ADF recruitment crisis.

[Beagle]

Yes, its about balance (and context) - in areas where there is significant churn and where the trade is a very specialised skillset, then you can't afford to keep on bringing in the young turks.

eg, pilots, trainers, submariners, acoustic warfare officers, chooks, loggies are worth their weight in gold... younguns need to learn their craft before they become owls.

My thoughts exactly I understand the DMO is also having staffing issues which will be affecting the roleout of new defence equipment. Being on the "inside yourself" Gf I was wondering if you were able to share any thoughts on how this might be resolved?

Obviously the DMO has an advantage over the millitary in that it has a much larger pool of people with relavent experience it can recruit without training.

On a personal note: I did look into applying to a few DMO positions a while back and I made some observations which I see as hindering their recruitment which I thought I would share.

First the positions did not seem to be open to people with parallel experince on different systems adapting. Some of the selection criteria about working with defence systems was mandatory when it should have been desirable.(eg making exposure to a specific defence database mandatory, when the other requirements of the position take years to learn and define how good the candidate will be at the position)

Secondly few engineers have the time or will to write extensive selection criteria while there are still plenty of other jobs out there. A written selection criteria has gone by the way side in many state and local public sector applications, in favour of a restructured CV and the selection criteria addressed at the interview stage.

My 2 cents from an engineer outside looking in, I would like to hear from someone inside DMO.

 

[gf0012-aust]

First the positions did not seem to be open to people with parallel experince on different systems adapting. Some of the selection criteria about working with defence systems was mandatory when it should have been desirable.(eg making exposure to a specific defence database mandatory, when the other requirements of the position take years to learn and define how good the candidate will be at the position)

we can't get engineers for love or money - if you're a qualified engineer - esp ILS related, people will stab others who get in their way to get to you... "summary of claims" is the opportunity to sell parallel experience.

Secondly few engineers have the time or will to write extensive selection criteria while there are still plenty of other jobs out there. A written selection criteria has gone by the way side in many state and local public sector applications, in favour of a restructured CV and the selection criteria addressed at the interview stage.

see above

My 2 cents from an engineer outside looking in, I would like to hear from someone inside DMO.

I spent 22 years in, 10 years out and have just come back in. In the middle of that I was involved in a couple of open seminars where SME's got to round table the usual concerns re commercial and public disconnects. They're probably still having them - and still will in 10 years time. It's like americans and australians, for private and public sector, we both speak "english", but sometimes there's a loss in translation.

The model needs reworking, but I seriously believe that Mortimer glosses over and misses the fundamentals

 

[Sharna..]

ADF recruiting ad's...

Can anyone please tell me what they think of the latest bunch of recruiting ad's for the adf....
Thanks
Sharna

 

[The Infantryman]

Can anyone please tell me what they think of the latest bunch of recruiting ad's for the adf....
Thanks
Sharna

I think they're great. It instils pride back into the defence force & has gone back to a similar style of ad they had 20 years ago with the 1812 Overture. I'd been suggesting for a long time they return to these sorts of ads. A lot of us cringed when we saw the "I'm Private Daley & I'm a rifleman" ads.

 

[OZpride]

Hey guys

Hey Guys, I'm not sure if this is the right thread to be writing this but i thought i might give it a crack.

I'm currently going through the recruitment process of the Australian Army and hoping to join as rifleman. I was hoping to be able to talk to some other people in the ADF who might be able to give me some pointers, If there were some riflemen in here would be a plus.

Thanks heaps

 

[The Infantryman]

I'm not sure how the regular army works as I've only ever been a reservist rifleman. As a rifleman you have more flexibility than most other corps. You can do a whole array of other jobs & remain a rifleman - i.e. driver, signaller, etc, all of which will help secure (but not guarantee) you a place on operations. A rifleman has greater flexibility than other soldiers. If you learn another skill & you like doing that job you can then apply to do that job on a permanent basis.

 

[LancasterBomber]

Hey Guys, I'm not sure if this is the right thread to be writing this but i thought i might give it a crack.

I'm currently going through the recruitment process of the Australian Army and hoping to join as rifleman. I was hoping to be able to talk to some other people in the ADF who might be able to give me some pointers, If there were some riflemen in here would be a plus.

Thanks heaps

What in particular would you like to know? Perhaps it might be wise to list some specific questions and see if anyone bites.

 

[OZpride]

What in particular would you like to know? Perhaps it might be wise to list some specific questions and see if anyone bites.

Thanks you guys Good point, Maybe I'll start with:

What does a normal day as a Rifleman after IET look like?
what kind of courses could i do on the side or where could i find a list?

Also, I have been training a fair bit and I can do 60 sit-ups, 35 push-ups and run 5km in around 35min. Will this make it a bit easier going through Kapooka and Singo? or should I strive to do more before I go? In saying that I won't even get a date for my assessment day till next week, But i'm so very very keen

 

[Marc 1]

Thanks you guys Good point, Maybe I'll start with:

What does a normal day as a Rifleman after IET look like?
what kind of courses could i do on the side or where could i find a list?

Also, I have been training a fair bit and I can do 60 sit-ups, 35 push-ups and run 5km in around 35min. Will this make it a bit easier going through Kapooka and Singo? or should I strive to do more before I go? In saying that I won't even get a date for my assessment day till next week, But i'm so very very keen

On the training side a little more on the fitness side would stand you in good stead. The 5 klicker is no longer used, but as a guide a young tacker has to be able to do that distance in under 26 minutes, in the battalions it was frown upon if you were slower that 22 or 23. An 'A' pass used to be sub 18 mins as I recall.

Normal day as a rifleman in a battalion depends very much on what type of training the unit or sub unit is preparing for. It may be PT (which could be a packmarch such as those we used to do at 6 RAR - thanks Jim Molan!), a weights and ropes session, a pool session with PTI's etc. That may be after breaky such as it was at 6RAR or as at 5/7RAR (Mech) we did PT first, then showered changed and had breaky.Mornings may be spent at the range (probably now the WTSS or whatever its called), practicing fieldcraft, being trained on a new piece of kit, or as at 5/7 doing maintenance on the buckets. Afternoon could see drills in the close training area etc. Not uncommon on a Friday to get a POETS (Piss Off Early, Tomorrow's Saturday). Back in the bad old days you may have had guard duty where, dressed in a schmick set of pollies you slept down in the guard hut and were deployed to various places armed with pick handles at all hours of the night.

Or a standard day may be on course, be that a snipers course, mortarcourse, sigs course, T109 drivers course or somesuch. There is variety and there is a real reason to sharpen and hone your skills these days - there is a real battlefield with a two way rifle range as opposed to my day where an operational deployment was to Butterworth where the biggest risk was to your liver.

Give it a shot, and as you get older try to accumulate some skills that will be saleable once you leave the army. That's one of the big advantages that the loggies have over the arms corps people - they have a skill (blanket counting, truck driving, medical or logistical planning) that is in demand outside. The skills of being really good at setting up a claymore and field stripping a Minimi aren't in high demand in Australia after you leave the green machine.

Other tips, look after your mates and they'll look after you, don't be a gob on a stick and try to stay fairy 'grey' during your training. Good luck sport.

 

[b.conn]

Nursing Recruitment

Hi everyone!
Firstly I'd just like to say thanks to everyone for putting up loads of really helpful information and insights!
I'm a 2nd year nursing student, wanting to join the ADF.
I have a few questions relating to the recruitment and then just generally what military personnel would think of my application.
Over the last few months I've been doing alot of research into the ADF, I did think I would do medicine after nursing, but now I think I'd be more satisfied being a nurse in the ADF. I was wondering what kind of issues I may encounter in the ADF being a young female? Is there a lot of sexism? Also, are males more favoured for things like promotions? I feel like there is so much to know, regarding the questions the defencejobs.gov site gives you. Even with careful studying and planning, i dont think I'd remember all the answers to the questions. Whats the most important stuff to know? (Obviously, I am well informed as to my job as an actual nurse, but not so much about nursing in the defence force..)
Is anyone a nurse in the defence force, with whom I could contact?
Thank you for your time.
B

 

[t68]

A bit off a blast from the past and can’t see it being done today but from a PR point of view WOW.

I don’t know what year this was from or where it was taken from but this is what defence should be doing more often and placing recruiting stands imagine ARH doing that!!!

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0SN3tG4Atk&feature=player_embedded"]Amazing Helicopter Flying Snoopy - YouTube[/nomedia]

 

[old faithful]

Agree, can't see it happening today, unfortunately.
I remember seeing the Army reserve at Kempsey (at the Kempsey show) do a platoon attack, with smoke and blanks only, nothing else, 7 years later I joined to be an infantry man.
The darwin show just had a static display, how good would an air assault at the show gronds be, with a couple of blackhawks and some fast roping or rappelling?

 

[Marc 1]

I remember being taken for rides in M113's in the back of trucks etc as a kid in Townsville 1973. Due to liability concerns that isn't likely to happen again.

Great recruiting though.

 

[t68]

Yes I fondly remember a couple of open days in the 70’s at Steele barracks where army had a bit of everything going on they used a lot training equipment as live exhibits mock battles with M113on the Georges river best part at the end of the day I had all these certificates to say I used that weapon or piece of equipment made a lasting impression on me at the time and I am sure on a lot of others at the time as they say get-em at a young age

 

[Focus-AS]

I remember being taken for rides in M113's in the back of trucks etc as a kid in Townsville 1973. Due to liability concerns that isn't likely to happen again.

Great recruiting though.

Can't speak for Enoggera but at Robbo ASLAV-PCs are used on family and open days for giving rides.

 

[phreeky]

All of the cadets seem to have softened too. I was in the air training corp as a kid - flying cessna 150s & gliders, firing rifles and pistols, getting dropped out bush in unimogs and doing decent survival courses, getting rides in the back of caribous out over the ocean - a complete contrast to the way things are today where liability is probably their biggest concern.

 

[Raven22]

I remember being taken for rides in M113's in the back of trucks etc as a kid in Townsville 1973. Due to liability concerns that isn't likely to happen again.

Great recruiting though.

Vehicles rides still occur. I've done dozen of them in the last three years. There's more control measures than there used to be, but that's about it. Although, there are the usual dick heads that try to stop this sort of thing.

 

[ADMk2]

Is the current ADF recruitment crisis a cyclical thing or is there a real danger that if current recruiting and retention trends continue, the ADF will eventually shrink to an uncomfortably small size?

Is there a current recruitment "crisis"?

Describing it as a "crisis" seems rather melodramatic to me...

The bushfires in Sydney I would describe as a crisis. Is ADF recruitment equally as bad as 140k's of bushfire front?

I wouldn't have said so...

 

[FormerDirtDart]

Is there a current recruitment "crisis"?

Describing it as a "crisis" seems rather melodramatic to me...

The bushfires in Sydney I would describe as a crisis. Is ADF recruitment equally as bad as 140k's of bushfire front?

I wouldn't have said so...

Just so you know, Jaysam's post was a word for word duplication of this threads original post, seven and a half years ago.

 

[ADMk2]

Just so you know, Jaysam's post was a word for word duplication of this threads original post, seven and a half years ago.

Fair enough. Obviously didn't bother checking the whole thread...

Edit: Spambots are getting trickier...