By Cindy Johnson, Recruitment Manager: Professional Search Division As we head into mid-May, we start thinking about weekend plans for Memorial Day on the 26^th.  Some of us will also be thinking about Armed Forces Day on the 17^th to honor Veterans and those still on Active Duty.  If you’re in the staffing industry, you’re probably now thinking about hiring Veterans.  It’s become a movement across many industries to focus on hiring Vets, and we at MPS Technical are doing our part.  But how do you take the idea and make it a reality?

A job in the military is different from a job in a traditional corporate setting.  The structure, hierarchy, and specialization of military life can come off as strange and confusing to a hiring manager who hasn’t served.  Titles will be different on a resume and you may have to look up a few acronyms you don’t know, but as a hiring manager, it’s worth the time.  The key to tapping into this great talent pool of Veterans is to understand how those skills and experiences can translate into your business.

Structure:

Think of the military as a giant, multi-national corporation.  Each branch functions as a division with specialties across multiple locations.  Operations Theaters are enterprise-level projects with sub-projects going down to the small team level.  Each project has specific resources, timeframes, milestones, etc. - just like a typical business project.  Problems are met and overcome when everyone does their part.  Leadership, teamwork, and collaboration skills are paramount in a military job.

Hierarchy:

Every business has an organizational chart showing who reports to whom.  The military is the same, just with much more precision and everyone wears their rank on their uniform.  Leaders are picked from the most capable and make their way up the ranks as far as their ability and ambition can take them.  Gaining rank is an achievement, same as moving up in the business world.  If a Veteran lists his or her rank on a resume, take the time to look up what it means.  Just like a VP of a small company doesn’t have the same scope of responsibility as a Fortune 100 VP, a Captain in the Army is not the same as a Captain in the Navy.

Specialization:

It takes a lot of specialized people to keep a large, multi-national company running, the military is no different.  There are engineers, technicians, support personnel, law enforcement, supply chain and vendor management professionals, the list goes on.  Many of those specializations are similar to civilian jobs, the wording is just different.

Take the time to speak with Veteran candidates and get through the military lingo.  You could end up finding exactly the skill set you need with the added bonus of someone highly trainable, dedicated and team-oriented.

[caption id="attachment_588" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Source: TLNT.com[/caption]

MPS Technical is here to help. Have more questions? Contact us today.

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Cindy Johnson is a Recruitment Manger in MPS Technical's Professional Search division. With four years of experience in the staffing industry, Cindy has an extensive network to tap to help find the right candidate for her clients.