had an interview for a job I really wanted.
It was my first interview for years and Johnny’s journey really helped me get ready – and steady my nerves.
Thanks Garrath and the team at JobOppO. I got the job! ”
David, Army Veteran
We recognise some people may be apprehensive about sharing info with us during the registration process and others are not too sure how to navigate the site when they’re in, so we have created this short video that will help… and also explain a little more about our “why”.
Have a look – and please share.
We have mentioned the JobOppO app – coming soon! You will find it now on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store but we’re not quite ready to open it up yet as we’re still building it.
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Effectively we will create a community-based platform to bottle the veteran-to-veteran support we see and hear so much of on other, more commercial, platforms. It will be all about employability and employment and somewhere people can come, listen, read, share and watch, and when they are ready, give a leg up to those behind them. While this free, simple and helpful app will be driven by Dom (Community Manager) and Garrath (Director of Veteran Engagement) the power will come from its members and their willingness to engage.
We know that new jobs and career changes are at the centre of what we offer and we are pleased to say many new employers, committed to recruiting veterans and service leavers, have joined us over the last few months, including;
- Domino's
- Dovecote Park
- Farrals Group
- Finsbury Food Group
- Palletways
- Scottish Sea Farms
- Stagecoach
Our OppOs
Our strategic partners Heropreneurs continue to punch above their weight and provide excellent support to the military community and we are very pleased to sponsor the 2021 Employers of the Year Awards – winners to be announced soon!
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Our NATO OppOs at JFC Naples has taken part in a 30km challenge in aid of the OppO Foundation and now they are challenging YOU to complete their 30 km virtual challenge!
And Finally
On the back of so many former Afghan Interpreters and LECs arriving at short notice, with next to nothing we quickly pulled together our AfghanOppOs programme to provide Employability and Employment advice to those who served alongside us, and moved rapidly to the UK under the Government’s ARAP Programme. We are working with the Sulha Alliance as well as Ems4Afghans and select national employers who are leaning in and showing an understanding of the challenges they face.
If you would like to offer some support to any of our AfghanOppOs, in any way you can, from offering them training, buying them a coffee, showing them around your/their town – or just listening to their story, please contact us and we can put you in touch.
Lastly
JobOppO is a new beast. We are trying to do things our own way and for the right reasons. We are a small team, some of have struggled to find the right employer/employment since hanging up our boots, and we have a sincere want to support others. That said, we wont get everything right, so if you have any thoughts, suggestions or comments please get in touch via email or our social channels.
We have thick skin. Well most of us