Lesson 1: Being clear beats being speedy in resettlement

If you're somewhere in resettlement right now, chances are you've started to feel that clock ticking. 

Tx date on the horizon. All the courses booked. Scrolling Indeed and LinkedIn for jobs. Friends and family asking, "So what are you going to do next?"

Eventually you end up thinking, "I just need to get something sorted."

So you start applying to jobs. 

Anything that sounds familiar. Anything with a decent salary. Anything that feels "safe" or close to what you've done before.

The risk of this approach is: rushing through your resettlement leads to poor decisions. Poor decisions = the wrong role. 

What rushing actually does

When you move too fast, a few predictable patterns show up.

You:

• Default to the most obvious job title

• Apply for roles that just look similar to your past posting

• Focus on salary or location, rather than long-term fit

• Accept the first offer because it feels like relief.

And for a moment, that works. You've got a job. The pressure's off. You can finally tell people what you're doing next.

But 6 months down the line, cracks start to show and things start to feel off.

You're in a role that:

• Doesn't use your strength

• Doesn't fit your lifestyle

• Doesn't challenge you in the right way

• Doesn't feel like you

So when you come to the end of your 6 month probation period, you're already thinking about your next move.

Not because you've failed. Not because you're incapable.

Because the decision was rushed, not designed.

Something I see all the time

A Service Leaver comes to me and says something like:

"I've applied to about 15 roles, but nothing is landing."

Or:

"I don't really know what i should be aiming for yet."

So instead of jumping into even more CV tweaks, we slow everything down.

We step back from job titles.

We ignore the opinions on LinkedIn.

We stop comparing their path to everyone else's. 

And we start with one simple question:

What actually matters to you in your next chapter?

Not what sounds impressive. Not what your mate's doing. Not what you feel you should be doing.

What actually matters. 

In almost every case, the direction changes. Sometimes slightly. Sometimes completely.

And once that's clear, everything else starts to make more sense:

• The right roles become obvious

• The wrong ones become easy to rule out

• CV gets sharper

• Interviews feel more natural and aligned

• Confidence increases

Why this is important

Your first civvie job does more than just pay the bills. 

It shapes:

• Your confidence in the civilian world

• Your professional identity

• Your salary trajectory

• The network you build

• The opportunities that come your way

So that rushed decision doesn't just affect the next 6 months.

It can quietly shape the next 5-10 years of your career.

Rush into taking the wrong role - spend years trying to reposition yourself.

Slowing it down at the start isn't a delay.

It's a strategy.

The Core Lesson

Resettlement isn't just another posting.

Nor a promotion. Nor a new unit. Nor just a change of location.

It's a complete shift in:

• Environment

• Language

• Expectations

• Identity

So it deserves much more than a rushed, reactive decision.

Clear first. Speed second.

One simple action for this week

Take a few minutes to write down:

The three things your first job after service absolutely must give you.

Not nice-to-haves. Not "would be good."

It could be:

• Location stability

• Supportive leadership

• Time with family

• A sense of purpose

• Financial security

• A clear progression path

• Less operational chaos

• More strategic influence

Only three.

If you can't answer that yet, it's a sign you may be moving too fast.

Which is where most resettlement mistakes begin.

This is the kind of work I do with clients every week.

Slowing things down, getting clear, helping them make decisions they won't regret 6 months later.

You Only Resettle Once. And decision quality matters.

If you're feeling pressured to rush decisions right now, that's exactly the kind of situation I help Service Leavers navigate inside my 1:1 programmes.