This accepted national paradigm also fosters new questions from employers, questions that run the gambit from how to recruit military, to the culture fit of military, to military-to-civilian skills translation. So before you go “taking the Hire Military hill”, let’s noodle on hiring needs.

It starts with your hiring focus. Separating must have skills from institutional bias is paramount. Saying, “We love navy nukes” is a lot different than explaining why you love them. Maybe you’re a nuclear power plant and the nuclear training is a must have. However, is what you love about these candidate more their engineering core, or their technical skills, or do you have a specific focus on electrical, electronics, mechanical or chemistry skills? My point is maybe you need nukes or maybe there are other military technical backgrounds that will also work. Opening the position requirements and then focusing in on KPAs (Key Performance Areas) betters your odds for a “Rock Star” hire.

Opening the requirements is Headhunter 101 and helps to broaden the candidate pool and may reduce your cost per hire. It’s also a common-sense approach to focusing on performance and building better teams. Start by asking, “What do we need this person to accomplish?”

For instance, if the job description is for a project engineer who must have an engineering degree – Do they really need the degree or do they simply need to “speak engineer” so that they can effectively communicate with design, field, manufacturing or application teams? A military savvy search might include those military job seekers who have received a core engineering curriculum but their undergraduate degree is in a non-engineering area.

This specialized knowledge is where Bradley-Morris, Inc. comes to the fore. We help organizations open their hiring managers to military-experienced candidates who they often see as non-traditional. We help them understand where candidates they would not typically interview fit into the organizational chart and also how they will become their next generation of leaders. It’s why I love coming to work every day!

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

A senior level workforce approaching retirement age coupled with the explosive growth in business presented HMSA with a challenging human resources need.

Most military stereotypes are thankfully not as extreme as these movie characters. However, the perceptions can be detrimental nonetheless. Below are the three common military stereotypes I run across most frequently.

• Military lead from positional authority. The military certainly teaches discipline and the importance of following directives. However, the best military leaders I have experienced are motivational leaders. The programs for top performers in the military set the “people bar” high. These high performance teams will not simply respond to “orders” – they require leaders who are totally committed to their success. Similarly, low performers can’t be “fired” in the same way as civilians – creative methods to help turn around a unit’s weak performer are often required.
• Military are overly dependent on structure and procedures. Yes, the military has procedures, check-lists and protocols but the military’s top talent must be creative to make key decisions when the original plan goes awry. Because there is frequently no time in the field to wait for approval from a central authority, military leaders are taught to take responsibility, rely on their training and think on their feet.
• Military will not put down roots here. Service members spend much of their time separated from their families. When they leave the service the government provides a final move. Military job seekers can move back to their home of record, but for many, this is their parent’s home. Many would rather invest in making a new home with their new employer. This is their one move and they have invested in their new employer and their community.

Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason – certainly there are some military members that may display less-than-desirable traits. But if any employer assumes that the majority of military job seekers do, they will miss out on a great talent pool. Not everyone is a good fit for every company, military or otherwise, but make sure that your company is not making fit judgments based on stereotypes.

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy Chris Drumm

Most, however, do not. So why should you care? Well the veterans that these companies are targeting know when they see a joke program, too.

Here are my top three signs your veteran hiring program is a joke:

1. You can’t effectively find veterans.

2. You aren’t properly leveraging their skills.

3. You initiated the program for diversity/employer branding reasons rather than business reasons.

It feels good for companies to say we have a “Veteran Hiring Program” or we are “Military Friendly.” But the overwhelming positive sentiment to hire our returning service members (good!) is being hindered by a lack of effective action (not good!).

It is well known that Jack Welch and his General Electric empire are the proverbial parents of Junior Military Officer (JMO) recruiting. Every officer today separating from the military visits the GE web site and checks out their JMO rotational training program. Heck, I did it and I was just a knuckle dragging Cavalry Officer with a Political Science Degree! The truth is Jack created the program with a mandate. He directed his managers to go out and hire these guys and gals. What I am saying is he did it for his business not because it “felt good” or because he had any particular charitable affinity towards the service. He saw the value, understood the benefit, and made it a deliberate priority.

A solid military recruiting program starts with hiring the right people for the right positions! If you want to build something that is tangible and will make a difference within the organization, start with roles that will provide a direct and visible positive impact based on the standard skill sets in the possession of military veterans.

More often than not I run into companies that say “we want to hire military,” but the roles into which they want to place those veterans are simply not the right fit. Just because the company needs a design engineer with food processing experience doesn’t mean that should be the position on which the military recruiting initiative is focused.

A middle management role to build the bench of the company could be a perfect start. The JMO hired into this type of role brings leadership experiences and life education forged under the most demanding conditions imaginable that separate them from the traditional college or industry-experienced candidates. These young officers will use those unique leadership qualities and their distinct perspective to get the most out of their team. By the way, in most situations these candidates are only separated from college by about five years and are still young enough to become the foundation of a real succession plan.

If you are in need of technical experience, start in a place where those technical skills are most translatable for the technically adept veterans: Electronics, Electrical, Mechanical, Pumps, Valves, Hydraulics and Pneumatics.  Military-experienced technicians are drug free, on time, dynamic employees – “I can’t get it done” is not in their vocabulary. When something breaks on a Submarine under the polar ice cap they aren’t able to run down the local hardware store and get a new bolt. These candidates’ ingenuity will surprise and impress your management.

After your team has real openings and you recognize that with the right amount of “cooperative training” the service member will be successful, build a network of great people that know great people. The military is a very small community. Due to deployments and lengthy training schools there are only about three degrees of separation vs. the traditional six! You can quickly develop a referral network that is second to none.

Now it is time to brand your team! Veterans look to their “battle buddies” more than they do family. If a guy with my “rate” and my “rank” is successful, then I can be too. If my old XO has just been promoted and loves her job then I will go out of my way to work there. Get out there, talk about those successes, and brand your veterans, not your “friendly rate” on a web site.

A real veteran hiring program involves actually hiring the best veterans for the right positions that, in addition to providing real value to the organization, will begin to take on a life of its own. It is disingenuous to say you have a military program simply based on a tally of how many job seekers ticked the “veteran” block on the application. I am sure those that you hired are doing great in their positions, but frankly you don’t have a program.

My advice is to take a real hard look at your company’s needs, target some key ones, fill those needs with the right veteran and build around those hires. Your organization will see the impact immediately. Veterans are trained to train others. Your veteran leaders will be teaching, coaching, and mentoring others and it will become contagious. When you look up one day and your civilians are coaching others then you have a real program and you can brag about it on social media.

Jake Hutchings

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jchutchings

Image courtesy Richard Kelland

- Turnkey program: While these candidates came from various units and branches of services, they were on the same page regarding preventative maintenance systems. This provided the client an instant preventative maintenance team with shared vision.

- Buy-in from non-military team members: Good leaders understand the importance of buy-in when executing a plan. Partnering with Bradley-Morris, Inc. guarantees hiring quality candidates. This team is altering the status quo while showing the value of the program and how it makes the team’s work life better.

- Forging new territory: This one is contrary to a common stereotype, i.e., military-experienced team members over-rely on procedures. This team is making their plan where there was none and executing it everyday.

The preventative maintenance leaders are achieving positive results that directly impact the bottom line. They are changing the game for the better, applying their energy, intelligence and “can do” attitude from the military to industry.

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy Adam Greig

Cracking the code on past military performance requires more than translating evals. In the service, one’s career path speaks to their accomplishments. Where and why selections for assignments are made is the Performance DNA of the military. I mentioned in Hiring Military – The Right Thing for Business that I am part of a team of area experts representing many military-specific communities. We decode career paths frequently – with more than 20 years of experience, we can consistently predict future superstars. When position, company and culture are well-matched with a job seeker’s Performance DNA, military-experienced candidates shine.

As Human Resources / Talent Acquisition evolves, metrics regarding Human Capital will increase in C suite discussions. Do you know where your best come from? If you are looking for strong ROI, consider engaging a military talent scout.

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy ºNit Soto

Measure twice by getting educated on Military Occupational Specialties, mapping the skills required for the position and communicating this with your team.

As a resource for hiring military, I know the challenge of getting a busy manager to make the front-end investment of communicating the details of their “perfect candidate”. I also know the efficiency in getting the profile right on the front end over the inefficiencies of learning hot and cold while going through resumes. Having the talk on desired skills and defining where they are found in military career fields is a critical step in a successful military-focused hiring program.

Measuring twice by investing in skill-mapping on the front end pays dividends on process accuracy, efficiency and hiring results. This is also where investing in an area expert offers strong returns. Don’t pay the price of a bad cut!

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy Alan Cleaver

How about, “Your product makes no profit on the shelf.” I said that!

No matter how you say it, your company’s front line leaders for capturing market share are your sales people. The successful ones are dynamic, energetic professionals who are not afraid of rejection and are on a mission to succeed.

So what qualities make a great sales people? It turns out that many attributes are shared with Junior Military Officers (JMOs):

- Tactical and Strategic Thinking – What is the objective (what niche / market) and how do we go about penetrating it (the benefit statement / sales strategy).

- Assertiveness – Willing to make the first move and / or ask for the sale.

- Confidence – Whether making presentations to potential clients or briefing senior officers, a high level of confidence is required.

- Planning – Sure, there are some that can can sell without it, but knowing the lay of the land will make achieving business development objectives more efficient and more likely to succeed.

I could continue with the similarities, but really you need to look no further than any world class sales organization to see examples of junior military officers excelling in these critical roles. So when you are considering adding talent to your sales team, consider military-experienced JMO talent in your recruiting mix.

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy ell brown

The relevance of military adaptive leaders can be discerned in many arenas, but one of the most important is in the area of importing talent to a particular locale. In addition to frequently having their relocation paid for by the government, military are at a point in their careers where they are ready to consider new places to live for the next phase of their life.

When I’m discussing this with an employer, occasionally I’ll have a hiring manager say their industry’s local knowledge is too specialized. “They’ll eat up an outsider”, one said. And while a team of workers drawn solely from the local community might have its challenges, or local networking might present a hurdle, the adaptive leaders in our modern military have been trained to tackle trials such as these. Your local market may be a tough place to break into, but I bet it is no Afghanistan. Or Sandy (as shown in the image above).

Focusing only on local talent shrinks your pool of potentials, and it ignores the possibility of infusing your team with fresh approaches.

If you are looking for star potential, especially in the tough market many companies find themselves in, then interview the young men and women of the U.S. military. They have been trained to adapt and thrive in tough environments – even yours.

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy DVIDSHUB

From resume screening to online applications, the modern hiring process often puts military-experienced candidates at a disadvantage. As mentioned in a previous post, a military hiring plan is paramount, but a military-friendly hiring process is just as critical.

It starts with a solid job posting that is open to military translation. Too much industry jargon or a specific experience requirement may confuse or scare off an otherwise qualified candidate. Get deliberate about the qualities or skills necessary for success in the role and remove the focus from where they were gained said skills.

Is your hiring manager ready to interview? Resume watching (awaiting that perfect fit to cross the desk) is not a viable strategy for hiring talent, especially military-experienced talent. It is a great way to hire master story tellers or people with the time to create the perfect resume. You know the if it’s too good to be true adage.  This practice takes up valuable time that if used otherwise, could have been spent interviewing those candidates with star-potential who happen to possess non-perfect military resumes. The best resume in the world is no substitute for a great interview.

Be decisive. Military candidates are trained to lead and that involves making decisions.  They admire that ability in perspective employers. Not a rush decision, but be clear on the next step; when will it happen and what is expected. It always pains me to have to tell a less-than-decisive hiring team that their top candidate is already off the market, gone to a hirer who was ready to close their top choices.  Or worse, I have to relay an offer decline because delays in follow-up created by waiting on multiple inputs sent a negative message to the perspective new hire. Any whiff of paralysis by analysis is kryptonite to top candidates.

Offer a competitive wage.  Too often, companies offer military-experienced candidates a lower than scale wage to off-set what might be a candidate’s lack of industry-specific experience. My exposure has been that this needn’t be a hurdle: When properly matched with transferable skills, the military-experienced candidate delivers exceptional value in the role they are hired for and are frequently a “quick to promote”.

Engage perspective hires.  Applicant tracking technology has made huge gains in ensuring applicant information is properly documented and reported. However, it also carries the reputation of a black-hole where resumes go to die. A military candidate whose transferable skills do not jump off the page will typically get no more than a form email from an ATS. I know, I hear you – so many applicants and so little time. But this is about priorities and getting better at hiring veterans. Keeping connected with your candidates in process will give you a more accurate picture of your applicant pool.  

Hiring military requires going the extra mile with your hiring process. Keep in mind the companies with better processes attract better players. And better players lead to better business performance. Is your candidate hiring process military-applicant friendly?

Bobby Whitehouse

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbywhitehouse

Image courtesy Eric Kilby