Seventy-two percent of hiring managers admit it is difficult to ascertain the skill sets by evaluating a resume of a job candidate who is prior military. In my experience this talent pool are one of the most loyal and hardest working if given the right opportunity, environment and circumstance in which to thrive.
Episode 65: How to Get Started Recruiting Veterans and Military with Lida Citroën (@ LIDA360)
In this episode of the Workology Podcast, we’re talking with Lida Citroën who is the author of Your Next Mission: Military to Civilian Transition (link listed in resources below) about how employers can begin actively recruiting and hiring veteran and military.
As I mentioned, recruiting military is a challenge. Military culture, process and work environment is very different from the corporate world leaving many employers unsure where to begin.
Lida recommends that employers start their recruitment branding efforts with the goal of hiring candidates who are military veterans. She suggest trying to get support at the highest level, CEO and C-Suite from the organization. You will have a much higher success rate but first start with understanding your overall goals for hiring veterans and military.
How to Start Hiring Our Heros
When it comes to starting hiring our military and veteran heros, it’s important to create a process and a timeline. Talk with your current veteran and military employee population and talk with them about what they want. What’s important and how to onboard these military employees.Start small. 2 out of 10. Onboarding process makes tweaks, budy budy mentoring systems, include spouse in conversation, look at retention.
Lida says the secret sauce to hiring our service members (aka heros) is to remember your military veterans are human beings. Personally, I think this is the key to doing great things in business but in our personal goals and aspirations as well.
Some recruiters are turned off during interviews by a military candidate’s lack of personal achievements. She says that military members are taught a we versus I mentality. It doesn’t mean they aren’t proud of their work or experience. They’re just thinking differently. Perspectives like this are important for recruiters and employers to remember when recruiting and interviewing military.
In addition to all the wonderful nuggets and insights mentioned above, Lida walks us through her training and involvement with military members in personal branding and how she coaches them on building an online presence and profile that helps employers understand the places these military servicemen and women can play an important role in their organization. You can connect with Lida Citroën on LinkedIn. Also great news for those attending the Annual SHRM Conference in D.C. this year, Lida will be speaking.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
- Your Next Mission: Military to Civilian Transition (Lida’s Book)
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*A special thank you to my production team at Total Picture Radio.
