The Recruiting Inferno

Sometime over the next few days, an article write by Rob Dromgoole and me will appear on ERE under the same title as this post. Please, please, please read it.

It is our opinion that we cannot do enough to help those who stand on the wall to protect us – it is irrelevant whether you believe that conflicts are just; to us the simple fact is that there are those who take the bullet and ask for little in return. To us, the best return our profession can offer is time and knowledge.

But it’s more than awareness that I’m asking of you: Rob and I want to pair a recruiter with a veteran to act as a coach, mentor, gatekeeper crasher – a job search pimp if you prefer. We want at least one thousand recruiters to commit to working with one thousand veterans – to help them focus, target, and succeed in their job search.

I know this sounds a bit cryptic but there’s a not-for-profit start-up behind this that will enable companies to build relationships with those in the military at the point in time when they put in their papers to leave the service. It will also include very specific career assessment and mentoring programs as well as social networking for soon-to-be and existing veterans. This is a VERY different model than what exists today.

Imagine being able to connect with TS talent the moment they put in their paperwork and helping them make the transition to the private sector? How good would it make you feel to have someone thank you for helping them find the right opportunity? It’s been said that the best cure for battle PTSD is a good job – all my friends who have transitioned out of the military echo this.

What I’m asking is for you to join us on 1,000 Recruiters of Light on Facebook. There are two photo albums, one for recruiters and one for veterans; to this end, if you know of a veteran or a veteran-to-be, encourage them to join as well. I’m sure you can figure into which photo album to place your picture.

So rather than saying “Thank you for your service” let’s show them how much they’re appreciated. In our opinion, it’s the least we can do…

If you have any questions, please post them here or on the Fan Page.

Thanks so much.