Employing Ex-Defence

[Bec]

As a general query, how do you feel about employing ex-defence personnel?

I have been struggling to find a decent candidate and I have received an application from a candidate that on paper has only been employed in HR for three years, (after 10 years in the defence force) however their skills and ability are at a high management level.

I am considering interviewing the candidate, however I am wondering if anyone here has had been through a similar situation? Should I look at this candidate as a transitional candidate?

Pros/Cons?

[michaelakassar]

Hi Bec,

Not sure what position you are currently looking to fill, but I would interview this person and find out as much as you can about their experience in both HR and the Defence Force.

Whether they are suitable will depend on how their military and HR skills can be applied to the position you are recruiting, and to your organisation. You should also look at other factors such as your workplace culture. The culture and practices of the military are often very different to those in business.

if you feel they have the potential for a senior role but need more experience first, see if there may be an alternative role at a lower level you could offer them. Make sure that they are provided with the opportunity to apply their higher level skills if you do this, and plan for their development into a more senior role further down the line.

At the end you need to decide what will be best for your organisation.

Hope this helps.



Cheers
Michaela

[Mark D]

I've had reasonable success with ex-military hires, especially in front line supervisory roles in manufacturing. The personal discipline, structured approach to problem solving, and "hands on" preference they pick up in the military transfers well to front line leadership in a factory. I've also seen ex-military training staff do well in corporate training roles that involve the development and delivery of structured training modules. Logistics is another area that ex-military candidates generally excel.

[BaW]

Bec,

As an ex Defence Force Member of 20 years, I recall the frustrations I experienced in getting my foot in the door when seeking employment post Defence, knowing all the while that once provided with an opportunity to demonstrate my competencies, the employer who chose to take me on would realise the value that I could bring to their organisation. I am happy to say that the employer who did choose to take me on commented to me on a number of occasions that I had delivered at a far greater level than they expected and that I had changed their perceptions about hiring ex Defence personnel.

Former Defence members, particularly those who have served for a number of years, generally have many transferable skills, both from a technical perspective and from a leadership/management perspective. They demonstrate great loyality and personal discipline in the performance of their work, are not afraid to make decisions, and can be relied up to do the job.

As you may have gathered I can only suggest that you consider the candidate, if you haven't already (noting your original post was on 30 June) and give them the opportunity to demonstrate to you whether or not they possess the competencies to perform the role at the required level.

Whilst I don't disagree with michaelakassar, I can say from my experience in Defence and 10 years in the private sector (in HR related fields, as an employee and now as an independant consultant) operating a business is no different to operating a ship, army unit or a flight squadron - it is about leading, managing and operating resources - capital, hardware, software and most importantly people.

Best of luck

[sporstcorpelite]

Hi!

Try to interview the person so that you will know his skills and thoughts. Though he's an Ex-defence for 10 years and 3 years in HR, i think you will not be having difficulty if ever you will hire this person. Three years work experience in HR is quite good enough. You can still consider him Transitional.