Resources for Veterans & Transitioning Military

As recruiters and hiring managers learn more about the military culture and experience, the bridge to hiring more Veterans into civilian careers directly from Active duty or Active Reserve is built.

In order to keeps flow of traffic coming from the Veteran to the civilian world certain tools and skills need to be acquired as well as current trends and resources in hiring. The days of the paper resume and cover letters being dropped off at the front desk are gone. That technology has decreased our degrees of separation is an understatement! Social connection and the technology we use to find “things”; jobs, gas stations, points on a map are a reality.

Facts and figures fly around and recruiters are guided by them. A theory that has always seemed to work exceptionally well for the team of recruiters I have worked with in the past is called the “pond theory” of candidates.

If I were tasked with finding the largest, smartest, fastest and most innovative fish the “pond theory” of recruitment would dictate I go to the biggest body of water in which I could potentially find this supreme fish. If that theory is applied to recruitment, in a much generalized comparison, a job seeker needs to be in that pool. Job seekers need to think like recruiters and put themselves in the line of fire.

A question always comes up from candidates, “How do I get noticed by a recruiter?. You network! Again the next all too familiar question is, “Where do I network?.  The answers to this question are varied depending upon the industry, location and specific career path. Just like a recruiter, you must put down a strategy to be found. As I write the series for the corporate recruiters on where and how to find Veteran candidates, a strategy that I have always wanted to throw out to Veterans is how to think and target your job search. This is far from the generic job search strategy because it’s from inside the recruitment camp.

In the next few blogs I will amp up the search muscle by providing you some inside resources and actual search tools to learn that will hopefully get you in front of the recruiter’s eyeballs and on the phone to interview.

Know where to look and be found online

Online and mobile is the name of this recruitment world and it’s not going away. Kelton Research recently release data indicating 4 out of 5 jobseekers use a mobile device of some kind to search for a job. If the job seeker is using a mobile device then we can only assume the company has a mobile recruitment page and is targeting these 5 people to actively engage them in apply. 

Networking is the key factor in decision making for recruiters. If you can find them, engage and have a conversation via the major tools available you have just differentiated yourself from the candidate who posts there resume in a non-human Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and waits to get a call.

Recruiters can be found:

1. 1.       Linked In groups

Join Linked In, create a professional profile. Here is a link to mine so you can see that more information is better than less:  Linked In Profile. Get recommendations and give them to others.

Search Groups at the top of the page and type in your industry or a keyword for a local organization like, Greater Baton Rouge Society of Human Resource Professionals. Wham, you have just landed in the middle of the hiring gurus. Now connect, engage and ask questions and for heaven’s sake don’t be afraid because you don’t know or seem inexperienced! Every day is something new and what you will learn you may just be able to help another Veteran down the road.

1. Facebook Company Pages

Companies have gotten on board with recruiting and have social media managers that actively prowl their Facebook Fanpages for comments and brand reputation management. If you find a company that is of interest to you, post on their page and ask how to get an interview or who is the smartest recruiter in their company! That should be a fun conversation.

1. Twitter

Twitter is really a great source and number one for recruitment referrals right now outside of employee referrals.  Search on Twitter the hashtag: #jobs. Take note of who the people are posting these 140 words and follow them. Look at their lists and see who they are following and follow them. Then get in the conversation and engage them in their expertise. Ask for a referrals to someone who knows someone who heard about an open position for a fisherman or engineer or recruiter! Be bold and jump in the middle of all of it, the worst you can do is have to ask for help and refine your strategy. Oh, be polite, always!

That’s a lot of information and things to do for the first post but it should get you jump started in some real tools that will make a difference. If you have questions or aren’t hitting the target, drop me a note and I will point you to one of the great recruiters from Bradley-Morris, Inc. or answer it myself. Happy Career hunting and stay tuned for more tips from the inside!