One of the toughest aspects of recruiting is finding out your “ideal candidate” did not pass his/her pre-employment background check or substance abuse screen. Don’t you wish there was a pool of skilled people you could choose from where you could feel highly confident the candidates will pass those screens? There is – the military!

All military recruits undergo thorough background checks before being allowed to serve, including finger print checks, and may include criminal record checks, and a financial credit check.

Military members whose jobs require a security clearance undergo multiple investigative processes to obtain and maintain that clearance. Full re-investigations are required every 5-10 years (depending on the type of clearance) for as long as they serve in the military. A security clearance background investigation includes:

• A National Agency Check, during which investigators review records held by federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Office of Personnel Management.
• A Local Agency Check, which calls in criminal history records held by local law enforcement agencies such as police departments and sheriffs with jurisdiction over the areas where the service member has lived, gone to school or worked.
• Financial checks.
• Field interviews of people who know the veteran, including co-workers, employers, friends, educators and neighbors. The service member provides a list of contacts, though the investigator may (and often does) talk with others beyond the names submitted.
• Checks of records held by employers, courts and rental offices.
• A personal interview with the service member.

Not every job in the military requires a security clearance, so not all who have served will have undergone the above mentioned investigation.

Frequent and random drug testing is a fact of life in the military. Active duty members must undergo a urinalysis at least once a year. Members of the Guard and Reserves must be tested at least once every two years. The reality is that most will be tested more frequently than those minimums due to the many options military commanders have for legally justifying that a test be done. Department of Defense labs test over 60,000 urine samples every month. Annually, anywhere from .04% to 2% (based on FY 2001 statistics; the range varies by Service and by Component) of all service members will test positive for drug use, and, as drug use is considered incompatible with military service, those members will be discharged from the service with something other than an honorable discharge.

Posted by Lisa Rosser, Author of and Speaker/Workshop Leader on The Value Of a Veteran(TM): The Guide for Human Resource Professionals to Regarding, Recruiting, and Retaining Military Veterans

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Filed under: Recruit, Regard

Did you know that service members separating from active military duty (due to retirement or end of their contracted service commitment) receive a one-time, government paid relocation to any where in the U.S? This means you can interview a service member at a military job fair in San Diego, California and offer him a position based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The government is going to pay to move him (and his family) to Pittsburgh. It is the very definition of a “Win-Win”: Your company gets skilled labor in a location where it’s needed and saves on relocation costs, and the service member gets a civilian job and a free move on Uncle Sam.

The veteran has up to one year from the date of separation to take advantage of this benefit. So, I encourage my clients to search for military members with the right skill sets where ever they may be and then ask them if they would be willing to utilize their final move benefit to relocate to where the job is.  Roughly half of the over 225,000 veterans separating from military service each year are coming off of active duty tours, so that is a tremendous source of talent that can be relocated and utilized anywhere in the US.

Author, blogger, speaker, and guru of online marketing strategy David Dalka quoted me and this military relocation idea in his recent ERE.net article entitled How To Hire True Diversity and Get Beyond Hiring Only Local Candidates. In the article he offers five unique ideas for recruiters to find the talent they need without artificially limiting themselves to local candidates.

Do you want to know another veteran hiring secret? Some really fantastic military talent is “hiding” overseas. We have active duty service members stationed in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa, and a good percentage of them are within one year of separating from the military and are planning their transition from active duty AT THIS VERY MINUTE. They would love to hear about your company and how their skills could be a great fit. This overseas-stationed sub-population within the military gets ignored, mostly because companies and recruiters either haven’t figured out (1) they exist, and/or (2) how to reach them. And, now that you know Uncle Sam will foot the bill for relocation back to the good ole U-S-of-A, there really is no excuse not to pitch your positions to this group.

If you want additional ideas on how to build your company brand with the military job hunter, I encourage you to sign up for my web seminar “Marketing to Attract the Military Applicant”.

Posted by Lisa Rosser, Author of and Speaker/Workshop Leader on The Value Of a Veteran(TM): The Guide for Human Resource Professionals to Regarding, Recruiting, and Retaining Military Veterans

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Filed under: Consulting Services, Recruit, Regard

In my military hiring webinar “Marketing to Attract the Military Applicant“, I spend a portion of the seminar talking about building brand awareness in the military community. In simple terms, developing company brand awareness means creating an environment where the customer (in this case, the military community):

• Recognizes your existence

• Can convey in simple terms what your company does or what product(s) it offers

This sounds simple enough. However, the reality is - unless your company:

• Sells/makes popular consumer products/services

• Manufactures military weapons systems or equipment

• Or, has large contracts with the military…

…chances are – your company is one big mystery to the typical military service member.

So…how can you create brand awareness in the military community so that transitioning service members think of your company when they begin exploring their next career? One great way is by volunteering with Veteran Service Organizations (VSO’s) (www1.va.gov/vso/) or other non-profit organizations that support the military.

One of my clients engaged its veteran-employees as volunteers for two unique efforts this year. The first activity was with Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) (www.taps.org). When a military family loses a service member through war, illness, accident or suicide, TAPS offers peer support and assists survivors though a wide variety of programs, including some specifically designed to meet the needs of military children left behind. My client organized a volunteer group of about 50 employees, many veterans themselves, and assisted with preparation of remembrance cards. These are cards that are sent to surviving family members on the anniversary of the military member’s death. Each card is hand signed and usually contains a hand written expression of gratitude for the veteran’s service and acknowledgement of the family’s loss.

The second activity had the company sponsoring an Oktoberfest event at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This was done in partnership with the Yellow Ribbon Fund (www.yellowribbonfund.org). The Yellow Ribbon Fund supports the needs of injured service members and their families while the veteran recuperates at Walter Reed or at Bethesda Naval Medical Center (NOTE: YRF is slowly expanding its services to other states where veterans are convalescing in military hospitals). My client had several of its veteran-employees, decked out in company-logo-ed shirts and hats, on site for the Oktoberfest event. Their only purpose was to meet and greet the wounded veterans and their families, and to assist in any way they could with the event. The veteran-employees prepared plates of food and helped wheel-chair bound service members to a table. They chatted with families who had once been stationed in Germany and reminisced about travels and experiences in Europe. They handed out coloring books and crayons and played checkers with the children who were visiting Mom or Dad at Walter Reed.

So, round up some employees to stuff Hero Packs for Operation: Military Kids (www.operationmilitarykids.org) or ask for veteran-employee volunteers to be corporate mentors to transitioning service members through American Corporate Partners (www.acp-usa.org).  Sponsor the 10k race at your local military installation and send a team of runners in company logo-ed tee-shirts.  All are good ways to build company brand awareness in the military community!

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Filed under: Advertising, Recruit

As mentioned in the last blog post, college campuses are not only great places to find eager young men and women to fill your entry level positions and summer internships - they can be great resources for finding military veterans to fill entry- and experienced-level positions. Last time we covered Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs; now let’s look at Student Veteran Groups.

The number of veterans pursuing higher education after completing service is on the rise, and is expected to explode in the coming years, thanks to the new and very generous Post 9/11 G.I. Bill (www.gibill.va.gov/S22/Post_911_Factsheet.pdf), which goes into effect in August 2009. With increased veteran presence on college campuses comes the need for learning institutions to provide services to support those military members.

Student veterans groups are popping up on campuses across the country. A driving force behind that effort is the Student Veterans of America (www.studentveterans.org). The SVA was established in January 2008 with the goals of “develop[ing] student veteran groups on college and university campuses and coordinat[ing} by region between existing groups; connect[ing] student groups with resources; [and] advocat[ing] on behalf of student veterans at the state and national level.”

The state of California created Troops to College (www.troopstocollege.ca.gov) with the express purpose of attracting more veterans to California’s public universities and colleges by making campuses more veteran friendly.

So, why should recruiters target the student veteran groups? Let’s look at the typical population of a student veteran group:

• Former service members who have separated from the military and who are now pursuing higher education.
• Military guardsmen or reservists who are on campus to build additional skills or obtain certifications.
• Active duty service members who are pursuing advanced degrees or certifications.
• Veteran’s family members or loved ones who work on campus or who are students themselves.

Employers looking to hire military can provide a service and create a recruiting link by establishing a relationship with student veterans groups. Open up a dialog with them by making it known that you are a company that values and supports military service. Be clear that you want to hire former service members, and that you embrace the opportunity to promote your company brand to this constituency. Then do just that - come to campus for career day, or sit on a career panel, or host an “open house” just for the veterans.

If you are within a 3 hour drive of the campus, invite the veterans to your location for a special “welcome veterans” event. Provide a tour of your company. Arrange for a meet-and-greet with some of your veteran-employees who can share their experience with transitioning to civilian employment and who can explain how their military skills are being utilized in a corporate job.

If your office is not near a campus, you can still send a contingent of veteran employees and a recruiter to campus for a special afternoon/evening, perhaps at a local restaurant or a catered event at a local hotel.

To find colleges and universities with a student veteran group go to www.studentveterans.org/chapterinfo/search.php.

Posted by Lisa Rosser, Author of and Speaker/Workshop Leader on The Value Of a Veteran(TM): The Guide for Human Resource Professionals to Regarding, Recruiting, and Retaining Military Veterans

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Filed under: GI Bill, Recruit

If your company does business with the Federal government you are familiar with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The OFCCP ensures employers comply with nondiscrimination and affirmative action laws and regulations through a variety of compliance evaluations.

Are you aware that the OFCCP has created a new employer incentive called the Good-Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment (G-FIVE)? The OFCCP has identified some factors they will consider as evidence that a company is making a real effort to hire veterans. A few examples of the types of activities that show “good faith” are:

• Partnering with local Veterans Service Organizations to employ or advance covered veterans
• Recruitment efforts at educational institutions to reach students who are covered veterans
• Providing on-the-job training opportunities to covered veterans

Based on the outcome of a full compliance evaluation the OFCCP Regional Directors will make G-FIVE recommendations to the National Office of contractor and subcontractor establishments that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the employment of covered veterans, based on a list of evaluation factors.

Contractor or subcontractor establishments that receive G-FIVE recognition will be excluded from an OFCCP compliance evaluation for three (3) years following the date the recipient receives the rating. Companies can self-nominate to be considered for G-FIVE recognition.

So, why am I telling you this? SHAMELESS PLUG: because I love the fact that many of the evaluation factors listed for G-FIVE recognition are the very same ideas I promote in my “Marketing to Attract the Military Applicant” and “Military Applicant Sourcing Options” web seminars. Check out www.TheValueOfaVeteran.com/webinars.html for complete list of seminar topics and session dates through December 2008.

My clients who are federal contractors are doubly excited - by participating in my seminars they’ve come away with a ton of great ideas, and just by implementing even a few of them they are well on their way to receiving G-FIVE recognition!

For more information on the Good-Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment (G-FIVE) go to the Department of Labor website: http://www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp/regs/compliance/faqs/dir282faqs.htm.

Posted by Lisa Rosser, Author of and Speaker/Workshop Leader on The Value Of a Veteran(TM): The Guide for Human Resource Professionals to Regarding, Recruiting, and Retaining Military Veterans

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Filed under: Government Contracting / Defense Staffing, News of Note, OFCCP, Recruit