Military Recruitment is a Nightmare Worldwide!

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As a recruiter, I’m always interested in stories about industries struggling to recruit. I find that industries that struggle all have the same issues:

  • Low wages for market skill
  • Unable or unwilling to build their talent
  • Not enough available talent within the market
  • The industry has a negative perception
  • Not enough benefits for the work required

There are other minor issues, but it’s a universal issue that almost always exists.

I read recently that militaries worldwide, in rich countries like Germany, the UK, France, Italy, and the US, are massively struggling to hit recruitment targets for their militaries.

Every one of these countries is focusing on GenZ and the incoming generation, GenAlpha, and “what’s wrong with them.” Why do these generations have low interest in joining the military of their country? Have we lost pride in our country? Etc.

In every industry, we tend to believe we have unique issues that no one else has. Maybe the military does have some. It’s fairly rare that you take a job with the understanding you could actually be killed doing this job! I mean, anyone can get killed doing any job, but this job is purposely going to put you in dangerous positions. That being said, past generations were able to fill their ranks with a higher degree of death. The reality is that militaries around the world, in rich countries, have never had better training, equipment, and support not to die or get injured.

So, why is recruiting someone to the armed forces so tricky?

There are some issues:

  • Demographics in rich countries are declining when you take away immigration growth. We. Do. Not. Make. Enough. Babies! Also, in America specifically, we suck at converting immigrants to citizens who might want to work in our military. We do it, but we really don’t market this avenue to citizenship very well.
  • The government and taxpayers haven’t figured out that Americans aren’t in desperate need of dangerous, low-paying jobs.
  • We stopped selling heroes.

Recruiting is easy if you can meet three things: at market compensation for the level of skill you desire, a job where someone feels there’s a future, and you can look into the eyes of those you care about and be proud of what you do.

The military today only gets one of those right – you can move up in your career, and there’s a clear pathway forward for most recruits who want it. They fail the other two. Pay is crappy for that job, and too many Americans do not treat those who protect them as heroes.

Another issue is this is really a recruitment marketing issue. The armed forces do a decent job at recruitment marketing. They are innovative, they are modern, and they are consistent in their approach. A lot of corporations should take note of their efforts. This is a foundational failure of our culture. Too many Americans look down on military members as low-educated, gun-loving hillbillies. They don’t respect the difficult work they do in protecting our country and our interests. Politicians want to use them for votes but then throw them away once they get that vote. Both parties do this.

How do we change this?

We have to realize we do not have enough American citizens to fill the jobs we have, especially those jobs in the military. There are two ways to change that:

  1. You overpay or lead the market in pay for the work. You steal workers from other employers.
  2. You create an immigration policy specifically designed for military recruitment that works quickly.

Simultaneously, you have to change the culture of our country in how they see those who work in the military as “the” frontline workers. The front of the front line workers. This is Maslow-level stuff! If you’re not safe, it doesn’t matter where your next meal is coming from! Right now, in America, we are too comfortable. We believe we are too safe. This allows some to look down on those who provide that safety.

Only 6% of Americans have or will serve in the military, while more Americans have worked for Walmart and Amazon. So, it’s easy for people not to know, understand, or even think about the military, and it’s easy for them to disregard its importance. The military complex has been well aware of this for years and still they haven’t been able to turn it around. That’s worrisome. We should all be concerned and want to help. This is foundational to who we are as Americans.

Why I Love Being a Recruiter

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Re-run Friday time! This post originally ran in July 2013.

Why ‘Recruiter’ is the best job in HR.

I grew up and lived most of my life in Michigan.  There are so many things I love about living in Michigan and most of those things have to deal with water and the 3 months that temperatures allow you to enjoy said water (Jun – Aug).  There is one major thing that completely drives me insane about Michigan.  Michigan is at its core an automotive manufacturing state which conjures up visions of massive assembly plants and union workers.  To say that the majority of Michigan workers feel entitled would be the largest understatement ever made.  We have grown up with our parents and grandparents telling us stories of how their overtime and bonus checks bought the family cottage, up north, and how they spent more time on their ‘pension’ than they actually spent in the plant (think about that! if you started in a union job at 18, put in your 30 years, retired at 48, on your 79 birthday you actually have had a company pay for you longer than you worked for them – at the core of the Michigan economy this is happening right now – and it’s disastrous!  Pensions weren’t created to sustain that many years, and quite frankly they aren’t sustainable under those circumstances).  Seniority, entitlement, I’ve been here longer than you, so wait your turn – are all the things I hate about my great state!

There is a saying in professional sports – “If you can play, you can play”.  Simply, this means that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, how much your contract is worth – if you’re the best player, you will be playing.  We see examples of this in every sport, every year.  The kid was bagging groceries last month, now he’s start quarterback in the NFL!  You came from a rich family, poor family, no family – doesn’t matter – if you can play, you can play.  Short, tall, skinny, fat, pretty, ugly, smart, no-so smart – if you can play, you can play.  Performance on your specific field of play – is all that matters.  BTW – NHL released this video last year supporting the LGBT community (if you can play…) –

This is why I love being a recruiter!  I can play.

Doesn’t matter how long I’ve been doing it.  Doesn’t matter what education/school I came from.  Doesn’t matter what company I work for.  If you can recruit – you can recruit.  You can recruit in any industry, at any level, anywhere in the world.  Recruiting at its core is a perfect storm of showing us how accountability and performance in our profession works.  You have an opening – and either you find the person you need (success), or you don’t find the person (failure).  It’s the only position within the HR industry that is that clear cut.

I have a team of recruiters who work with me. Some have 20 years of experience, some have a few months – the thing that they all know – if you can recruit, you can recruit.  No one can take it away from you, no one can stop you from being a great recruiter.  There’s no entitlement or seniority – ‘Well, I’ve been here longer, I should be the best recruiter!’ If you want to be the best, if you have to go out and prove you’re the best.  The scorecard is your placements.  Your finds.  Can you find talent and deliver, or can’t you.  Black and white.

I love recruiting because all of us (recruiters) have the exact same opportunity.  Sure some will have more tools than others – but the reality is – if you’re a good recruiter – you need a phone and an ability to connect with people.  Tools will make you faster – not better.  A great recruiter can play.  Every day, every industry.  This is why I love recruiting.

HR Advice Gone Bad

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Yesterday I found myself wondering, “What’s the worst advice I’ve ever given someone?” The answer popped into my head pretty fast. I remembered a few times when my advice, looking back, was more about making fun of so-called ‘good’ advice than actually helping anyone.

Here are a few examples:

  1. Don’t be afraid to fail.
  2. Follow your passion!
  3. Don’t play office politics.
  4. Pursue that Master’s degree in HR!
  5. Just keep it to yourself, no one will find out.

See what I’m talking about?!  All of the above statements have been shared as good advice, but I tend to think of them as terrible advice.

However, one piece of advice stands out as the worst I’ve ever given:

“Just wait and see what happens…”

I gave this advice to an employee who really wanted a different position within our company. We all knew the current person in that role was about to get promoted. I was new to my HR career and trusted our company’s process, so I told the employee to wait and apply when the position opened up. How naive I was.

The promoted person had his own plan, which didn’t involve our process or the employee I advised. Instead, he planned to put one of his friends in his old position, and everyone seemed to know about this plan—except me. This taught me a big lesson: in HR, you need to know what’s going on behind the scenes and manage expectations early on.

The employee I told to wait felt betrayed and lost trust in me. I couldn’t blame them—I should have known better.

This experience taught me more about HR than almost anything else. As soon as you hear about possible changes, you need to get involved. Waiting to see what happens usually means things will happen without you knowing!

In the end, my bad advice taught me a lot. Being proactive and staying ahead of potential changes is crucial in HR. Waiting to see what happens usually ends up with stuff happening, without you knowing!

Join Me at DisruptHR Lansing 4.0!

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Tickets for DisruptHR Lansing 4.0 On Sale Now!

If you’ve been to a DisruptHR event before, you know how awesome they are. So you gotta grab your tickets now before they sell out! It’s happening at 6:30 PM on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at The View at Jackson Field in Lansing, MI. It’s going to be a great time!

Buy DisruptHR Lansing Tickets!

New to DisruptHR? Here’s the scoop:

-5-minute HR-inspired talks by people like us – nerdy HR pros who love what we do! We’ll do 12-14 talks, so it’s a quick two-hour evening. It can be longer if you come to the after-party!

-The talks are fast and fun. Some will make you laugh. Some make you cry. Some will inspire you. We support every brave soul who comes to the stage!

-Each talk has a slide deck of 20 slides that auto-move every 15 seconds. So, there’s always a chance for a train wreck!

-It’s a free open bar! What could go wrong? HR pros. Unlimited drinks. Fast presentations.

I genuinely believe it might be the best HR team-building activity out there. You learn something. You have fun. You can network with a fantastic community of HR professionals in the Greater Lansing Area.

Want to see what it’s like? Check out thousands of DisruptHR Talks from around the world!

DisruptHR hosts events in over 150 cities worldwide. This is our fourth event in Lansing, and we think ours is the best!

Visit the DisruptHR Lansing Site to Learn More!

Email Hero or Email Slave?

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This Re-Run Friday is from July 2017 – Email Heroes – Are you one?

For most of their careers, my parents could never check their work email at home.  It did mean that they probably stopped working when they got home, unlike most professional employees today.  My parents also rarely made it home at 5 pm and worked in the office many Saturdays and Sundays when the work needed to get done. The world changed, we can now get work done almost anywhere.

When did we start defining work as sitting in the bathroom at home and replying to emails in five minutes as work?

Let’s face it, most people aren’t really working when they are home if they don’t normally work at home.  They like to believe that what they’re doing is real work, but if can also wait to be done the next morning when you arrive at the office, you’re not doing real work, you’re just narcissistic.  Oh, I better immediately get back to John and tell him I can definitely do that interview at 8 am, next week Friday…

We act like checking work email at home is the same as donating a kidney or something.

Studies show that 59% of males and 42% of females respond to emails when out of the office.  Those numbers actually sound low to me. The survey also shows that younger workers are more likely to think about work when going to bed and when waking. Just wait! Pretty soon thinking about work will be the same as work!

Are we losing our f’ing minds!?

Seriously! I want to know.  Having the ability to check and respond to emails outside of the office increase your work-life flexibility, but we talk about it like it’s an anchor.  That iPhone is only an anchor if you make it an anchor!  I have a son who plays baseball and I watch as many of his games as I can.  In between innings I always check my email and respond to work if necessary. I do not consider that work. I consider that watching my son play baseball!

Making the decision to take a half a day to watch my son play baseball is easy, because I know I can balance both jobs I have, running a company and being a Dad.  Does my son care that I’m checking email while he’s warming up in between innings?  No. He doesn’t even notice.  It’s not like I’m behind the backstop giving a performance review over the phone while he’s up to bat! I’m just checking and following up on some emails.

If you decide you want to stay connected to your job and organization while you are out of the office, that is a personal decision. Don’t act like you’re a hero going above and beyond by keeping up on your emails. You’re not, everyone does that.

If keeping up with your emails is the real work you’re doing, you’re highly overpaid and easily replaceable. If telling your coworkers you checked emails while out of the office on some personal time to show how dedicated and better you are than them, you need to get a life, email hero.

Is the Grass Really Greener?

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If you’ve handed in a two-week notice, you’ve probably heard:

“Just remember! The grass isn’t always greener!”

They’re mostly right. Here’s what “greener grass” really means when you’re thinking about a new job:

  • 50%: Same Shade of Green – Half the time, the new job is pretty much the same as the old one. The work, the people, the pay—it’s all about the same. The only changes are the company’s name and maybe the location.
  • 30%: Light Brown – In 30% of cases, the new job is worse, like dead grass. HR might think this happens more often, but it’s still enough to make you think twice.
  • 10%: Bright Green – There’s a 10% chance the new job is fantastic, like a dream come true. Everything is better, and you’re super happy with your decision.
  • 10%: Artificial Turf – For the remaining 10%, the new job isn’t what you expected at all. It’s like moving to a place where grass doesn’t grow, and they’ve put in fake grass or rocks instead. It’s not worse, but it’s definitely different from what you thought it would be.

Why Do We Think Moving is Better?

  1. Recruiters who are good at their jobs – Recruiters and hiring managers often make the new job sound amazing, like you’re moving from a boring place to somewhere incredible. It’s easy to believe their pitch.
  2. The unknown seems better – We often think the unknown is better than what we have. This happens with jobs, relationships, and even choosing a table at a restaurant.
  3. Grass is Always Greener Syndrome – We tend to think others have it better. If you’re eager to leave your job, yet others are eager to get it, what does that mean? It’s unlikely that you’re the only one who’s right. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

People often say young workers like to change jobs a lot and don’t have loyalty. The truth is they might just not know the realities of job changes. Everyone likes switching jobs until it goes wrong, and they end up leaving something good for something bad.

Once you’ve experienced a bad job change, you’re less likely to switch jobs again, even if your current one isn’t great. Don’t underestimate your current job. It’s probably better than you think, and the new one might not be as good as it sounds. It’s not exciting, but it’s reality.

Why To Leave Your Job

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There are countless ways to lose your job—layoffs, company shutdowns, or inappropriate behavior. You name it, someone has lost their job because of it!

The truth is, most people leave their jobs by choice, and it isn’t only about getting a bigger paycheck or a higher position.

In fact, there are four main reasons people choose to leave their jobs:

1. Bad Boss

A lot of people quit because they can’t stand their boss. If employees feel unappreciated or unsupported, they’ll start looking for new opportunities. It’s important for leaders to have good relationships with their employees, as a bad boss leads to a LOT of people quitting.

2. Wrong Job Fit

Sometimes, a job just isn’t the right fit. This can become clear pretty quickly, leading employees to look for roles that better match their skills and interests. In many of the jobs we hire for, the key to success is finding the right fit. It’s all about matching the right person to the right role and showing up consistently. It’s surprising how often we overlook this simple truth!

3. Commute Problems

Commute times can seriously mess with job happiness. Some folks don’t mind a long drive, but others lose their minds if it takes even a few minutes longer. A rough commute can burn people out and make them hate their jobs.

4. Culture Clash

Workplace culture is a big deal. Employees need to feel comfortable and in tune with their company’s values and environment. If the culture feels wrong, employees might feel out of place and unhappy!  Everyone has a preference culture. Find yours!

These four reasons cover about 99% of why folks decide to ditch a job. Sure, some will tell you they left for a fat raise or a fancy title, but often all of that can usually be had at their current employer with a little patience and some conversations.

Your Company History: Snooze or News?

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This Re-Run Friday was originally posted in July 2015!

Your Company’s History, is History

Is it important to KFC that Colonel Sanders wasn’t really a real Colonel?

Is it important to suburban teen clothing company, Hollister Co. that none of it’s history is real?

Is it important to your company about how it was started, who started it, etc. You know, the backstory.  Is your company’s backstory important to your business?

We like to believe it is, and I think for some organizations it’s important to their guiding mission. But, let’s face it, for most of us, it’s just a story. Culver’s has tells us some of their story about burgers and frozen custard in their commercials, but let’s face it, I’m not eating their because of their history.  I eating their because their cheeseburgers and ice cream are delicious!  I don’t care if their beginnings were in a prison kitchen, I’m buying!

Most people think like this.

Walmart has one of the best American made beginning of all time, and people hate them! They are arguably America’s biggest success of a company, but since they are no longer a small retailer from Arkansas, and began world domination, we hate them. We hate they became successful, and now sell stuff to us really cheap from China.

I believe it’s great to know your company’s history. Where you came from and how you got started. The problem many organizations run into is that they try to live in that past.  “Well, we started out selling washers, and we need to keep selling washers.” Even though our clients can now buy them overseas for 90% less than what you sell them for. This is why companies go under. This is why so many companies who were once great, are no more.

Your company’s history is valuable if people believe it’s actually a differentiator of your brand and success.  Once it no longer holds this designation, it’s just another old story.

Most organizations put way more value on their beginning, on their history, than is needed.  They do this because usually the person, or people, who were are apart of this history is still around.  This is ‘really’ important to them.  This is their legacy.  It might not be the ultimate legacy of the organization, but it is their legacy, now.

One of the hardest things you’ll ever come against as a leader is moving past your organization’s history, if it becomes a roadblock to moving your organization forward.  For many employees this becomes that one thing they can hold onto as true.  It’s what they know, and it doesn’t change. Creating new history is scary and unknown.  So, employees tend to fight back and hold on to the organizational history hard!

Getting employees to buy into the fact they can create and be apart of your new history moving forward is key to getting past your old history.  Your organizational history is just that, history.  Don’t make your history more than it has to be, especially if it isn’t adding value to your future.  If your history equals your brand, you better make sure that is what people want to buy!

The Venmo of Recruiting

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I talked about this a few years ago, and I think it’s bound to catch on eventually.

So, Gen-X and older folks reading this, I probably need to explain what Venmo is. Venmo is an app that makes it super easy to send money to friends. It’s like PayPal but more social. When my three GenZ sons go out to eat, they don’t bother with cash. They just Venmo each other to split the bill. Got it?

In HR and recruiting, we often see tech companies calling themselves the “Tinder” or “Uber” of recruitment. But no one has claimed to be the “Venmo” of recruiting yet. So, I’m jumping on this idea before anyone else does!

Picture this: a mobile app that lets you see where your friends are interviewing, share information, contacts, questions, and reactions about your interview experiences.

Candidates can help each other find jobs, ask for connections at companies, and share insights about hiring managers.

To start, we’ll focus only on candidates, no employers. It will be free (backed by angel investors for the first three years duh!) aiming to hit 50 million users. Once we have a strong user base, we’ll add an employer section. Think of it like Glassdoor but better. Employers can see what people are saying about them and their jobs, but they can’t respond.

Employers will get a behind-the-scenes look at what candidates really think about their company, hiring managers, and the interview process. This info will be super useful for making improvements and highlighting what’s working well. Trust me! TA leaders will pay a lot for this kind of insider info and to see how things change over time.

For candidates, having a trusted network to share real information about interviews, jobs, and companies on a mobile app would be awesome. They can make better decisions and use their connections more effectively.

So, I’m excited to introduce the Venmo of Recruiting. We’re looking for angel investors! Immediately!

Surprise! HR’s Secret Weapon Revealed

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If there’s one piece of advice I could give a new HR Pro, it would be this: no matter how prepared you think you are, you really only need to prepare yourself for one thing—being surprised.

You don’t really get judged on your daily stuff. Let’s face it, 99.9% of the time, your routine tasks go off without a hitch. Handling payroll, organizing training sessions, and managing employee benefits are important, but they usually follow a predictable pattern.

What sets you apart, and what you are truly judged on, is how you handle the unexpected.

Surprises make and break great HR Pro careers.

There’s only one way to prepare for surprises—you need to expect that a surprise will always happen. That one employee you can’t lose or the entire project will blow up? Be prepared to lose them. Talk about it, plan for it, and basically accept that it will happen. Conducting risk assessments and having backup plans can help, but mentally preparing yourself is just as crucial. Then, when it does happen, you’ll be the only one not surprised by it.

The best HR Pros I’ve worked with had this one common trait: they were unshakeable when surprised, almost like they expected it. They had a knack for staying calm and composed, no matter the crisis. Whether it was a sudden resignation, an unexpected legal issue, or a last-minute change in company policy, they handled it with ease.

Expect the unexpected, and you’ll not only survive in the HR world, but you’ll also thrive.