Burning questions for recruiters & hiring managers

2014-10-08T01:30:10-04:00

I'd like to hear from the 1,500+ recruiters and hiring managers we have here inside RallyPoint.

Please give us the most sought-after skills you look for when evaluating a veteran candidate for a position. Feel free to rank these by level of importance. Also, what would be your biggest piece of advice for a transitioning military member looking for employment?

Please be as open and honest as possible.
We all need the hard truth!

For anyone seeking employment, please ask the burning questions you want recruiters to answer. I hope this can be a valuable discussion for us all.

Current Recruiters are on RallyPoint

Connect with military members who serve as Recruiters. Get the mentorship and get the answers you need from others with your experience.

Response by GySgt George Vukovich made Oct 8 at 2014 8:26 AM

2014-10-08T08:26:36-04:00

Captain, I think one of the skills is the communication piece. In uniform we are taught to use acronyms to their fullest, and apply brevity at all costs. The basic rules of radio communication! In the civilian sector we learn different techniques; as we know all to well! The ability to verbally express ourselves in a clear and articulate manner is paramount. The writing skills are just as important! As I had mentioned in a different posting recently - 'I think RP is a great place for all of us to assist our brothers and sisters, still serving, by providing information which will be useful once they are no longer in service'. This is a great posting/ question you present! I hope to read more responses.

Response by LTC John Phillips made Oct 8 at 2014 11:32 AM

2014-10-08T11:32:56-04:00

I'd be interested in knowing what other companies are doing to educate all their hiring managers and senior leaders in a Company...the ones that actually end up making all the hiring decisions. there is a tremendous void out there in effective and comprehensive education of these people and hence, they have no clue or perspective on who Veterans are or what they have done (in uniform) since many of them have never served...their point of reference is the TV and movies!!

Response by MAJ George Hamilton made Oct 8 at 2014 11:53 AM

2014-10-08T11:53:41-04:00

We do not spend a great deal of time at SHC getting Recruiters and Hiring Managers to learn how to decipher a Veteran resume - we spend the bulk of our time coaching and mentoring Veteran candidates on how to accurately translate and sell what they have done in the service. We do make a consistent effort to educate our recruiters on the basics of military service, and the tools available to them when it comes to sourcing Veteran candidates, but it is not the primary focus of our program.

Candidates that can clearly articulate their service accomplishments to a recruiter are going to be far more successful than those that assume the recruiter should have to learn how to speak military. While that may seem harsh - it is not the job of a Talent Acquisition professional to assimilate into military culture - it is the job of the Veteran to assimilate into civilian culture.

When I am evaluating a Veteran candidate, I look for a few key things before passing them on to a recruiter for serious consideration.

1. Has their resume been translated? If it has, then it shows that person has made the effort to really understand how their military skills will transfer into the civilian sector. If not, it shows that they are not willing to make the effort to come halfway in the process.

2. Has the candidate expressed interest in a particular field/job, or are they coming to me with the "what do you have for me?" mentality? If a Veteran takes the time to apply to a specific position, and articulates why they want to work in that field or position, I am going to advocate for them. The ones that assume I am going to find a job for them with no effort on their part almost immediately hit my recycle bin.

3. How flexible is the candidate? Are they willing to move? Do they understand that coming out of the service they may take a slight pay cut? Do they have aspirations to move up the ladder in a company? Have they done research on the company they are talking to? Candidates that are open to location/salary and can tell me about the company I represent have my full attention. Those that want to live in one place, make $100K a year, and think they are going to be VPs right off the bat don't have my attention.

4. Does the Veteran feel like I owe him/her something, or do they understand that their service is another experience that they can use to their advantage in the interview process? No business owes a Veteran anything - period. Businesses hire Veterans because it makes good sense from a Talent Acquisition perspective - due to the incredible amount of maturity, people and asset management, and soft skills expertise that a Veteran brings to the table.

As a TA Program Manager - I see Veterans as a key talent source for any organization, but will assess them based on the same basic criteria I would any other candidate - skills, education, preparation, and desire.

Response by Lucas Buck made Oct 8 at 2014 1:35 PM

2014-10-08T13:35:38-04:00

First off, what I tell any Transitioning Veteran that I'm helping with their resume... is to brag! The Military is a place that houses a lot of humility and of course it's the ultimate team atmosphere. As much as team-playing is important, remember when it comes to your resume, you have to be ready to brag! Be humble in every aspect of your life except for your resume. Remember to give your resume a 5-10 second glance after it's done... did you pass your own 5-10 second test?

That's the window you have in getting from the "call pile" to "not call" pile. Once we separate the piles, we then give it a much more intense glance. So... brag early and brag often on your resume. I always suggest a "Summary of Qualifications." This is 5-6 bullet points your most proud of... what's separates you.

Years/dollar amounts are big for military resumes-converted-to-civilian-resume. "Oversaw $100m budget..." "Managed 25 troops," "Lead" "Taught" Managed" "Executed," key words like that.

Also, convert your Title into a civilian-type term. For instance... Captain in the Air Force = Mid-level management... use those terms of "Upper-level" or "Mid-Level" Management so a civilian recruiter unfamiliar with your titles, can decipher.

Hope this helps!

Response by LCDR Mike Roshaven made Oct 8 at 2014 2:51 PM

2014-10-08T14:51:57-04:00

The most sought after skills for me are going to be the skills listed on the job posting. Requirements are requirements. The issue that haunts most of us in this space (and I apologize to my military recruitment colleagues for speaking on their behalf) is the translation piece. Not just for hiring managers to understand the language used in the military, but also the transitioners understanding the language used by the ones writing the job postings.
Translation is not about learning a whole new language, but more so a different dialect- the languages are in essence the same.
The example I give for Oil & Gas is for what we call 'Turnarounds'. Without understanding what a Turnaround is in Oil & Gas, those roles will get skipped over by transitioners, and questions specifically about Turnarounds will be incorrectly answered. A Turnaround in Oil & Gas is defined in WIkipedia as follows: "Turnarounds are expensive - both in terms of lost production while the process unit is offline and in terms of direct costs for the labour, tools, heavy equipment and materials used to execute the project. They are the most significant portion of a plant's yearly maintenance budget and can affect the company's bottom line if mismanaged.[1] Turnarounds have unique project management characteristics[2] which make them volatile and challenging." A Navy person could equate this to a shipyard period, an Air Maintenance type could see this as a platform-wide upgrade- bottom line is that this event has to be closely managed to meet the bottom line- for Oil & Gas, it means getting that production line back up and running because it could have a 6-figure per day impact on revenues. For the military, the bottom line means meeting operational commitments. The military has bottom lines just like the corporate world has bottom lines, and hopefully the sucessful candidate can make this translation. as it is merely a differenece in dialect, not language.
To provide other skills that we look for from the military, think hard skills- Problem Solving, Logistics, Collaboration, Change Management, Stakeholder engagement/development, Continuous Improvement, and for all of us in Oil & Gas, Safety. If you can equate/translate accomplishments in the military to even a few of these, you will be way ahead of the game.

Response by Joseph Wong made Oct 8 at 2014 5:50 PM

2014-10-08T17:50:57-04:00

The most sought after skills for us, are the ones listed in the job description. As someone so eloquently put it above, we need to hire very specifically. Not one resume fits all sizes and even though it is a pain, you may have to rework your resume for every job you apply for. Make sure you are using the same terms in your resume as written in the job description. Why? Because corporate recruiters get 100's of resumes a day, and they are sometimes electronically prefiltered for us using the job description as the tempate.

That leads me to the translation of your resume. First, if you only put a description of your MOS as your job description, we assume you want to continue that MOS in the civilian world. So, if you are a 88Z Transportation Sr Sgt, I am going to assume that you would be looking for something in our Fleet Coordination or Fleet Management.

11B's, 0351's, etc will have to be more specific in what they want to do; even know what they don't want to do helps tremendously.

It is up to you to help me translate your resume into what you want to do. If you are unsure what you want to do, that's cool, but that's a very lengthy process on both of our parts and an extensive network helps tremendously.

Know the answers to the fundamental questions: Do you want to work inside, or outside? Do you want to work on something mechanical or something computerized? Do you want to work with many people or just a few? Would you consider a job in sales, or customer service? What are your interests? Have you pursued a degree? Do you want to use that degree? What kind of jobs have you heard of or know of that you'd be interested in?

I'd estimate that over half of the vets that I've spoken to this year, do not even have an answer for half of the questions above. I asked not to impeach them, but to try to help them hone in on a target and triangulate their job search.

Be patient: being a civilian, having a title "Recruiter" isn't the most favorable way to start a conversation with a veteran. I've found that there is an association with a "recruiter" and promises unfulfilled (as one of my veteran friends eventually told me). Be patient with us, most of us care deeply about the freedoms that Veterans have paid so dearly on our behalf. It is, at times, as hard for us to find you; as it is you to find us. Getting a career is difficult and time consuming.

Today, I average a 15 percent call back ratio by a vet.
That means, if I reach out to 10 vets about a job in RallyPoint, only 1-2 of them answer.
After scheduling 12 veterans for a job interview, in person.... 3 of them did not show up and 1 of them showed up in casual clothing.

If you do get a chance to interview, you are representing all of the veterans this hiring manager will see.

In fact, I'd like to ask veterans some of the attributes they have found in the best civilian recruiters that they have come in contact with? What did they do that was a differentiator? This helps me train my team and make sure they have a bearing on what matters to all of you.

Response by Sgt Evan Proctor made Oct 9 at 2014 12:01 PM

2014-10-09T12:01:37-04:00

First of all, you (candidate) should be looking for a company that has fostered a culture of understanding the military skills that come from transitioning service members and veterans. If you are looking to capitalize on the skills you worked so hard to develop in your time serving the country, find a company that has taken the time to invest in military specific recruiters.

Every company is looking for leadership, ensure you focus on that piece somewhere on your resume.

As an OP mentioned; Brag and talk your accomplishments up during your phone interview and during your in person interviews. Do not be cocky, but make sure you attest to the amazing things you were able to accomplish while serving your country. Too many of my candidates get to a panel interview and my hiring managers are not blown away like I know they could have been. As veterans we are very humble by nature, we accomplished those feats by using team work, but who lead the team? Who was the critical thinker on the team? Who on the team was thinking outside of the box?

Share your accomplishments and your leadership skills with the recruiters and the hiring managers to make the best impression.

Lastly, remember that first impressions are everlasting. Speak well, come of confident but not cocky, and take a second to think before you answer a question.

Response by PO1 Ben Aragon made Oct 9 at 2014 12:23 PM

2014-10-09T12:23:49-04:00

I work in the Oil and Gas industry as a Turnaround Planner/Scheduler or Project Manager depending on what the client wants me to do. I don't look for any specific "Military" skill, but what can that person do for me in a Turnaround environment. Its a plus if that person has military background because I know that I can depend on that person and not have to babysit them.

Many refinery operators are prior service due to their job in the military. But eventually through time move on to many different positions in the company. That's what we do in the service, move up or out, right?

I work with 4 other service guys, all Navy Vets and we all have the same mind set, get it done right, safe and on time and under budget. Nothing else is acceptable.

With that being said, tell your clients who are looking to move into this line of work to not be intimidated. There are many of us already in the biz who will look at their resume before any other.

Response by MSG Sommer Brown made Oct 9 at 2014 1:02 PM

2014-10-09T13:02:36-04:00

I really enjoyed reading this thread and gain a lot of usable needed knowledge from it. I understand when recruiters say you need to brag about yourself, because who better know what you have done and are capable of doing, if it is not you. However, for those of us that tend to be our own worst critic and see everything we do as "part of the job" then it is very difficult and almost embarrassing to brag about what you see as small duties you have preformed. I also find it difficult to transition from 18 years now and still going of this MOS to even imagining doing something else. It is almost like you get brainwashed into thinking that, this is the only thing you can do and that you won't be successful if you try to do anything else. I completely know this is untrue of course lol, but you get that fear built up inside you, because for 18 years and going this is all you have known and done. It is almost like getting a divorce. The most confident and successful leaders in the military (not all but some) will become very self conscious and doubtful when removed from their element. I guess if you took a career 11B and placed them in a job like 88M, they would struggle to adapt to the differences in how things are done and the atmosphere mostly. I know that I have worked with some 11B's that get very frustrated very easily with SM who question, don't react immediately to their direction, who have trouble working with females (they tend to be easy on them for fear of reprisal), don't understand the company breakdown, miss the "brotherhood" found within infantry companies, and some lack most administrative skills. This is where I think veterans struggle the most in finding their fit in the civilian world. Thank you for asking this question, I have gained valuable insight and it gave others the chance to voice their opinions, concerns, and lessons learned.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2014 1:59 PM

2014-10-09T13:59:15-04:00

Great topic. Needless to say, each situation will dictate when we reference which skills we are looking for. An entry level production role will have vastly different qualifiers compared to a technical IT role, for example. Here goes...sorry for all the words.

The best I can do is outline some traits AND some best practices. And these are in no way, shape or form all-inclusive or guaranteed to work anywhere. Nor am I speaking on behalf of everyone. Simply good guidelines and commonalities.

Traits:
Interpretation: Understand that MOST people you will talk to are NOT military. And even a lot of military won't know your military job's functions. Write your resume and social media profiles with a lot of common terms and words that project competency and success. Most people don't know what IMEF or 4thID is, or where a FOB is.

Upward progress: Most everyone is trying to hire a candidate who has an upward trend of success. Have you consistently had upward movement in promotions and responsibilities?

Resilience, positivity, and personality: "Yes" and "No" answers aren't enough. Show some personality, lose the military "bearing" and give examples of times where you faces impossible odds and still were triumphant.

Best Practices:
Don't just apply and wait for someone to call you back... you are competing with hundreds of other applicants too.

Connect on social media, ask questions of the people who work there.

NEVER send a recruiter or hiring manager an email asking "do you have anything for me?" They don't know who you are, and they need to know what you are interested in. Further, lots of people ask this question... your interest or passion is most important to long term success.

Don't apply for entry level jobs if you have many years of experience. Don't sell yourself short.

NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK. Use the tools available to you.

And finally...understand that you simply MAY NOT be the right fit for that job, that company or at that exact time. Stay positive and high speed. Don't get upset or vocal when the application process doesn't go your way. People can see you on social media...employers can see you too.

Response by CPT Steven Vann made Oct 13 at 2014 12:04 PM

2014-10-13T12:04:12-04:00

I am a Veteran's Recruiter with Sandoz Inc. I have many different types of openings. For instance, I have a Mechanic Support Specialist position in Hicksville, NY that I feel would be a great fit for a transitioning soldier. I also work closely with other recruiters and sourcers to identify the types of positions that relate directly or indirectly to military experience!

Response by MSG Bill Lewis, B.A., M.B.A. made Oct 14 at 2014 11:39 AM

2014-10-14T11:39:52-04:00

The single most sought after skills I seek in the resume is the skills targeted to the requirements I am currently supporting. As a reminder most recruiters only have seconds reviewing your resume amongst the hundreds they may review on a given requirement. Fortunately for most candidates I can catch those unwritten KSAs (not in the resume) because I have allot of experience both as a military veteran and corporate recruiter but I have seen it hundreds of times that a very qualified candidate is passed by. "Why?", this is due to "resume readers", the less experienced which need your help to market yourself by ALWAYS targeting your resume with keywords (the buzz words), both quantitative and qualitative. The biggest piece of advice for a transitioning military member is to ensure you take advantage and the time to attend your local "Transitioning Assistance Program." It's a program designed for you and it's free!

Response by CMSgt Rich Harrold made Oct 17 at 2014 12:08 PM

2014-10-17T12:08:17-04:00

Just a few more tidbits for thought regarding resumes and targeting them to the job posting, as well as skills currently sought in the market place.

First of all, make sure your resume aligns with the skills, experience, certifications, educational (degree), and clearance requirements in the job description. If there are military acronyms/abbreviations sought in the job description--make sure your resume has those same buzzwords if it's part of your skills/experience toolkit. Because most employers receive hundreds of resumes for each advertised job, they want to zero in quickly on the "viable candidates." As such, most employers use some sort of keyword finder to zero in on resumes that best match their job reqs. So if the job description mentions "Land Mobile Radios," make sure your resume includes that phrase or the abbreviation "LMR."

Keep it simple...try to keep your resume to 2 pages. As I mentioned above, most companies are receiving hundreds of resumes for every job, so recruiters will give resumes about a 30-second scan to see if the key skills or experience are there...if not...it's put in the "other stack."

If the recruiter reaches out to you via email or phone, follow up with him/her in a timely manner. Oftentimes the recruiter may want to use your resume with a Govt proposal, and most times that's a very short window of 7 days to 2 weeks. If you don't follow up, your resume probably won't be included into that proposal. After you've spoken to the recruiter and if they ask for changes/updates to your resume--make sure you turn around the revised product quickly!

Some of my work requires govt security clearances. Are you currently cleared to the Secret or Top Secret-level? Make sure you know clearance status. When was your last Periodic Reinvestigation (PR) date? When were you last read-in/out of an SCI position? Was your polygraph a CounterIntelligence (CI) or Full Scope (F/S)? What date were the polys done?

Likewise, have multiple versions of your resume. You should have a "master version" for the DOD community, and another "master version" without all the military abbreviations for the commercial market. For the commercial version, make sure you use "commercial terminology for the industry. You'll then be able to edit/revise each of those resumes more quickly for the job you're applying for.

Next, type of resume..."chronological" or "functional." Over the past 14 years, 95% of all my clients preferred a chronological resume format vice a functional one. For the chronological version make sure each bullet shows the result/impact of what you accomplished. In doing so, employers can potentially visualize how your skills/experience might contribute to what they need to get done...and their bottom line.

In a normal market, I would recommend that candidates start marketing their resumes 60-90 days prior to your availability to work date. But in this market, it might be prudent to start networking 4 to 6 months out. Like someone else said above, be persistent in your follow up with HR/recruiters and peers already out in the market. They're all busy in their jobs, so don't take offense if they're not calling you every week--follow up is part of your responsibility!

Second, as for skills currently sought.

My clients/recruiting partners are seeking lots and lots of engineers...electrical, mechanical, chemical, software, and industrial to support manufacturing, oil & gas/energy, petrochemical, automotive, and defense.

In light of the all the ongoing cyber/security issues, many clients are looking for candidates with information/cyber security backgrounds....CISSPs, CEH, CFE, Security+ certs etc.

As the web and other media continues to explode, my clients are also seeking .Net, ASP.Net, C#, HTML, C++, Java and other SW engineers.

Those are just a few off the top of my head, but there are certainly others needed in equipment maintenance, manufacturing/production, IT, and audit/finance/tax.

Hope that helps...

Response by SSG Trevor S. made Oct 21 at 2014 12:41 AM

2014-10-21T00:41:24-04:00

I am not yet a hiring manager, but as a Veteran, a Business major, and a dude with hair long enough to say I am a beginner civilian I would place these two qualities in order of precedence:
1. A candidate that would not embarrass me to count as my brother / sister.
2. A candidate that understands the skills required and can show the ability to acquire those skills with the least expense to the company.

Response by SGT Steve Oakes made Oct 21 at 2014 4:10 PM

2014-10-21T16:10:25-04:00

I am not a recruiter. But I suggested to our Operations Manager that he actively seek out Veterans when hiring. I of course suggested Rallypoint as a resource. I was blown away when he got back to me and informed me that there is a $499.00 charge per job! That seems a bit excessive. It also seems that it would greatly reduce the number of businesses willing to post on Rallypoint. I am disappointed that profit seems to be trumping helping Veterans in this matter.

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Jan 27 at 2015 10:27 AM

2015-01-27T10:27:48-05:00

Found an interesting piece on things job candidates can do in advance to impress a hiring manager. Would you guys add anything else to this list? Joseph Wong Brian Marple MAJ George Hamilton SGT Jason Noma LT George Bernloehr PO2 Jimmy Prencipe LTC Paul Turevon Capt Mark Perrault Sgt Private RallyPoint Member Lucas Buck LCDR Mike Roshaven MSG Bill Lewis, B.A., M.B.A. Sgt Evan Proctor SMSgt Al Schilling

4 Ways to Impress a Hiring Manager Before You Even Walk in the Door

How to Impress Companies Online - The Muse: Let your amazing reputation precede you.

Response by SGT Jason Noma made Jan 27 at 2015 12:46 PM

2015-01-27T12:46:56-05:00

Before you’re even invited to interview with the hiring manager, you’ll need to impress a recruiter. It’s probably been said many times before, but you should approach your interaction from the recruiter’s perspective: When we go out to talk with a group of people, we’re looking for people that fit the company’s specific needs. That means you shouldn’t go up and ask (either in person at a job fair or over e-mail), “What are you hiring for?” That’s basically code for “I have no idea what your company does and I haven’t bothered to do any research ahead of time and I’m expecting you to do all the work for me.”

If you want to be a strong candidate, then it’s worth the investment of your time to familiarize yourself with the company and the need that you can address. If you’ve done the research and you’re genuinely excited about your fit for the role, then you’ll almost certainly make a strong first impression. Good luck!

Response by LCDR Mike Roshaven made Jan 28 at 2015 3:24 PM

2015-01-28T15:24:09-05:00

I share George Hamilton's opinion- all but #3 are spot on for the military transitioner. Now if you have been out for a while, and are in marketing, sales, etc already, go for #3 as well. What I try to impress on applicants coming out of the military is to find the 'Rosetta Stone' that will translate your skillsets to what they want for that particular role- as well as provide you with information on their industry skillsets that at first read, may not appear to be your wheelhouse. An example I use for Oil & Gas is 'Turnarounds'. Most transitioners will respond to the question of 'How many years experience do you have performing Turnarounds' with a zero. But some research into the topic will show that most do have some experience perfomring large scale maintenance actions, such as a shipyard period, platform wide overhaul, or other major equipment maintenance/installation/startup that is tied to a large piece of gear not performing its mission. This ties well into the 4th point in the article, which talks about showing that you have knowledge in the industry.

Response by Sgt Branden W. made Feb 3 at 2015 5:00 PM

2015-02-03T17:00:36-05:00

How about a format for a resume? I don't want mine to be too wordy or too "bare bones."
Anyone care to weigh in on a resume format that they consider perfect for USAJOBS etc? I've got the verbage / translation.. I need a format that a recruiter prefers.

Response by Sgt Branden W. made Feb 16 at 2015 8:58 AM

2015-02-16T08:58:27-05:00

I've got my resume pretty damn polished. This is formatted for USA JOBS. RP won't let me attach to this comment, so I've uploaded it to my Profile. I'll email it to those generous SM who agreed to check it out.

I'll take any and all constructive criticism / job offers... HA! There may be some formatting issues, but I'm in the content stage right now. Final formatting edits still need to be made.

This is for a position as an Intel Analyst (Operations)

Thanks Joseph Wong MAJ George Hamilton Lucas Buck

Response by Cindy Hill, MS, CPCU made Oct 20 at 2015 9:47 AM

2015-10-20T09:47:35-04:00

My biggest piece of advice to transitioning military is to position yourself for continued success by demonstrating your skillset. Be prepared to share a major career accomplishment and the specific actions you took to achieve your results. Look for careers that offer job stretch, job growth and job satisfaction.

Response by Michael Mueller made Nov 11 at 2015 3:13 PM

2015-11-11T15:13:00-05:00

For my organization, Datto, Inc., we like to keep things simple.
We hire on two major criteria that really flow to everything else:
namely, Attitude and Aptitude.
We will train those individuals who are eager to learn, we will provide the right tools to position our employees for success, and we do have a work culture that embraces creativity and innovation.
We are refreshingly different...and we are rapidly growing as a result.

Response by Ashley Inman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP made Nov 16 at 2015 3:45 PM

2015-11-16T15:45:35-05:00

Great points from my fellow recruiters in this feed. My two cents - it really helps to have a summary paragraph at the beginning of the resume to sum up soft skills, years of experience, types of teams led, numbers of people in the teams, financial responsibility, software knowledge. Specify if leader of people, or strong individual contributor with defined skillset. Have 3 people outside the military read your resume before you apply to a civilian position. Thank you for your service!

Response by Eileen Norton made Nov 18 at 2015 11:28 AM

2015-11-18T11:28:18-05:00

Certifications are key. Resume tailored to each job, addressing specific points/skills desired on job description. Network.

Response by Emily Vallerie made Dec 2 at 2015 3:26 PM

2015-12-02T15:26:59-05:00

Usually I look at any leadership experience and practical application of your skills utilized in the military: software/hardware troubleshooting, anything IT/Technical related, any sort of roles where you've problem solved and coordinated multiple efforts.