We talk the talk about getting the next generation of leadership interested in national security careers, and now is the perfect time to get the ball rolling for the clearable workforce that may not have clearances yet.
Most college students are on an extended winter break due to COVID-19, not going back to university until late January and early February. While most will be looking to support companies remotely, why not invest in this tech savvy population for your overhead or administrative needs throughout the next few months?
TEMP WORK WITH LITTLE TRAIN UP
Most college students aren’t going to be set up to work on a 1099 contract basis, but the onboarding and train up period will be minimal since they are already experienced working in a virtual environment. Whether it’s sourcing for candidates on an open source platforms or formatting resumes for your proposal efforts, generation z will have no problem moving quickly and diligently online or on any computer program – if you hate making PowerPoint presentations, these are your people.
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
This part of the workforce already operates on social media. Most defense contractors have Facebook profiles at this point, but some lack a brand or presence on platforms like YouTube, SnapChat or Pinterest. This generation could have some interesting or innovative ideas on branding or how you can reach bigger audiences to market to new partners or candidates. Disclaimer: You may be thinking, ‘why the heck would I want to market to the younger generations on SnapChat?’ Well, it was made in 2011, so those users are entering or already in young adulthood at this point.
Students can even simply research articles that you can share on social media to increase engagement and gain new followers.
DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYTICS
When I was in high school, computer science classes were very minimal (blame it on my public schooling) and we were never issued a laptop for our own use. This generation has not only that under their belt, but they also have classes like data analytics, cyber, or coding, too. If you lack any type of marketing analytics or tracking due to no time or manpower, now is the time to get your framework set up. Students love little projects like these, simply working in google analytics, revamping the design of your website, finding where your site traffic is coming from, or playing around in WordPress.
PIPELINING
Another division of defense contracting that smaller companies may not have the time to do thoroughly is pipelining and forecasting for future work. Between managing current contracts, recruiting, and fostering relationships with prime contractors, small organizations may not have that extra umph to develop a list of RFPs they can match their capabilities to prime on and grow. Have them peruse beta.SAM.gov (replaced FBO.gov) after learning about your capabilities to compile a list of more opportunities you can go after. This one would be perfect for students from any intelligence studies or cybersecurity program.
While all of this may seem time consuming to get students onboarded, and your teams are worried about relinquishing control like this to students, companies should see the bigger picture. Veterans make up a large part of the national security and cleared workforce, but we should also be generating interest in this field from some of the other genius minds that will be graduating college in the next few years.
