Why ex-military candidates make excellent employees
It can be tricky for ex-military candidates to find rewarding careers but employers should always be open to the great diversity of skills learnt during service. Ex-military candidates can be fantastic additions to the workforce and bring much-needed insight to modern businesses.
Highly skilled and prepared to learn
A military career involves endless training. The mindset of always improving, reaching further, and achieving more is absolutely hardwired into servicepeople. One of our most requested attributes for candidates is ‘being prepared to learn’ and depressingly it can often be where candidates fail. Employers need people keen and intent on bettering themselves and their performance – it’s worth a thousand paper certificates! The commitment and discipline to always be learning is a vital resource and having one dedicated go-getter can change the whole culture of a workplace.
Organisation and adherence to rules
Being disorganised on active service can mean a matter of life or death. Bringing that focus to a regular workplace is a real asset, and once again the message spreads. If one member of staff is always on time, always prepared and always in control of their workload, the rest of the team needs to keep pace. In the military adherence to rules is vital. Strict codes of conduct may not be quite as necessary but, especially in highly regulated industries, it’s crucial to understand and abide by legislation. Sloppy interpretation of regulation can destroy a business and many companies could learn something from the military around issues of health and safety!
Problem-solving and teamwork
Some employers seem a little hesitant about considering ex-military candidates. Perhaps they think them are unlikely to fit into a more relaxed environment. However, teamwork is at the heart of the forces ethos and if you are all working toward an end goal a little bit of military input may be just what you need. Much training involves problem-solving as a team and we all know how valuable that is in modern business. Don’t underestimate the creative problem-solving skills built up in a military career. They are very transferable and are likely to bring an interesting diversity of methods to your team.
Leadership and management
Rest assured, ex-military candidates are not suddenly going to come to your office and bark commands! However, the leadership skills taught in the armed forces are second to none.