When President Obama announced the end of the Iraq war, the nation celebrated. Recently, the last of our honorable men and women arrived home and we celebrated more. When the celebration ends and these brave men and women leave their calling and enter into the “civilian” job market, how can we in the business world support them?
Companies need to recognize intangibles that military service members can bring: Dedication, attention to detail, loyalty and honor. Aren’t these the qualities that we want in our personal and professional acquaintances?
What can companies do to “thank” military service members? I would like to say to hire every ex-military who apply but that is not realistic. So what is realistic?
Recruiters need to familiarize themselves with Military Rate/Rank. Why is this important? Military jobs have different titles than civilian jobs. When a resume comes across in “military jargon”, a recruiter should be able to decipher it in order to check if career experience matches the qualifications of open positions. Better yet, if the needs of a company allows, consider hiring an ex-military member for the Recruitment department. This employee can weave through the jargon and match candidates to current job openings. Also, they can use their experience when meeting with hiring managers to “sell” the candidate’s experience.
Most State job services have a Veteran’s division; someone who concentrates on placing Veterans with jobs. Recruiters should build a relationship with these individuals; the better the relationship, the more qualified candidates they will receive. The only thing these agencies ask for are the names, hire dates and position of when a candidate gets hired. Their service is free and isn’t free a good word?
The military’s TAP program is a wonderful resource for companies to recruit. What is TAP? It’s the Transition Assistance Program. This is a program that all military members must attend prior to leaving the military. The program gives them job searching advice, resume writing tips and on the final day, a job fair is usually held for recruiters to meet them. If your company is in an area where you can attend, I encourage you to attend. For more information on this program, research www.turbotap.org.
Why am I so passionate about this? You probably guessed it, I am not only military but many of my family members are also military. Many of us no longer actively serve but it’s in our blood. Everything that was taught to us; the qualities as I described above, will always be with us. By hiring (ex) military personnel, you will be hiring someone who will scream the praises of your company from the roof top and will show passion every time they have the opportunity to represent you.
Inktel is proud to employ a large number of (ex) military members. We value the service these men and women have given our country but we truly value they give to us. We believe appreciation should not only be shown on Veterans Day but year round. For more information concerning our commitment to Veterans, view our YouTube video:
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