An ex-headhunter, who has set up a charity to help injured service personnel into work, is inviting recruiters to use their professional expertise to help.

Nicholas Harrison, who previously worked for niche defence sector headhunter Benchmark Search, set up the charity Soldier On three years ago.

Harrison told Recruiter that while working for another services charity in his spare time, he saw at first hand the problems associated with people leaving the services, such as homelessness and family breakdown. “I came to the firm belief that a rewarding career could be the best way of avoiding all those social problems,” he said.

Recruiters could play a vital role in helping injured service personnel into meaningful careers, said Harrison. “They have warm relationships at senior levels directly with employers. And from a candidate perspective, they have got industry experience and knowledge,” he said.

Speaking at a Recruitment Society event last week, Harrison said he would like to build up a pool of recruiters across different sectors, who were willing to offer their advice and support.

The charity has already helped hundreds of ex-services personnel, with support and advice in CV writing and interviewing skills, for example, said Harrison.

It has also placed ex-forces members into work, including Staff Sergeant Spencer Whiteley, a contracts manager for Thames Water, and Corporal Stuart Parker, a manager at the London Olympics, both of whom were seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively.

• Soldier On has been chosen as the official charity at this year’s Recruiter Awards for Excellence, supported by Innovate CV. During the event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, on 11 May, there will be a charity collection and a prize draw. www.soldieron.org.uk