recruitment
A RECRUITER’S JOB IS TO
EXPLAIN THE MILITARY
TO POTENTIAL RECRUITS
AS WELL AS IDENTIFY
CANDIDATES SUITED
FOR THE MILITARY
LIFESTYLE. THEY OPERATE
AS BOTH SALESPEOPLE
AND GATEKEEPERS.
SURVEYS
Each U.S. military service conducts entry and exit surveys to track
the reasons why recruits join and why they decide to leave. This
information is used to fine-tune recruiting slogans and internal
programs. For instance, the entry survey given to new recruits in
the U.S. Navy has indicated that the top two reasons given for
joining the service were that it was a job, and for the training and
education benefits. Armed with this information, the Navy is able
to focus its recruiting pitch and increase the quality of education
programs for service members.
If your organization is small, an informal meeting with new
hires to find out why they joined your company could provide
valuable information. If your company is large and has a survey
program in place, is the data used to refine HR programs, or is it
collected to gather dust?
IMMEDIATE IMMERSION
Historically, U.S. Navy boot camp graduates were assigned to operational
ships or squadrons, but upon arrival at those new bases
they would be diverted to a manpower pool for the first 90 days.
This was done so that those units and ships could draw from the
manpower pool for cooking, cleaning and operational support
without depleting their ranks of trained war fighters. Imagine the
impact on a new sailor arriving on an aircraft carrier with visions
of participating in flight operations, but unexpectedly enters a reality
of scrubbing floors for three months.
One of the most impactful changes the Navy made was to immediately
immerse those new sailors in operations so they could
gain initial qualifications and experience. They were informed upfront
that they would be sent off for 90 days, but they now had a
taste of why they joined in the first place. This change to the onboarding
process positively impacted morale and increased first
tour retention.
A civilian equivalent would be giving new hires initial experience
on a major project team before sending them into more
entry-level jobs. Ed Catmull describes how the “pay your dues in
menial jobs” cultural mindset stifled innovation and creativity at
Disney Animation in his book, Creativity, Inc. It might be worth
reviewing the first few days of your company’s onboarding process
to see if there are ways to generate excitement in your new hires.
Not every military HR program or process is directly applicable
to the corporate world, but reviewing these three areas in
your company might improve your recruiting and onboarding
results. n
Jay Ballard is a writer, speaker, consultant and U.S. Navy combat veteran.
Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock.com
36 ❚ MARCH/APRIL 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
