The top 10 fails of military recruiting part 1

Top 10 Fails of Military Recruiting… or why military aren’t taking your job offers.

As many of you may know … or as many of you can creep via my profile, I’ve been interested and engaged in the world of military transition to civilian life for a number of years. I’ve seen it from a number of perspectives, experienced it myself and along the way I’ve collected a growing reserve of impressions, anecdotes, success stories and …. witnessed some real horror stories. Today, I thought I’d pull from the bag of those aforementioned horror stories a few of the gems that really stand out. Since I tend to write in a rather rambling and narrative style … it’s probably best that I break this up into a couple of segments, that way you don’t have to invest your entire commute or lunch hour to the vain hope that I’ll eventually arrive at a point. In any event … here is part one of what I’ll call … my TOP Ten Fails of Military Recruiting. And just so we’re all on the same page, this is about recruiting military into civilian jobs … not civilians into the military — I’ll leave those stories for someone else with the appropriate experience.

FAIL #1 Failure to look beyond the MOS.

I was counseling a navy sailor — a cook to be specific and I recall the frustration he was having in planning his transition. The thread of conversation followed a well-worn path … “I’ve talked to several companies … that isn’t the problem … the problem is that they ask me what I did in the military and when I say what I did I immediately see the rejection coming in their face. Every interview is basically a matter of waiting for the rejection that is sure to come … even cooking jobs!”

“how do we get recruiters to understand this?”

What he was experiencing has been hard-coded into nearly every digital skill-translator that exists … MOS to Occupation … a cook is a cook — probably a short-order cook in civilian translation … and so his 8 years of experience and training are boiled down to a binary unit known as the “job title.”

But why is this a fail you ask? And how do we avoid this mistake? (that is assuming that you believe it to be a mistake.) I generally begin by quantifying experience in more general terms:

• How many people did you supervise?
• How many people did you serve on a daily basis
• What was your budget?
• What was the value of materials / supplies over which you had direct control / supervision?
• What was your work schedule like?
• What types of training have you received?
• How were you evaluated and how did you perform?

The story begins to take shape as we fill in the details around these types of questions …. Directly supervised 12, served 85,000 per day, Millions in materials responsibility — including total oversight over ordering, storage, security, etc … 16–18 hour work day … the list goes on. By the end of the conversation he was already rewriting his resume and preparing for the next interview when he stopped and asked the next question … “how do we get recruiters to understand this?”

FAIL #2: Failure to Include relevant military experience as an option in the job posting

When I first took on responsibility as a Director of Recruiting I was overwhelmed with the 3,000+ different job titles that existed at the organization … granted it was a health system so there was significant complexity … nevertheless …. I had to ask the question — were there really 3,000 different sets of skills required? I took a sampling of 218 job titles — deciding to focus on entry to mid-level technical positions that did not require a specific license or credential. After careful analysis and discussion with various managers, I discovered that all 218 fit into no more than three “skill groupings” — or what I’ll call “sets of competencies.” But none of that was as interesting as what I found in reviewing the types of candidates selected and more importantly not selected. Almost all of the jobs (yes even the entry level jobs) included the line “prior experience in…” and this was a “requirement” not “highly desired / preferred.” I thought it odd that we would require prior experience for an entry level job … because …. Well …. How do you get the experience if you can’t get into the job to begin with? Apparently the strategy was simply to hire from other smaller organizations.

More striking was the realization that “prior experience in…” generally excluded military experience — the military not being in the “healthcare industry.” — Sure there were direct correlations with some clinical support roles … but for HVAC or mechanical positions that were critical … for which any number of military specialties would make a fantastic fit? No go. That’s when I began writing in “or relevant military experience” into every job description. As I grew more familiar with the actual skill and knowledge requirements I could even call out specific military occupations … some that by job title would seem not to be a fit … but from an actual “what did you do during the day” perspective were spot on.

“I thought it odd that we would require prior experience for an entry level job …”

If you aren’t including military experience as part of your job postings you are likely part of the problem … especially in industries with no relevance to the military environment.

FAIL # 3. Failure to target relevant transition points

Those in the military understand that the vast majority of installations have a specific mission … which means they have specific skill sets represented by specific specialists. They also have a well-honed and unique culture and unique challenges that mold a person professionally … and yes uniquely. On the outside … the majority of civilian hiring managers just see the military as the military. It’s just one big lump of “militaryness” on a “military base” doing “military things.” So from a recruitment perspective — they treat every military installation as basically the same. Well good luck recruiting nuclear technicians out of Camp Pendleton. For sure — you can drive up I-5 past Camp Pendleton and see the nuclear station at San Onofre, but you’re not going to connect with your target audience by attending a job fair on a base there.

“the majority of civilian hiring managers just see the military as … one big lump of “militaryness” on a “military base” doing “military things.”

Where you are matters and where you recruit matters… A military recruitment program that just wants to “hire” veterans is not really doing anyone any good. Veterans don’t want a handout. They want to be respected for what they do well … and they want the same shot at the American dream provided to their civilian counterparts.

FAIL #4: Failure to research the culture of the branch services to understand cultural fit

I’ve written a good bit about this already and will shamelessly pull a section and reprint here:

“Each branch of service, each base, every command, indeed, every unit has its own, “operational tempo,” (the speed of operations or the bias toward action) — it’s own specific culture that rubs off on every member that becomes part of that operational unit. This micro-cultures are part of what makes a veteran so unique. Not only do they transition jobs and geographies every 3–4 years, but they transition cultures. This cultural upheaval creates a level of resiliency and adaptability that is quite frankly entirely unique to the military experience. Any veteran can adapt to nearly any culture … and during their initial transition from the service that’s exactly what tends to happen — they pick a soft landing and transition to the new culture without ever taking the time to consider the best fit for them.

“One million new professionals completing degrees in addition to having prior work experience …”

On the corporate recruiting side, the majority of hiring managers have a set view of a veteran in their mind … one that roughly corresponds to the ESTJ Myers Briggs type. Stern, organized, detailed, diligent … by the book. The result … military recruiting programs generally shape themselves to fit this singular “cultural stereotype.” What would be better … and far more effective is the kind of honesty and authenticity at display in this panel … present your organization’s culture first … or better yet, its wide array of cultures. Offer the veteran job seeker a chance to rub shoulders (or not!) in authentic situations and environments. The result? More than likely a far better fit, better selection, better retention, better performance, greater productivity, and a better reputation with future transitioning service members.”

FAIL #5. Failure to recruit veterans from college campus

[Knowing that many of you need to get back to work, I’ll pause my list at 5 and continue in a subsequent post]

I would place the number of active duty military transitioners around 200,000 per year (less-than-honorable discharges account for 9% of that total annually)… that number has been pretty static since I worked at labor a number of years ago. That’s a highly skilled, but tightly sought group of new professionals entering the workforce each year. If you don’t have a pretty robust recruiting program and brand recognition you’re going to struggle recruiting from this pool until you can build your reputation and recognition. On the other hand … there are currently around 1 million veterans enrolled in post-secondary education.

One million new professionals completing degrees in addition to having prior work experience … and their presence on campus is increasingly more prominent with veteran centers, dedicated staff and numerous resources that are ready not just for the veteran … but for engagement by corporate recruiters. I didn’t have this kind of luxury during my recruiting days … but I can guarantee you I would have taken advantage of it. In all likelihood you already have a campus recruiting presence … [and you probably struggle to find a place for those new grads who have no work experience] … and here is an opportunity not only to find top graduates, but graduates with a significant and successful work history and almost certainly leadership experience.

Let me know if you’ve bumped into any of these FAILS along the way! If this looks like I just described your current recruiting program — do not fear! There is help. Just reach out in the comments below!