Re: The Civil-way
Not all jobs go to ex-miltary pilots! I know of two guys who came up the hard way with jobs in Bristol/Gloucester, and one is even a Chief Pilot. There's another in Cornwall flying a 109 and another on the North Sea flying S61 with around 600 hours. There are many others.
It may be true that military pilots have the emergencies right on the button, and that their training is a known quantity, but they are not necessarily commercially minded and need considerable orientation.
The best advice I can give is get to know people. Phone calls and sending resumes are almost completely ineffective. Nothing beats being civil and courteous with a smile on your face. I know one guy in Canaa who was always helping people file flight plans and clean helicopters - guess who got a job when a new company started?
Phil