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“People with good welding experience are hard to come by,” explained Jeff Greenstreet who is a
boilermaker and superintendent with O’Connell Corporation. “Military veterans tend to have a great
work ethic, much more so than those coming off the street. I would much rather hire someone with a
good military background because I trust they will be good workers.”
Greenstreet has worked with a lot of candidates for welding positions. Aside from his work
with O’Connell Corporation, Greenstreet is also an apprenticeship instructor. “Having a military
background definitely gives them an edge up on the competition,” he says.
As an instructor, Greenstreet has seen the determination and resolve that potential hires
develop in the military, and he’s confident that these factors contributes to their success.
Apprentices go through a very rigorous training program which includes classroom instruction and
carefully supervised on the job training. “The apprenticeship training program includes four years
of instruction with courses that include tool usage, math, blue print reading, and welding,” he
said. “Welding experience is about 50 percent of the training.”
Candidates must also be able to take instruction and work as a team – other skills acquired
in the military. “When an apprentice goes out to a job site he generally accompanies a group of 10
journeymen, which gives him a lot of good hands-on help in developing good experience,” said
Greenstreet.
Greenstreet also knows how to use Helmets to Hardhats to find the right hires. Many employers
have registered with Helmets to Hardhats, but have not fully utilized the resources available on a
day-to-day basis. Helmets to Hardhats is a resource for recruiting and connecting qualified
candidates that are highly skilled, safe, dependable, drug-free men and women interested in
transitioning out of the military and into the construction industry.
There are two ways to connect and find quality applicants. The Helmets to Hardhats website is
easy to navigate and allows employers to search for qualified candidates or post job openings
easily and effectively. Pre-written questioners for each job category, easy pull down menus, and
options for pre-determined job qualifications in each industry make posting a job effortless.
Employers can also create their own questionnaires, listing very specific qualifications and
catering searches appropriately.
Additionally, military job candidates are required to fill out detailed information before
accessing the site, making it easy to eliminate inappropriate candidates based on job
specifications. Employers can search all candidates in the database and use the letter creation
tool to easily connect with qualified applicants. The site also offers an opt-in email feature that
will send resumes that meet your job criteria directly to your inbox. After posting a job,
employers can also change the criteria for matching to increase or decrease the number of job
seekers they are receiving. Employers can choose to just receive resumes, job seeker's screening
answers, or a screening score in the subject of the email.
Another way to become a more active part of the Helmets to Hardhats community is by
contacting one of our regional representatives. Regional representatives are in touch with highly
qualified candidates on a daily basis and can keep an eye out for the most aptly qualified
candidates in your area. For a regional representative near you,
click
here for contact information.
