Hire a Hero gathers momentum

17 March 2010 | By DeeDee Doke

The recently launched campaign has received an “absolutely phenomenal” response so far from both employers and potential candidates, according to its founder Karen Chadwick, chief executive of Apex Health & Social Care in South Manchester. Chadwick has appeared on national TV and been interviewed on numerous radio stations about the campaign. “We’ve had 800 responses on our Facebook page,” Chadwick told Recruiter last week. “Many employers are coming along, many people looking for employment, many companies wanting to see how they can help.”

Chadwick initiated Hire a Hero after she recruited into her social care business a former soldier who had spent 10 jobless months after leaving the forces. “He never even got to interview stage,” she said of the soldier, who had experienced tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. “He was even considering going back in.”

“The more I looked into it,” she continued, “the more I realised it was a widespread issue.”

Chadwick said that a website is being built for Hire a Hero, and a manager will be hired to run the campaign.

Ex-forces members already are served by a number of recruitment agencies, such as Force 10 Recruitment in Doncaster, which focus solely on that population.
However, the agency’s owner, Tony Ward, told Recruiter that he would be happy if the campaign resulted in the placement of one additional ex-forces member.
He emphasised that it was important for such a campaign to focus on the former forces members’ significant skills and not seek to stir pity. “It’s a fine line,” Ward said.

But pity was certainly not a factor in the interest of potential employer Robert Pleastead, general manager of the Manchester Hard Rock Cafe
Pleastead told Recruiter that the popular theme bar and restaurant has about “nine or 10 vacancies from chefs to hosts to servers” as it enters a busy season.

“I don’t think there’s any position that would not be suitable for one of these guys or gals,” Pleastead told Recruiter. “It’s the personality which is the biggest thing for us.”