What are the first things you look at in a job description? How can I better attract our military community to fulfilling careers?

Jessica Horne — Wed, 10 May 2017 15:23:17 -0400

Response by SSG Trevor S. made May 10 at 2017 3:37 PM

SSG Trevor S. — Wed, 10 May 2017 15:37:17 -0400

Since publishing a pay scale seems to be against the HR Ten Commandments, "Commandment four, Thou shall not publish a pay scale. Qualified applicants shall not know their worth before negotiating, so sayeth the Lord." I glance at the description then go over the qualifications. If I meet those then I go back to the description.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2017 3:58 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 May 2017 15:58:04 -0400

Jessica Horne The title is important, because it will attract interest or it won't. A good job description should be accurate and detailed with the job duties. For me, I always wanted a job that would challenge me, so I wanted that to come across in the job description. Thank you for trying to hire veteran men and women.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made May 10 at 2017 4:08 PM

SGT Dave Tracy — Wed, 10 May 2017 16:08:56 -0400

I would pull back from an examination of what should be in a job description, and look at whom hiring managers are trying to reach.

If there is a problem attracting veterans and transitioning service members, that problem I think starts with the perception of the "community" hiring managers are reaching out to. It's a bit of a shotgun approach to target "veterans" or "military members".

One may think that veterans and military members are a homogeneous collection of commonly skilled, motivated worker bees, but there are significant differences among vets and current service members in terms of age, education levels, and training in the wildly different jobs to be found among the various branches of the military.

To say "I want to hire veterans" is as useful as saying "I want to hire college graduates". What does that even mean? What is the job? Who are the candidates supposed to be? What is their education, training and knowledge base? Let's narrow this down a bit and target the search to fill the open position.

As with any effort to recruit qualified people, hiring managers need to have a more narrow focus on who they are looking for. Whether looking for machinists, X-ray technicians, general laborers, firefighters, salespeople, etc., target recruiting efforts where there's a higher likelihood of successfully finding a qualified candidate. Sure, a shotgun approach on RallyPoint for example might garner some interest--and is worth a try--but the greater effort is probably better spent reaching out to specific groups within the military/veteran communities.

If looking to fill "X", post job descriptions that tag X; look for any social media groups that are specific to X; perhaps there are veteran service organizations that may have insight into the X industry and reach out to them. Don't give up on the shotgun approach, but if possible to do so, focus search efforts where one is likely to find the best qualified candidate for the specific position.

Once a hiring manager or headhunter knows what they need and the type of candidate they want to fill it, then decide what goes in the help wanted ad.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2017 4:24 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 May 2017 16:24:26 -0400

Job title and descriptions are important but having the salary (or salary range) would be best. I have applied for jobs, gone through interviews, and put a lot of time into the process only to find out that pay was too low. The job title and description were good, I was definitely interested. But I wasted my time and theirs since they weren't paying more. This has happened to other people I know as well. This isn't just bad for military members, but everyone.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2017 5:11 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 May 2017 17:11:32 -0400

Jessica Horne I look at anything in bold. If you want to highlight something bold it. If you have any perks for veterans such as guaranteed first round interviews for veterans that draws my attention. If you are targeting military veterans you can also have something along the lines of "use the styles you learned in the military to serve again."

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made May 10 at 2017 9:08 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Wed, 10 May 2017 21:08:19 -0400

I always like to go beyond the job description and know what veterans like myself are doing inside a company. Are they happy? Underemployed? Recognized by their peers and leadership as a rising star? Knowing these answers will give me a much better feel for how I might like the organization and any job I apply to.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2017 4:27 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 May 2017 04:27:55 -0400

What type of careers and where? What type of outreach programs does your company have? Are you actively trying to fill positions now?

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made May 11 at 2017 11:19 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Thu, 11 May 2017 11:19:11 -0400

I think people look at job descriptions to find out if the position fits their personal preference criteria. Some folks will work any where for the right salary. Some folks want the opportunity to enter an industry with a chance for advancement. Others are interested in job security and benefits (see government civilian jobs). Some are looking only at jobs in a geographical area because of family concerns.

My advice to recruiters, as a consumer of your "products," i.e., job applicants, is to ensure the job requirements and prerequisite qualifications are clearly spelled out in the job announcement. The goal is to pre-qualify people with the minimum qualifications, knowledge, skills, and abilities to actually do the work. This helps ensure hiring managers don't waste their time reading resumes and doing interviews of people who aren't qualified or don't want the job.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2017 3:37 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 May 2017 15:37:11 -0400

Job Description --> 1.) Years experience needed, 2.) University degrees &/or certifications needed. 3.) whether the HR person knows what is being asked for or sought; does it reflect reality or industry norms/standards?. To fulfilling careers --> recruiters that give a damn (I am assuming you do, which is the exception to the rule in my experience) and are capable and take the time to network and explore legitimate, matching new opportunities. Also, encourage the military community to get education and experience in STEM or health care. Apprenticeships with little or no cost and no age restrictions would also be beneficial to helping a Service Member get his/her foot in the door.