Why go to a recruiter?

1. THE LONG VERSION
This paper is intended to give you a general overview of the Military Recruiting “Industry” and how to best
navigate your way through a civilian transition – should you choose to do so. Keep in mind that I’ve been recruiting
military leadership for a couple years as result, my thoughts may be a bit biased towards Lucas Group. That said, I have
worked for FEMA, the CDC, the UN, some corporations, and for the largest humanitarian organization in the world. On
with the info…
SHOULD YOU WORK WITH A RECRUITING AGENCY?
Why not? Recruiting Agencies are in the business of finding well qualified talent for their client companies.
These civilian companies pay our fees, so everything we do for you is FREE (you should never pay anyone to help you
find a job). Some of these “agencies” are just a couple people working together, others are more substantial. Whatever
the size, there are two basic types of Military recruiting Agencies:
Exclusive Agencies– These companies will require that you work only with them and do not interview through
any other sources. No friends or family, no alumni connections, no Service Academy Conferences…nothing. You will be
told that they are extremely selective, have a high placement rate, and will invest all kinds of time and effort into preparing
you for the civilian world. Some will tell you that you don’t have a chance without them. Whatever the case, if you commit
to an exclusive agency you will be limited to seeing only their corporate clients. While they might have a handful of
companies that other agencies don’t work with, you will miss out on a huge number of opportunities with companies
represented by other agencies.
Non Exclusive Agencies – Lucas Group falls into this category. Because we don’t stay in business unless we
find you the right job, we are motivated to find the best possible opportunity for you and your family – in the right area.
While we work together, you are free to work with other agencies (or other job sources) throughout your search. Whoever
finds the best opportunity for you wins.
In today’s employment environment, having a trusted Recruiter throughout your career is a must. It’s extremely
rare that you will stay with one company for a 20-30 year career, so it’s essential that you establish a relationship with a
Recruiting Agency that can work with you throughout your career. Lucas Group is unique in that regard among Military
Recruiters. We are the only Military Recruiting Agency that also specializes in Executive Search – this allows us to work
with you as you progress “up the ladder” in your career. We are one of the Top Ten Permanent Recruiting Agencies in
the country - check out our web site to get a full picture of what a real Recruiting Agency looks like!
www.lucasgroup.com.
WHAT WILL I EARN?
The first question many of you ask sounds something like “How much can I earn on the outside?” It’s usually
not because you’re expecting to get rich, but you want some assurances that you’ll be able to provide for yourself and
your family if you separate. Generally, and I mean very generally, if you have less than 4 years service you can expect to
earn a little more when you separate, 4-8 years and money will be about equal, and over 8 years you may take a small
step back. Individual qualifications and experience can cause significant variations to the above, but this is a good starting
point. We publish an annual Salary Survey for all placements we’ve made in the last year – ask for that if you’d like to
see a more detailed analysis of this issue.
WHAT WILL I DO AS A CIVILIAN?
Another question I hear focuses on “What kinds of jobs are available to me?” The short answer is virtually
anything – Production and Operations Management, Engineering, Construction Management, Logistics, Consulting and
Sales are all general fields where JMO have had great success. We’ve got a more detailed description of each available
upon request – ask for the Careers Summary and I’ll send that to you.

2. WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
Info Gathering - We’ll learn who you are, what you’ve done, how well you’ve done it, and try to get a feel for what you
want in the future. We’ll have you complete a non binding application, collect your OER/FITREP/EVALs and discuss your
goals to ensure they are in line with what the market has to offer.
Resume and Interview Preparation – If you don’t already have one, we’ll help you get a workable resume put together.
Keep in mind that ours will be one of several versions you might use during your search and that if you ask 4 people about
your resume you’re likely to get 6 different opinions! Interview training will be a combination of online, telephonic and face
to face – we’ll make sure you’re prepared to answer questions without being over coached.
HOW WILL I MEET WITH COMPANIES?
With some agencies, the only way you can meet with companies is to attend a Hiring Conference. While
conferences can be good for many candidates who are more flexible with their job and location interests, they are not
always the best means of getting introduced to a company.
Individual Interviews are usually appropriate for those who have some specific need that would make attending
a conference unproductive. Maybe you are restricted on location, maybe you can’t get away from work, or perhaps you
can’t afford to travel to a conference city – whatever the reason, if a Hiring Conference doesn’t make sense for you we
won’t do it. Instead, we’ll set up specific interviews for opportunities which match your exact parameters. This works well
for candidates who are very clear on what they want or where they want to be.
Hiring Conferences are the method by which most of our candidates find their new jobs. Do not confuse a
Hiring Conference with a Job Fair. Job Fairs (where you show up at some large space and go from booth to booth trying
to get an interview) are often a waste of time. If you are invited to attend a Lucas Hiring Conference, your interviews will
be guaranteed, and you will know in advance which companies you will see. We won’t let you attend unless we have
specific opportunities that match your specific needs. We host over 40 of these conferences a year in major cities around
the country - the intent is to provide opportunities in every region of the country so candidates can increase their chances
of working in their preferred region.
Hiring Conferences are 2 or 3 day events. The 1
st
day is devoted to interview preparation. That means targeted
interview training and detailed briefings on each opportunity. Interviews take place in specific hotel rooms. Candidates
typically have anywhere from 1-9 interviews in a day, depending upon the number of “matches” we have. Follow-up
interviews and offers take place in the weeks after a conference.
WHEN SHOULD I START?
If you’re considering separating, I’d recommend registering with an agency as soon as possible – even if you’re
timeline is more than a couple years out. This way you can start getting into the loop as it relates to the civilian job market
and receive appropriate updates over time. My registration is found here: http://www.lucasgroup.com/?MRC=DAment
We’ll get serious about the job search once you’re within about 9 months of your separation date. At that point, we’ll want
to get a resume put together, start interview preparation, and target a hiring conference date (if appropriate).
Generally, companies will want to interview you once you’re within about 60 days of the date you can begin work.
If you interview sooner than that, you will usually lose out to candidates who can go to work sooner. Individual
circumstances vary, so you and your recruiter will want to outline a personal schedule.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
I’ve already entered you into our database so you can receive Quarterly updates and other general info. If you
are more than a year out, make sure you have a completed Preference Sheet (separate attachment included) on file so
we can keep you posted on specific opportunities appropriate to your background. We’ll eventually need:
• A completed one page application/preference/dreamsheet
• Resume
• Copies of your OER/Evals/OPR/FITREPs

3. Finally, let me emphasize that this is not intended to encourage you to separate from the service. That is a
decision only you can make after considering a wide range of factors. If you are getting out, or could do so in the future, I
want to establish contact with you so we can provide an honest assessment of your marketability and plan a course of
attack.
Thank you for your service and taking the time to read this. If you’d like to be connected to a recruiter and gain
access to our corporate network of 100’s of civilian companies, register at: http://www.lucasgroup.com/?MRC=DAment
Good luck,
Doug
USAF/OIF veteran
Douglas Ament
Video: Lucas Group Candidate Recruiting
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Email: dament@lucasgroup.com
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