Staff recruitment

Adult Staff Staff Development
1

How do you recruit staff?

Is it just word of mouth? Do you rely on parents, or the exposure you get at events? Do you target specific groups, eg. walking or civilian gliding clubs?

It’s been a long time since we successfully recruited a new staff member, so I’m trying to find out how other squadrons handle their ‘induction’.

Once they decide that they’re staying, and complete the paperwork, what happens then? What kinds of things do they tend to get involved with (obviously individual to each staff member, but would you, for example, expect them to teach one of the Aviation Studies subjects once they’ve been given the resources and told about how the system works?)

I’m also looking for feedback on a staff recruitment poster I designed.


(if anyone would like the template, send me a PM)

Cheers

2

Nurture your current staff cadets - make them want to return. Maybe not an immediate return, and maybe not to your squadron, but long term, it works.

Contact your ex-cadets - they might be at uni, in employment or moved out of the area - however they’ve been through the cadet system and your contact might be enough to trigger some positive reflections - and perhaps enough to volunteer their time. Perhaps not as staff, maybe as CivCom, but every little helps! Organising something like a squadron reunion can help with this - and will bring a lot of good PR as an aside which will also help.

Contact your local station? See if there are any willing Service Instructors willing to give up some time - or any service leavers you might want to get your claws into early on.

Contact your local volunteer bureau. If it’s anything like ours, the only thing they seem to advertise is minibus drivers or accountants (have a look at the Do-it website for your local area and see what the competition is like!) - the opportunities that we offer staff members - as well as cadets - are significant (and much higher than many organisations out there), so you could easily get some quick PR and potential recruits through that route.

We try to avoid parents.

Induction for us is, unfortunately, managed at Wing level. They show up and our squadron and we have to effectively say “thanks for rocking up - we can’t accept you until you have done this evening course - let me take your details and some faceless civil servant will send you an invitation (probably via email, so it’ll end up in your junk mail)”. They attend a “Volunteer Induction Presentation” which gives an even playing field insight into the ACO, what we do and what opportunities we offer cadets - and staff - the different roles available and other such nonsense. Some existing staff members and WSOs are then rolled out to talk to the “VIPs” and give their experiences. Relevant WSOs then do an initial interview with the VIP to make sure they are not on the Feds top 10 wanted list, aren’t a complete muppet, and that they function as communicative human beings. They then say “where do you live - oh, that squadron is under/over staffed (delete as appropriate) have you thought about 123 (Anytown) squadron which is only (insert massive distance here) away - you might like it”.

At the VIP evening they are issued forms and, depending on the calibre of the WSO leading the operation, we’ll either get the forms back in due course, or never hear of them again!

If we hear back from them, then its parading accompanied on Squadron once DBS is signed off, learning local stuff and actually meeting the cadets. Then off to a BASIC course for a weekend of fun and some basic instructions techniques, and if that’s not bored them rigid, then we’ll set them up on Ultifail to which death by powerpoint for Health & Safety, protection information and other nonsense!

Poster is good - but lacks the corporate branding it should probably have.

3

Batfink, thanks for your detailed reply, there’s lots to think about in there.

The problem we currently have is that most of our ‘good’ staff cadets disappear to uni, or to a place where there are actually jobs. Two of our recent-ish ex-cadets are now staff at a squadron down South. I also disappeared to uni, but I commute to the squadron once a week (80 mile round trip) and do as much as I can from home.

A reunion is a good idea, thanks for the suggestion.

4

They don’t have to be “good cadets”. A “reasonable” cadet can be a great staff member after a few years away from the squadron - it’s having the passion, drive and interest (and reflection on the “good times” at Squadron) which often motivate people. It’s always worth a punt.

And Uni is a nightmare for loosing people!! It’s just a case of getting them to keep their interest up - we get loads of “Likes” on Facebook from ex-cadets. It’s a great way for them all to keep in contact and be reminded!

1 Like
5

[quote=“Batfink” post=15013]They don’t have to be “good cadets”. A “reasonable” cadet can be a great staff member after a few years away from the squadron - it’s having the passion, drive and interest (and reflection on the “good times” at Squadron) which often motivate people. It’s always worth a punt.
[/quote]

I was a cadet along with a bloke who was a bit of a nightmare as a cadet, in that he could barely dress himself and had a habit of being lead into stuff by the real troublemakers (or at least being a decent ‘fall guy’ for them).

He’s now a CI who’s made a name for himself in the sector as the person to send for when dealing with ‘troubled’ cadets making a scene or throwing a tantrum. He just seems to have a real talent for talking them down.

Still dresses like a wardrobe explosion, though.

6

The problem with a staff recruitment campaign is audience targeting. Unlike cadets where we can go into schools, staff is a broader audience and unlike young cadets have jobs, families and so on taking their time, to contend with.
If you targeted particular groups as suggested, would the general ATC interest them enough?
Plus look around at the desire to volunteer in the youth organisation sector, no one is inundated. They can’t even get enough people in PAID youth worker roles to run local youth clubs. And once people get into the ATC and find out how anal things are and in general how poor the training/support for staff is, unless they are mentally prepared for this possibility, they drift away.

The questions to ask are
Do you need/want general staff who do everything or
Do you need/want staff with a specialist skill or knowledge that isn’t going to require something extra done on a Corps course or similar before they can use that with cadets.
This would give you an idea of who/where to target.
With the former you need to know what exactly you want them to do, and, for the latter manage their expectations, as they won’t be using their ‘specialism’ all the time. In this instance would they be happy doing the traditional CI gig, of turning up as and when.
Personally given the odd work patterns many people have, I don’t think we can be overly choosy. If people are willing to commit their time and be prepared to get stuck in, that is what we need, anything else is just cherries.

As BF suggests nurture cadets and gently quiz them about becoming staff and then direct them as to what you’d like them to do. I’ve only ever had two go to uni who ever made a go of the Corps, but they travelled back and forth each day. All the others have just gone and never gone near a local sqn, too much other interesting stuff going on, I expect.

One of my best places to get staff are the events and activities we do in the community.

I’ve tried the local volunteering centre and I don’t think we fit their idea of volunteering. Mostly it seems they deal with people who want to just get on and do and not be subjected to a convoluted and long-winded application process, outside of a DBS. The local volunteer people do DBS online, so all sorted in a week.

I don’t like the suggestion that Wing get involved as suggested before they get to the sqn. Given that we’re never over run with prospective staff, how often do these occur and do they have to travel say more than 10 miles to it? How exactly do they check if they are on the “Feds top 10”? I thought that was why we did DBS and CTC.
WSO : Are you or have you been in trouble with the police?
Prospective staff : No
WSO : OK
As for being a muppet, pure subjective tosh. Wasn’t directing them to a sqn, something that was in the lash ups of the staff recruitments organised by HQAC.

7

there has never been a program of staff recruitment on any Squadron i have attended but we did once have a Spring “Ball” (gloried disco) and as the Cadets were their usual self and being slow to purchase tickets it was suggested we invite a bunch of ex-Cadets (this being the time Facebook pages were becoming common and a Sqn could easily tap into the ex-members)

i think 30-40% of the crowd was ex-Cadets and although it was a purposeful effort to get them involved in the Squadron we have half a dozen in the next month turn up asking to get involved again…two of which are now Staff on ther Squadrons due to their location, but benefitted the Corps so can’t complain.

i would recommend suggesting the idea to the senior Cadets. until 9 months ago i was the youngest Staff member on Sqn having worked my way up as an ex-Cadet but by far the newest. we have had a selection of Staff join but as retirement from uniform and joining us as a CI, or once a Air Cadet 20 yrs ago.

however our CWO was given the responsibilities to match the rank and his transistion into Staff was only natural as it allowed him to continual doing the same “office” role and i think having seen it first hand is the best route.

surprisingly there are few “ex-Cadets” in our Staff team though, me and the former CWO are the only ones to have made the jump immediately.
One Sqn i know the majority are Ex-Cadets or ex-service to the point where it is almost expected that there FS/CWOs do dont disappear to uni will be joining the Staff team

8

I haven’t read the whole post and history due to time constraints. All I will say is that the ACF gave me the impression that they needed people and the ATC didn’t. However, when I actually went to a parade night it transpired that they did need me and were a more suitable organisation for me

9

I just hit an issue with an Ex-regular SNCO in that, finding and moving house (from married Q’s), resettlement and finding a job means a good 12-18 months before wanting to consider joining (may not of been local to stn), now been told as its more than 6 months since leaving the RAF he will have to spend a min year as a CI…

10

Not a bad thing, unless they have already been involved in the ACO as a service helper, as this allows them the time to adjust to how the organisation works, and the fact we are a YOUTH organisation, instead of the latest recruit intake.

The knowledge gained in that year will allow them to have more credibility as an SNCO (ATC),not that I am saying that their RAF service is irrelevant, it isn’t and will be highly advantageous to the gaining unit.

Is the 1 year CI service a hard and fast rule from HQAC? Or is this a local requirement, we need to be more flexible and staff shouldn’t be prevented at any time from progressing.

11

When was the person’s actual leaving date? You mention resttlement, that would be done whilst still in the mob. I know of an individual who was on ‘gardening leave’ for the last 6 months of their service.

We’ve usually gone with the 12 mths as CI.

12

So what?

Does he want to be an adult volunteer with the ATC or does he just want an excuse to keep wearing a blue suit?

If it’s the former then he won’t care and if it’s the latter then you don’t need him.

13

In all honesty I feel anyone joining us as staff should do a minimum of 2 years as a CI, before applying for a uniformed role. Whatever as an ex-serviceman they may be able to bring to the Corps they can as a CI.

I’ve known a few ex-servicemen join and got all het up as we don’t do it like the regulars or have a real attitude problem and left within 2 years. To rush through a uniform application just because they’ve “been in”, would be wrong as they probably won’t have the right mindset for a youth organisation.

In this instance I think time out would be good for them as they get used to the real world on leaving the institutionalised world of the armed forces.