Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/305391
maintenance | by Tom Jackson | TJackson@randallreilly.com T he economy is growing and construction contrac- tors are scrambling for new employees. Accord- ing to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction employment is expected to grow by 1.84 million jobs or 33 percent by 2020. At the same time there are thou- sands of technically profi cient people exiting the military every year and their numbers are expected to swell over the next fi ve years as budget cuts reduce the size of the uniformed services. For construction contractors look- ing to add skilled employees to their business there isn't a better pool of candidates to choose from than the men and women transitioning from the military. But it can be a challenge to fi nd them and convince them that your company is the company they need go to work for when they leave the service. According to Dan Young, regional partner/man- ager at Orion International, to snag these high-value employees you need an "all-encom- passing, enterprise-level strategy." There are fi ve key elements to such a strategy. 1. Marketing Military veterans aren't going to beat a path to your door just because you put an ad in the paper. Your strategy should start with a marketing program to get your name out to the military community. And part of marketing is to do your homework. Learn who these people are, how their skills could fi t within your organization and what their expectations are for a sec- ond career in the civilian world. Marketing is not something most heavy construction contractors put a lot of effort into. But when it comes to military veterans, Young says, there are dozens, if not hundreds of other companies competing for these veterans' attention. "You have to posi- tion your company as an attractive career opportunity and an employer of choice," he says. To get exposure to the widest pos- sible military community you may need to hire a consulting fi rm with well-established ties to the transitioning military commu- nity, says Young. The construc- tion contractors who do this typical have bigger goals than just fi lling a few empty posi- tions. "They want a full- scale military talent program," he says. This includes not only advertising in the periodicals that reach transition- ing military personnel, but help iden- tifying relevant job fairs and making connections with the military's training schools such as the Seabees school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where the Army trains its combat engineers. 2. Show them the benefi ts Once you've enabled these prospec- tive employees to fi nd you, you need to be able to show them the benefi ts and advantages of working in the civilian sector and especially for your company. These are not newbies off the street, but well- trained, highly motivated and proven entities. But few of them know how things work or what to expect in the civilian world. What will attract them to your company are: s %DUCATION AND TRAINING OPPOR TUNITIES "Continuing education and training is a benefi t that most vet- erans want," Young says. "It is a criti- cal factor, especially with the mid- level and upper level candidates," he says. Advanced training is automatic in the military, but not always so in the civilian world. Many veterans will have their GI bill benefi ts and are looking for an opportunity that's going to allow them to continue with their education while working. s ! HEALTHY WORKLIFE BALANCE A big plus for contractors in the private sector is the ability to sell military people on the work-life bal- ance, Young says. "As you can imagine, a lot of veterans don't have a good under- standing of what a healthy or reasonable work-life balance is," he says. "That's probably the biggest reason why the majority of vet- erans transition An ad in the paper isn't enough – you need a strategy Five tips for hiring military veterans May 2014 | EquipmentWorld.com 26