THE ROSE GROUP LLC. Issue1

The Rose Group LLC.

Breaking down military

stereotypes for employers and

candidates

DID I JUST HIRE CLINT EASTWOOD? // THE PTSD MYTH IN THIS ISSUE

Media is full of iconic images of autocratic military leaders. People with no direct link to the military view these images as “how things work” in the service. These portrayals encourage the perception that military leaders simply yell out orders, and people scramble to follow those orders; authority is based solely on rank and is rigidly enforced. But is that really the case in today’s military?

In ten years of placing candidates, I have never once worked with a client who fired or complained about a candidate they hired because they were too autocratic or were “yellers” at work. For about 6 ½ of those 10 years, I placed nothing but military candidates. Is that because I’m incredibly lucky? Is that because no one in the military ever yells? No on both accounts. It is because I put each candidate through a behavioral interview and watched for red flags.

Most mature leaders in the military do not use yelling as a tactic to get things done. All the things we value in the military - leading from the front, camaraderie, team ethic, taking care of our own, etc, gets undermined by a manager who yells or belittles his teammates. Leaders develop a toolbox of tactics that they use to gain respect, buy-in and compliance.

Over the years, I have come to understand that it takes clear communication between the job seeker and the interviewer to dispel some of these negative stereotypes. The lists on page 2 address some good communication techniques for both parties.

Autocratic Leaders Are all military leaders’ aggressive managers? How can

candidates avoid projecting this stereotype and how can

employers screen for it?

Page 1

PTSD – The PTSD myth

With so much media coverage, you think that every

veteran has PTSD and is just waiting to snap. But, is

that really the case?

Page 2

Did I just hire Clint Eastwood? by Marissa Kessler

THE ROSE GROUP LLC. BREAKING DOWN MILITARY

STEREOTYPES FOR EMPLOYERS AND CANDIDATES | Issue 1

2

Number of Veterans served in the

military since September 11th

2001

Number of PTSD cases per the

Rand Corporation since

September 11th

What does this mean for potential employers?

As an interviewer, you can pick through that toolbox by asking targeted behavioral interview questions. Listen for language that is derogatory towards co-workers, such as referring to them as subordinates or “non-rates.” Keep track of how many times they say “we” versus “I” when telling stories about teamwork. If you have a “we”-type corporate culture, and they are an “I” kind of candidate, this exercise will ferret that out. Here are a few examples of other questions you can ask to get the ball rolling:

• Describe for me a situation where you persuaded team members to do things your way. What was the effect? • Tell me about a time when you were tolerant of an idea that wasn’t yours. • Tell me about a time when you were able to motivate others to get the desired results. • Tell me about a time when you were not able to motivate others and failed as a result.

What does this mean for military candidates preparing for interviews?

If your interviewer already believes that you were just like R. Lee Ermey in your past work life, you are going to have an uphill battle convincing him otherwise. There are things you can do to change that point of view:

• Be very clear in your ability to communicate how you work with teams. Think of some specific scenarios before your interview.

• Do some research on management styles and refer to the one that best suits the way you like to work with teams. • Stay away from language, jargon and terms you used in the military that may make you look too strident. • Never answer a question in the negative. Example: “I am not an authoritative leader.” Instead, answer in the

positive: “I enjoy leading teams in a collaborative way,” and give an example. Without an example, your answer does nothing to dispel the interviewer’s mental image of you.

The PTSD Myth by Marissa Kessler

Over the past few centuries we have called it many things. Herodotus wrote about a soldier who went blind after seeing his cohort next to him killed in battle. Battle fatigue, shell shock, hysteria, and soldier’s heart are a few terms that have come from this century. The Mayo Clinic classifies post-traumatic stress disorder as a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms include flash-backs, nightmares, severe anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Every week we hear about PTSD in the press. President Barrack Obama went so far as calling PTSD an “epidemic” during a recent speech he gave to a veteran’s group. PTSD can be a serious condition. But it also falls into the category of “if it bleeds, it leads.” Thus, the proliferation of bad news and bad statistics about this topic are everywhere. Take this Fox News statistic for example: “30% of veterans treated by VA health services have PTSD.” That 30% is not taking into consideration our 22.3 million living veterans. Of those, only 843,463 are undergoing VA treatment for PTSD. For a real look at how many veterans leaving today’s military have PTSD, see the chart to the left.

THE ROSE GROUP LLC. BREAKING DOWN MILITARY

STEREOTYPES FOR EMPLOYERS AND CANDIDATES | Issue 1

3

The Rose Group LLC was

founded with one mission in

mind: To Connect Employers

with Veterans. With more than

10 years of executive search

experience and a specialty in

placing veterans, Marissa

Kessler has coordinated more

than 6500 interviews for military

candidates and placed more

than 1,000 into civilian roles.

Marissa doesn’t just understand

veterans, she is one. She served

in the Marine Corps as an Air

Traffic Controller.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Marissa Kessler, Senior

Executive Consultant at the Rose

Group LLC.

843-525-0577

MarissaKessler@therosegroupllc.net

http//:TheRoseGroupLLC.net

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