ARS Press Room

The Bedford firm ‘translates’ military experiences and skills into more understandable terms for civilian human resource professionals

By Cindy Kibbe NH Business Review

A new Bedford staffing company assists servicemen and women in finding jobs after they’ve completed their tours of duty — but the support doesn’t end in simply posting a resume.

Launched in November, the Armed Forces Connection helps veterans and employers understand how military qualifications fit into a civilian world. Richard Purtell, president of AFC and its sister companies, American Resource Staffing and Premier Medical Staffing, said he saw the difficulties service members were encountering as they tried to find careers outside of the military.

“Those with longer military experience have this quiet, self-assured nature about them, but they didn’t have interviewing skills. Sometimes they need more counseling than the kids with two or three years of service,” he said. And younger soldiers returning from service may only be in their 20s and have never held a professional job or had an interview prior to their military experience.

Purtell found that employers were unaware of the qualifications of service people, and veterans themselves were unaware of just how their duties in the military translated to job functions outside of the military, whether they have been in the service for two years or 20.

That is where AFC is different from other veterans’ assistance programs, said Purtell. Not just a job board for posting resumes and open positions, AFC provides that “translation” of military experiences and skills into more understandable terms for civilian human resource professionals.

Kevin Vail, a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy serving as a medic with the Marines, said he looked for a position for about three months after he left the service, but his resume was not stirring up any employer interest. It was, he said, the transition from military to civilian life was “by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” The job search was a large part of that difficult road.

Well-qualified for a number of positions in the health-care and human resources fields — he holds several military certifications including that of an instructor of advanced life support — he found many hospitals could not make the connection between what they needed and what he had to offer.“My certifications were great, but I was told they were from a different accrediting agency than what they wanted,” said Vail.

His 10-page resume — a behemoth by today’s standards — also was an issue. With AFC’s help, he was able to trim down his resume to one page and post it on AFC’s Web site and several other general job sites. In a little over two months, Vail has received 100 responses by his estimate and has been interviewing for a management position in human resources for an employer in North Carolina.

“I have to say, at every turn, AFC has come through with any last-minute requests I’ve needed for interview critiques or anything else,” said Vail.

Quality job candidates

AFC’s services do not end with career placement assistance or even with the soldier — an entire family must begin anew.

Shelby Russell, AFC’s executive director and a retired master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force with 20 years of service, is well aware of what today’s soldiers and their families leaving the military are facing, having gone through the struggle himself.

“Not only did I have to find a civilian job, we had to find a house, my wife had to find a job and find new schools for the kids,” he said. According to AFC, while 225,000 service members leave the armed forces each year, half that number again represents military spouses who also may be looking for civilian careers.

That’s why the staffing firm’s services also extend to immediate family members, said Russell.

“We are passionate about helping the whole family,” said Russell. In addition to career guidance, AFC provides educational assistance to its clients.

“I had one young man who drove a truck in Kuwait, but was not interested in driving another one down I-93,” said Purtell. AFC helped him look at his skill set in different ways and find education programs that were compatible. AFC also provides information on locating colleges, applying for federal grants and scholarships, and even hosts a blog where service members can ask questions of transition counselors.

Beyond brushing up resumes and providing scholarship information, AFC also helps vets and their families find homes through relocation assistance partners, such as Realtor.com.

“The government pays for most relocation costs of service members for up to a year,” said Purtell, “so this even helps employers.”

A new service Purtell and Russell are currently working on is putting together resources for disabled veterans.

Statistics say there are 7.3 million disabled vets, many of whom are seeking employment.

Purtell said employers also benefit from AFC’s services by being able to draw from a pool of experienced candidates who are well-educated and have, in many cases, undergone pre-screening and behavioral testing.

“Over 99 percent of service members have a high school diploma, and at least 25 percent have training beyond college,” said Purtell.

AFC’s candidates also have proven leadership and management experience and technical skills, and many already possess security clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense, which can cost companies upwards of $10,000 to obtain.

Employers can choose from several tiered packages, ranging in cost from $249 to $999 per month, which enable them to post jobs, view resumes of potential candidates anywhere in the world, and provide skills testing and evaluation.

Other job boards can charge thousands of dollars more per month and may also have limits on how far away from the business the search pool can extend, said Purtell.

Another benefit for employers is subtle but important, he said: AFC’s candidates are all actively seeking jobs, not merely “testing the waters,” as many do who post their resumes on larger national sites.

One employer, Kirk Marshall, vice president of Premier Medical Staffing – which places nurses and nurse’s aides — praised the quality of AFC’s job candidates.

“The candidates we see seem to be a bit more disciplined. They show more strategic thinking skills and know where they want to go,” said Marshall. There’s another benefit in hiring a service member that doesn’t touch the bottom line, said Marshall: working with men and women who have volunteered to serve their country.

“The least we can do is make it easier for them to find a job” after they leave the service, he said.