Talent Acquisition Gets Another Chance: Send in the Troops

Unemployment is expected to rise to eight percent. What ever happened to the War on Talent? Talent that was not available a few months ago is readily available for hire. But that hasn’t changed one important fact – the fundamentals of the workforce remain the same, and there remains a shortage of qualified talent to meet the future demand.

So talent acquisition departments cannot rest easy and assume all of their talent needs will arrive on their doorstep due to layoffs and economic uncertainty. Companies must act now to build alternative pools of candidates, even though the short-term pool of qualified candidates seems to have grown.

Gasoline prices are half of what they were earlier this year. Does that mean there is more oil available on the planet? No, there is just a larger short-term supply and a temporary downturn in demand. The same is true of qualified talent. The labor market is analogous to the current energy situation. The underlying demographics of qualified talent are the same today as they were prior to the nation’s financial meltdown.

In essence, the economic slowdown gives talent acquisition departments a second chance. Don’t waste this opportunity to close the gap on future workforce needs. In addition, the workforce problems of tomorrow cannot be solved by hiring solely from competitors. Employers need to build alternative talent pools and access underutilized talent.

Military veterans are an important part of the solution.

The Armed Forces to the Rescue

Each year, more than 200,000 men and women leave the military and return to civilian life. These individuals have typically been trained in and have mastered numerous basic and technical skills, and often possess management and leadership experience. Couple this skill set with the discipline and strong work ethic that is imbued in military life, and the result is a pool of excellent candidates for a wide range of civilian jobs.

The United States military offers hiring managers some of the best-trained and most experienced candidates. However, this pipeline of talent is often overlooked. Savvy employers who do embrace the ranks of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard for talent are discovering that many of America’s best and brightest are able to make quick and successful transitions to the civilian workforce, and are highly productive and valuable employees.

Companies hiring veterans are often eligible for federal and state tax credits, with some states offering additional credits for hiring veterans with disabilities. Whether your hiring needs are small or battalion-sized, tapping the military for talent brings other tangible benefits.

In addition to the training and experience earned through military service, veterans making the transition to civilian life receive additional job preparation and guidance through a variety of federal programs. The Jobs for Veterans Act, which was signed into law in 2002, has improved employment, training and placement services furnished to veterans.

One of the available resources to help match hiring managers with veterans is VetCentral - www.vetcentral.us, a website that provides career opportunities and links to resources for veterans and transitioning service members. It is a great starting place for companies interested in hiring veterans to fill a current workplace need.

An important next step is to build relationships directly with the military base transition offices and to participate in existing military programs like the Army Partnership for Youth Success (ArmyPaYS – www.ArmyPaYS.com). The goal of ArmyPaYS is to help connect civilian employers with transitioning Army soldiers. Although there is no commitment from employers that they must hire transitioning military personnel, ArmyPaYS helps create a pipeline of talent by designating companies’ interest in considering soldiers as part of their workforce.

Military Reserves are an additional resource for employers. They are highly trained and the ranks include medical, administrative, police, transportation, maintenance, supply services, civil affairs, and public affairs experts. Today, Reserves provide regular operational support to the combat military and receive continuous training. Moreover, the military, recognizing that Reserves are far from being “weekend warriors,” has developed programs to support employers. The Army Reserve Employer Partnership initiative (www.armyreserve.army.mil/arweb) is designed to help employers identify qualified talent as well as replace Reserve talent when deployed. This relationship benefits both the military and the employer. The Army cannot operate without Reserves, and employers cannot survive without qualified employees.

The Future Does Not Look Like the Past

Do not expect the current availability of talent to last. The fundamental problem of not enough qualified talent is only hidden temporarily. Talent acquisition departments need to establish pipelines of talent – and the time to ensure that you have the talent for tomorrow is now, in the midst of the current market chaos. If you wait until your competitors recognize the opportunity, you will be too late.