Looking for a security officer with the right credentials? Or is the search on for an inventory manager? The Indian Army could offer a solution to your problem as it has launched a job website to help employers look for suitable employees. Says Brig. Anil Kumar, managing director of the Army Placement Agency (APA): “The placement website is an effort to use technology for the benefit of ex-army personnel.”
Launched in June 2005, the website, www.apa.co.in, has become the first of its kind to cater to people with an army background. It’s been just over six months and the website has already registered over 238 employers who are potential recruiters.
The Army Placement Agency was started in 1999 as a part of the Adjutant General Branch. The idea of the website was initiated to help ex-servicemen access the placement services from anywhere.
The army database has candidates for various positions, including HRD managers, doctors, nurses, legal advisors and law experts. It also has technical personnel like mechanics, engineers, drivers and cooks. Candidates and employers have to register on the website. But the difference with other job websites is that officials at the APA have to authenticate the registrations here. Brig. Kumar points out: “This is to verify that only genuine army personnel apply for employment.”
Once a candidate registers online, the APA has to be given a hard copy of the resume. After registration, the candidate receives regular updates. The employers follow a similar process.
To promote the website, army officials visited some of the national commerce chambers like Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to highlight the advantages of employing defence people.
The ministry of defence retires over 60,000 personnel every year to maintain the youthful profile of the forces. According to Brig. Kumar, defence personnel have always been in great demand in the Indian corporate sector. “Army life prepares one to take challenges head on, work under pressure and assume leadership positions. These are the managerial traits that most companies want in their candidates. Also, the army has a rich pool of technical expertise that the corporate sector could benefit from,” he says, giving the example of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) that enlisted the placement services to recruit army engineers.
Today, the website has around 57,000 candidates registered. Eleven thousand personnel have already been placed in various capacities. Kumar reveals that there is a great demand for short service commissioned (SSC) officers in the age group of 30-40 years. They form the ideal target for senior managerial-level positions for mid-size and small companies.
Future plans include digitising all resumes. But for now, the APA is happy watching ex-servicemen get on with their second career.
