Ex-Military Candidate Communication

I have worked in the ex-military recruitment industry since 2005, starting as a one man operation in bedroom number 3 to now having a team of committed, driven and professional consultants.

As you will appreciate the recruitment journey is not smooth and like any industry where you are dealing with people, including those who have served in our Armed Forces (ex-Royal Navy, ex-British Army and ex-Royal Air Force), you are open to issues and problems.

There is one problem which is very frustrating and it revolves around ‘candidate communication’ or lack of it. Processing candidates towards an introduction to a client (employer) a consultant will gain confidence not only in the ability of that jobseeker to be able to do the job but also their commitment to follow it through. All job seekers have various reasons for looking for new work; unemployed, not happy, relocating, improved package etc. We (recruitment consultants) also acknowledge that during the journey things do change along with personal priorities. This can lead to the job seeker no longer being interested in the vacancy.

Here lies the frustration; the candidate ‘gone quiet’ scenario.

When the candidate is no longer interested in the vacancy instead of just picking up the telephone and updating their recruitment consultant the candidate starts to ignore calls, emails and voice mails. This causes confusion for ALL parties. The consultant is trying to reassure the client that the candidate is still committed whilst, in the background, trying every means possible to contact the candidate.

This becomes even more frustrating when the client has requested that the jobseeker attend an interview or when a job offer has actually been made. Yes you read that right, some candidates disappear when there is a job offer on the table.

In summary it is IMPERATIVE that you keep your consultant updated on your job seeking status i.e. offered another job, staying where I am, changed my mind, done the calculations and the salary is not sufficient, accepted another job, won the lottery etc. Failure to do this can harm the consultant/client relationship and hamper future ex-military candidates being placed.

We don’t bite, we are here to advise, assist and help you secure your next career.