What the Recruiter Never Told You

By Rod Powers


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

The vast majority of U.S. Military recruiters are honest, hard-working professionals, completely dedicated to the core values of their service. In fact, few military personnel put in more hours of work per week than recruiters.

The recruiter's job is to find enough qualified volunteers to fill projected vacancies for the fiscal year, for their particular branch of service. While a majority of military recruiters are hard-working, honest, and dedicated, there are some (and I emphasize some) recruiters who are tempted to bend the truth, and/or downright lie, and/or blatantly cheat in order to sign up a recruit. It happens often enough where we've all heard "horror stories" about military recruiters.

So, why do some recruiters do this?

It's because of the way the recruiting system is set up. It's a numbers game, pure and simple. Recruiters are judged by their superiors primarily upon the number of recruits they get to sign up. Sign up large numbers, and you're judged to be a good recruiter. Fail to sign up the minimum number assigned to you (known as "making mission"), and you can find your career at a dead-end. This policy pressures some recruiters to adopt unethical practices in order to "make mission."

So, you ask, "why don't the services put a stop to this?" Easier said, than done. Each of the services have recruiting regulations which make it a crime for recruiters to lie, cheat, or knowingly process applicants that they know are ineligible for enlistment. Recruiters are punished when they are caught violating the standards. However, the key phrase is "when they are caught." Not that easy to do, as there are usually no witnesses. It becomes a "he said/he said" type of deal.

I should also mention here that, in many cases, "lies" told by a recruiter are actually cases of selected listening by recruits. A recruiter may say, "Many of our bases now have single rooms for most people," and the applicant may hear, "You are definitely not going to have a roommate."

Anyway, enough "recruiter-bashing." As I've said, most recruiters are honest. The purpose of this series is not to run down military recruiters, but rather inform potential recruits the truth about joining the military; the benefits and disadvantages of joining the military, whether for a four-year enlistment, or a 30-year military career. The subject matter of this series necessitates that the "tone" be somewhat critical, or negative. I don't mean it that way. I spent 23 years in the Air Force and enjoyed every minute of it. My primary profession today is to manage this web site and research/write about the United States Military. Both of my daughters are happily serving in the Air Force (one on active duty, one in the Air National Guard). I love the military and every aspect of it.

However, the military is not for everyone. Fully 40 percent of recruits who enlist in the military today will not complete their full term of service. While many discharges will be for reasons beyond the recruit's control, such as medical problems that develop after joining the military, as a First Sergeant for 11 years, I found that a significant number of the involuntary discharges we imposed on first-term recruits was because they simply stopped trying -- they discovered that the military wasn't what they thought it was going to be. Many of them told me that the military wasn't even close to what their recruiters told them it was going to be (either the recruiter lied to them, or they were guilty of "selective listening.") When this happens, everyone loses.

This series is intended to "save" some of that 40 percent by letting potential recruits know up front, just what they are signing up for. Let's get on with the show!

Transition to a Career in Human Resource Management

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

People take widely divergent paths on their journey to working in Human Resource management. They enter Human Resource management by luck and by design and they stay because they enjoy the work and the people.

Common themes emerge when you listen to the stories people tell about their transition into Human Resource management. People say they:

• Started in an administrative role with a company and gradually took on more Human Resource management work over time.
• Decided they wanted to work in Human Resource management and networked with HR professionals in community organizations and the Society for Human Resource Management until an opportunity appeared.
• Worked in another role in their company, made their desire to move to Human Resource management clear to managers and Human Resources, and applied when an opening became available.
• Worked in a component of Human Resource management, like training or recruiting, grew to like the field, and wanted to learn the whole HR role.
• Decided to try the field of Human Resource management and took some classes or earned the PHR to prepare to enter the field.
• Majored in sociology or psychology, people-oriented subjects, with no career path in mind, and saw a good fit with Human Resource management.
• Applied for and worked in Human Resource management internships.

Advice About Transitioning into Human Resource Management

Readers offered these tips to enhance your chances of moving into Human Resource management:

• Review your prior employment, education, and experiences. Tailor your resume and cover letters to highlight the components that qualify you for a career in Human Resource management. Don't expect your prospective employer to connect the dots; the employer won't take the time and you will shatter your hopes for an interview. An interview will allow you to further emphasize the connection between your skills and interests and the HR job for which you are applying.
• Network with people who post HR jobs and influence decisions about who is hired for a position in Human Resource management. Network also in online social media networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and the many Human Resources communities that exist at locations such as job boards, SHRM, and Workforce magazine.
• Make your workplace aware that you are interested in an HR role and ask what you need to do to be prepared when an HR opening occurs. If they don't know, they can't help you grow your career in HR.

Stories About Transitioning to Human Resource Management

Pam Sheirer says:

"I am currently trying to transition into a Human Resources field (environmental health and safety management).

"So far, I been able to dust off some long unused experience in chemistry and some peripheral experience in safety, to be able to fill a niche, a temporary need at work. I also took as many classes, as I could find that would help me achieve my goals. I used all of that, and some excellent recommendations to apply for and be accepted to a Masters Program in Safety. I'm hoping that will help me be able to permanently transition into a safety manager's position.

"You have to be open to opportunities that exist where you currently work, express a desire to help, and use each experience as a series of steps leading to your final goal."

Sheila M. Krueger says:

"I made the transition from an R&D/Technical position into the HR area when our expertise was needed to implement their HRIS solution. I learned a lot about the 'business' of HR during the implementation and found a way to be valuable to that department by blending my technical expertise and technical skills. After eight years in that blended role, I was able to move to another company where I use my technical skills again, but in concentrating on the compensation side of HR."

Jeff Bettinger says:

"I made the transition to HR. I reviewed my previous positions and looked at the HR functions within those positions. I then tailored a resume to highlight those functions. I began networking with HR professionals in my community. Within six weeks, I had three offers. Since that time I have been promoted twice. The most important thing you can do is network. The schooling/certifications can follow. You need someone on the inside to help you get there. Many in HR have landed there after working in other parts of the company."

Cathy (Hackney) O'Brien says:

"I'm in my first job in a coporate HR setting. Years ago, I was a recruiter at a staffing service, which actually aided in getting this current position. For many years, I worked in Higher Education, Student Services Administration. Most of these positions included hiring and training student staff. Since moving to California, I wanted to work for Disney, but wasn't sure in what capacity. I checked their on-line job postings weekly, and finally came across a Human Resources position that would use my transferable skills from higher education and the staffing industry. I did not go back to school, and do not have a degree or certificate in HR."

Rob Wells, PHR (LION), says:

"My experience was similar to some of the stories others tell. I was an outside salesman for quite sometime and moved to an agency recruiting position as my product was phased out. From there I began networking in HR circles like SHRM meetings and landed a position in a corporate setting as an Human Resources Generalist."

Maria Clara Whitaker says:

"I transitioned into Human Resources from the academic clinical research field. Specifically, I boarded the main instrument of my dissertation, the MBTI, and headed towards the vast world of HR consulting."

Human Resources Job Prospects and Earnings

By Susan M. Heathfield


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Job prospects for various Human Resources positions vary by position but they range from growing as fast as the average of other occupations to growing faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Sample Human Resources Job Prospects and Earnings

• Human Resources Assistant: expected to grow by 11 percent between 2006 and 2016, as fast as the average for all occupations.
  
  The median of wages paid to HR Assistants was $33,750 in 2006. The range was $22,700 to more than $48,670.

• Human Resources Generalists, and Training or Labor Relations Managers: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment is "expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. College graduates who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities. Overall employment is projected to grow by 17 percent between 2006 and 2016."
  
  --Compensation and benefits managers made a median income of $74,750 in May, 2006 with a range from $55,370 to $99,690. The lowest paid 10% were paid less than $42,750; the highest 10% earned more than $132,820.
  
  --The median earnings of training and development managers were $80,250 in May, 2006. Salaries ranged from $43,530 to $141,140.
  
  --The median annual earnings of human resources managers in other specialty areas were $88,510 in May, 2006. The range was $51,810 to $145,600. The middle 50% made between $67,710 and $114,860 annually.

How to Research Human Resources Jobs and Careers

You can research any job title at the the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Here's a hint to save you research time. While most Human Resources jobs including managers, generalists, training specialists and labor relations specialists, appear under "Human Resources," higher level jobs, such as Vice President and Director, appear in the index under "Vice President" and "Director."

The site provides the most current information about these job occupation areas.

• Nature of the Work
• Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
• Employment
• Job Outlook
• Projections Data
• Earnings
• Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Data
• Related Occupations
• Sources of Additional Information

More About Potential Salary and Earnings in Human Resources

My only cautionary note, as you can see from the above examples, is that the range within a specific occupation for salaries is broad. You can obtain more specific salary information for your occupation, level, years of experience, region, market competition, skills, and education by researching at job boards, in your Human Resources office from salary surveys, and at sites that provide market research and salary calculators.

The pay for Human Resources jobs generally ranges from around $30,000 for an entry-level job to millions of dollars for a corporate executive with leadership responsibility for thousands or hundreds of thousands of employees, and often responsibility for multiple departments.

Summary of Human Resources Career Opportunities

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the three key points for people who want to work in Human Resources include:

• "The educational backgrounds of these workers vary considerably, reflecting the diversity of duties and levels of responsibility.
• "Certification and previous experience are assets for most specialties, and are essential for more advanced positions, including managers, arbitrators, and mediators.
• "College graduates who have earned certification should have the best job opportunities."

Human Resources is a field that offers multiple job opportunities: see these descriptions of the range of jobs in Human Resources. Human Resources jobs also offer the opportunity to make significant income and to contribute to business culture, business strategy, and the overall happiness and motivation of employees.

More About Pursuing a Career or Job in Human Resources

Looking for information, in addition to job prospects and earnings, about pursuing a career or job in Human Resources? Here are the resources you need to take your career development or job search to the next level.