Connections are crucial for job seekers, particularly in the highly specialized field of defense contracting. Working with respected and versatile defense contractor recruiters is a common way to open doors into this exclusive workforce.
Job candidates have everything to gain and nothing to lose by utilizing a defense contractor recruiter. Recruiters do not charge a service fee when sourcing new positions. Instead, defense contractor recruiters charge fulfillment fees to their clients (the employer), keeping job candidates salaries or hourly wages intact.
Vetting a potential defense contractor recruiter is imperative for gauging the recruiter’s connection to the industry. We’ve developed a guide of top tips for working with defense contractor recruiters to bear in mind during your selection process.
1. Determine the Scope of the Defense Contractor Recruiter’s Connections
If a defense contractor recruiter has a wide scope of connections, they should be placing candidates in a variety of firms of varying sizes. Additionally, candidates should determine if the defense contractor recruiter has connections at the types of organizations they are seeking.
A useful question for candidates to ask is whether the companies the recruiter has access to focus on certain sections of the defense contracting community. Do these businesses support Navy, Army, Air Force, or Intelligence community clients?
It is advantageous to work with a recruiter that focuses on one part of the market, such as IT. If the defense contractor recruiter has multiple concentrations, they should be somewhat related.
2. Evaluate the Depth of the Recruiter’s Connections
In the defense contracting world, most firms use recruiters who have a long-standing relationship with the contracting industry. A key preliminary question to pose to a prospective defense contractor recruiter is how long they have worked in the industry.
Another revealing question is if they have programs to specifically place veterans. There are many programs in the defense contracting community that target the recruitment and hiring of veterans. A recruiter in the defense contracting community should know all the ins and outs of veteran placement, and they should be aware of the various programs and initiatives for veteran recruitment at the major defense contracting firms.
3. Long-Term Connections Should be the Recruiter’s Priority
Staffing agencies pride themselves on their access to a large talent pool as they assist their clients in their hiring needs. To accomplish this goal, agencies need to maintain long-term relationships with job candidates.
In addition, defense contractor recruiters are not limited to short-term positions. Instead, they maintain their relationships by seeking candidates to fill many different job opportunities, including contract, part-time, full-time, and seasonal employment.
4. The Recruiter Should Provide Additional Hiring Resources
While beneficial for all, it is essential for a candidate leaving the military to have a recruiter who can help provide them with interview and resume prep as they prepare to hang up the uniform. The military and defense contracting community are alike in many ways, but the resume and interview requirements are different, since the defense contracting industry is still a corporate environment. The defense contractor recruiter should help job candidates navigate these differences and prepare them accordingly.
5. Let the Defense Contractor Recruiter’s Success Speak for Itself
An easy way to set apart a good recruiter from a great recruiter is the metric of how long the people they place stay in their roles. This speaks to several issues. Does the recruiter negotiate the right salary? Does the recruiter assess a candidate as an individual and place them in a role that fits them? Taking the time to carefully match job candidates into a position they’ll stick with benefits the client, employee, and staffing agency.
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If you are a defense contracting candidate seeking a workplace environment that allows you to reach your greatest potential, Sentient Digital, Inc. can help. Check out our available defense contracting jobs today.