Eliminate Relocation Expenses by Tapping Transitioning Military

The Internet is not a passing fad, and resume databases continue to proliferate as a cost effective recruitment tool. For those recruiting managers with a tight budget, posting positions on the Internet serves as a low cost alternative to running a weekly advertisement in the local newspaper to attract talent. Instead of only advertising your openings to a limited geographical region or city, your job postings can now be seen worldwide for less than a one-time insertion in the Sunday paper. One never knows who may be interested in relocating to your community for the right opportunity. However, with this added exposure could come increased cost. Whereas only advertising locally, you were reaching a talent pool already in the area; now your ideal candidate may now be half way around the world. What?s the chance of enticing the ideal applicant to move to your location at his/her own expense in this tight labor market? I would say about the same chance of winning the lottery?unless your applicant is transitioning directly from the military. All of a sudden that bargain ad may end up costing you thousands of dollars with the added expense of relocation. This makes recruiting from the ?transitioning military talent pool? that much more advantageous since the government picks up the tab to make the transition back to civilian life that much more bearable. Typically, when one enters the military, the final duty station may be thousands of miles away from home, and the military bears the responsibility to return the applicant to where they originated from, or their home of record (HOR). As a matter of convenience and cost savings for all involved, transportation regulations also allow a nice little twist. If their next career takes them elsewhere, and as long as the radius of the free move is equal or less, the service member is free to go anywhere in the world. The most expensive part of a relocation is the boxing up of one?s household goods, if the mileage exceeds your free entitlement, the additional cost is much less than a dollar a mile, far less than what you would expect to pay to recruit someone not in your local area. In some cases, such as completing a 20-year commitment, the applicant has an unlimited radius. Additionally, a nice little benefit thrown in is the ability to store their personal belongings up to a year (and possibly longer with extensions) after they are discharged. Allowing the hiring manager a few months to ?train? the new employee in one location, (making an allowance for temporary housing), and when training is completed, take full advantage of the free move at that time. Military applicants are used to this lifestyle, and are usually quite flexible in re-locating for the right opportunities. For example, Future employee Jane Doe is exiting the military from Phoenix, Arizona, but received her commission from West Point, NY. Furthermore, she has declared her Home of Record to be Orlando, Florida. Although Jane can be relocated for free with a radius of over 2000 miles, she has elected to take a position in San Jose, CA. The new employer has just recruited an outstanding new employee, all without paying any relocation expenses.