Companies in the wireless industry know good help is hard to find.
As the industry continues to grow at an accelerated rate to keep pace with competition, the demand for all workers-radio-frequency engineers, technicians, customer-service representatives and marketing professionals-will remain for several years, say most experts. This demand has resulted in a shortage of qualified employees in the industry.
One recruiting firm in Dallas is tapping into a highly resourceful area-the military-to find attractive candidates for wireless companies.
“Military alumni clearly have the attributes everyone is looking for-good people skills, responsibility and good hands-on technical skills,” said Brian Trueblood, a partner with the Lucas Group and a West Point graduate.
The Lucas Group places junior military officers, those who graduated from a military academy or were involved with an ROTC program and served as junior officers for four to 12 years, and military technicians who joined the military after high school or during college and took up a certain trade often while working on a college degree.
The firm, created in 1970, has been placing military alumni into wireless companies almost as long as the wireless industry has existed, said Trueblood. The military has a long pioneering history with wireless technology.
The Lucas Group said it is the largest junior military officer recruiting firm in the country with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. It has placed professionals in companies as diverse as General Electric and Disney. Some of its wireless clients include Northern Telecom Inc., Ericsson Inc., Nextel Communications Inc. and PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P. Trueblood said military alumni fit into a variety of positions, including engineering, design, customer service and marketing because of their wide range of educational and work experiences.
“We’re not inexpensive. We’re a premier firm,” he said. “We’re not the type of firm that would come in and handle all of a company’s staffing needs … We can provide strong talent that goes beyond technical skills.”
Trueblood estimates one-third of the 400 to 450 technicians the Lucas Group most likely will place this year will be in the communications sector. He said wireless companies find military alumni typically need less training and have other skills that cannot be taught, like strong work ethic and leadership skills. Employers want people that are bright, have good presentation skills and have engineering degrees, Trueblood added.
“Clearly their skills are used in the field because of their ability to work autonomously. They’ve had a lot of responsibility at a young age. Companies are hesitant to trust someone who has not had a lot of responsibility.”
All of the Lucas Group’s full-time recruiters are former members of the military. The firm receives most of its candidates from presentations at military bases, solicitation calls and referrals. It periodically hosts recruiting conferences that allow corporations to interview pre-screened candidates.
