Majority of Canadians not interested in joining the CAF

[FSTO]

I enjoy watching the new kids, with a rack and a half, standing next to Old Cold War farts my age with a 'sports rack'.

Talk about a paradox

Rack envy is rife!

I remember at the CoC for ALG and the new CO's wife came up to me (We were all just presented the SWASM and that made 4 for me) and said that her husband was likely jealous of all my decorations, he only had a CD at the time. I said I was just fortunate for being at the right place at the right time and that the number of decorations in no way denigrate his service to Canada.

Small world note: Her uncle and my dad had a partnership in a herd bull back in the 70's.

 

[Underway]

I mean, if we're talking navy folks, there's those out there that spent a hell of a lot of time sailing, and just happened to end up racking up a shitload of sea time on stuff that didn't count towards any medals. Especially when you get stuff like East Coasters getting medals for their "NATO" tours, but West Coasters getting nothing for their RIMPAC tours, despite there being no real functional difference in what the ships are doing.

Looking on the wrong side of the Uniform. This is the reason they added the Sea Service Insignia. His looks silver, might be gold. Good enough for me. 3-4 years at sea (not just posted to a sea-going unit). If it's gold then it's 4+ years.

A lot of the older PRes sailors had a gong and gold. All those days at sea on MCDV's doing the MARS 4 training, exercises, and fishpats without any overseas operation.

RIMPAC is an exercise. A NATO is not. The current equivalent is OP REASSURANCE (east) and OP PROJECTION (west). OP REASSURANCE is not a twofer, its one medal.

'Navy People getting angry and saying "every time we leave the wall" we are deployed!'

I like correcting people when they say that. Properly it's "Every time we leave the wall we're operational". Same as for aircraft.

Deployments (shorthand for Operational Deployment outside of Canada), operations, and operational always get confused with each other and are not the same things, as evidenced by the West Coast's historical inequity in the "bling" distribution category. I'm very glad that they brought in OP PROJECTION for the West Coast. It recognizes what is essentially a Deployment but was always viewed as a nice port visit tour around Asia. Which it certainly is not.

 

[Blackadder1916]

I enjoy watching the new kids, with a rack and a half, standing next to Old Cold War farts my age with a 'sports rack'.

Talk about a paradox

Comparing quality of "racks" is always impetus to resurrect an old post.

One of my lasting memories of someone talking about the decorations and medals that he was wearing occurred in 1994. I had the good luck of having a COS date out of Lahr that permitted me to arrange my passage home on the Queen Elizabeth 2 sailing out of Southampton on 8 June. I was able therefore to drive to Normandy and spend 6 June 94 (50th Anniversary of D-Day) visiting some of the memorials and events there; take the ferry across to England; turn my car over to Cunard for loading onto the ship and then relax for several days on the North Atlantic. The voyage was billed as a “D-Day Memorial” cruise. Many of the passengers were WW II veterans, mostly American, some Brits, and at least one Canadian.

One of the events that occurred on the ship was the Captain’s Welcome Party. Dressed in finest bib and tucker, you go through the receiving line, have your photo taken and then proceed to the most important part of the soiree… getting a drink. Some of the other passengers were wearing medals, ribbons or devices that showed that they had served. I was in mess kit as were a few of the other passengers including a Van Doo LCol and a husband & wife who were both pilots in the USAF. It was particularly easy for the Van Doo and me to be noticed in the scarlet monkey jackets.

A few people had approached me with the inevitable questions about who we were and what were we doing. I was chatting with a lady when we were approached by a gentleman in a maroon jacket that included Cdn para wings and several medals. He introduced himself and joined in the conversation which naturally turned to where had you been. He had served with the 1 Cdn Para Bn as a private during the war and had made the jump into Normandy and over the Rhine.

The lady with whom we were chatting asked about the medals and wings he and I were wearing. I probably would have answered in my typically flippant manner about 12 years undetected crime (C.D.), 6 months getting a suntan and not getting a venereal disease (UNEFME) and 4 years wine and beer tasting (SSM with NATO bar), but he replied first by drawing her attention to the one medal we had in common, the Canadian Forces Decoration. I was surprised when he told her it was the one that he was most proud to wear. The lady asked why. His reply impressed me and later that evening I wrote an account of what he said, maybe not verbatim, because we had imbibed several beverages, but close enough for government work.

He said. “ It’s easy to be a soldier when everyone is or wants to be a soldier; when being in uniform is the normal thing to do. The true measure of a man is his commitment to serving his country when there is little chance of excitement, or glory or getting medals. This medal (he indicated his CD) shows people that we pledged a significant portion of our lives to serving our country when few others would, doing things that we didn't necessarily want to do and that were not very glamorous. These (he indicated his 4 or 5 wartime medals) I got for spending 3 years in uniform doing what most guys my age were doing. Was it hard work and dangerous? Yes. But mostly I had a lot of fun doing it.”

Since then I’ve had a different perspective on those little pieces of ribbon that we wear.

 

[Grimey]

Rack envy is rife!

I remember at the CoC for ALG and the new CO's wife came up to me (We were all just presented the SWASM and that made 4 for me) and said that her husband was likely jealous of all my decorations, he only had a CD at the time. I said I was just fortunate for being at the right place at the right time and that the number of decorations in no way denigrate his service to Canada.

Small world note: Her uncle and my dad had a partnership in a herd bull back in the 70's.

I remember that presentation. A certain PO2 stoker‘s tunic was so tight the back of it was near horizontal and a button would have taken an eye out at 50 paces. Let’s just say he didn’t take advantage of that trips’ SWOAD status to hit the gym.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Obligatory article about using AI in HR practises included here for interest. The CAF does all this stuff, right?

How Can Managers Use AI to Find the Right People?​

Eight recommendations to help firms win the war for talent.


Long gone are the days where candidates had to go to a job centre or a company to turn in a job application. The internet has vaporised most of the frictions related to candidates finding companies and companies finding candidates.

Beginning in the mid-2000s, the launch of multi-platform aggregators, such as Indeed, kickstarted the digital recruiting revolution. The advent of digital social media and professional networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, also contributed. These platforms provide a space where firms could advertise their job opportunities and supply information that could be used to identify millions of passive job candidates. As a consequence, the number of applicants per job skyrocketed. For example, in 2017, L’Oréal received two million résumés for only 5,000 positions – a stunning 400 applicants per job.

However, when participation is free and frictionless, the quality of participants typically goes down. Different studies and surveys have found that between 75 and 88 percent of all job applicants are actually unqualified for the job to which they apply. In this sense, we are reminded of the famous line in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “Water, water everywhere / Nor any drop to drink.” In other words, without AI-enabled screening tools, companies risk drowning in a sea of low-quality candidates.

So, what can AI-enabled recruiting tools do to help firms generate broad and deep pools of talent, intelligently screen them, thoroughly evaluate them, and ultimately help them select and hire the right people? The short answer is, “a lot.” Here are our top eight recommendations.

How Can Managers Use AI to Find the Right People?

Eight recommendations to help firms win the war for talent.

knowledge.insead.edu

 

[Navy_Pete]

RIMPAC is an exercise. A NATO is not. The current equivalent is OP REASSURANCE (east) and OP PROJECTION (west). OP REASSURANCE is not a twofer, its one medal.

Bit of a funny story, deploy on Reassurance circa 2015 (or 16?), and was told to expect a swan around from NATO port to port doing flight deck parties etc. (eveything below was publically reported on with NATO tweeting about it etc)

A few months before we left Syria was accused of using chemical weapons on it's populace. We spent a bunch of time off Syria, including a whack of time shadowing the Russian fleet that was launching missiles and air strikes.

We also transitted into the Black Sea right around the attempted coup in Turkey, so was interesting not really being sure who was in control of the country we were allies with. Mad props to their AOR though for RASing with us anyway!

When we weren't doing that, we were bobbing around in the migrant corridor between Africa and the closest points in the EU (Italy, Greece etc) where there were overloaded boats getting rescued all the time.

There was some other stuff, but in general it was definitely not a drinking tour of the UK and friendly EU ports (in fact, CJOC gave us a hard 2 drink maximum when on shore leave, with other restrictions).

...Unless you asked the N37 for support, and they kept telling us we didn't need things like search lights, and other handy high readiness . Mind still blown, and there were a few people I wanted to fight on sight for a few years afterwards from the 'support' they provided over emails and messages.

Just venting now, but the disconnect between our actual operations and what MARLANT thought we were doing was huge.

 

[dapaterson]

I spent my honeymoon in Hawaii. It happened to be at the same time as RIMPAC. And I must salute the fine, hardworking CAF intelligence staff who strategically avoided booking accommodation until after nothing was available on base, so they booked at the boutique hotel we were staying at...

 

[SupersonicMax]

I spent my honeymoon in Hawaii. It happened to be at the same time as RIMPAC. And I must salute the fine, hardworking CAF intelligence staff who strategically avoided booking accommodation until after nothing was available on base, so they booked at the boutique hotel we were staying at...

Well trained admin officers I see!

 

[Good2Golf]

Majority of Canadians aren’t interested in doing ANYTHING!!!

 

[FJAG]

So, what can AI-enabled recruiting tools do to help firms generate broad and deep pools of talent, intelligently screen them, thoroughly evaluate them, and ultimately help them select and hire the right people? The short answer is, “a lot.” Here are our top eight recommendations.

How Can Managers Use AI to Find the Right People?

Eight recommendations to help firms win the war for talent.

knowledge.insead.edu

Its only a matter of time (if not already) where there will be commercial AI programs for job seekers that game the AI programs that employers run.

Sigh.

Nothing beats the short-list personal interview - which I presume are more and more done by way of Zoom.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Bit of a funny story, deploy on Reassurance circa 2015 (or 16?), and was told to expect a swan around from NATO port to port doing flight deck parties etc. (eveything below was publically reported on with NATO tweeting about it etc)

A few months before we left Syria was accused of using chemical weapons on it's populace. We spent a bunch of time off Syria, including a whack of time shadowing the Russian fleet that was launching missiles and air strikes.

We also transitted into the Black Sea right around the attempted coup in Turkey, so was interesting not really being sure who was in control of the country we were allies with. Mad props to their AOR though for RASing with us anyway!

When we weren't doing that, we were bobbing around in the migrant corridor between Africa and the closest points in the EU (Italy, Greece etc) where there were overloaded boats getting rescued all the time.

There was some other stuff, but in general it was definitely not a drinking tour of the UK and friendly EU ports (in fact, CJOC gave us a hard 2 drink maximum when on shore leave, with other restrictions).

...Unless you asked the N37 for support, and they kept telling us we didn't need things like search lights, and other handy high readiness . Mind still blown, and there were a few people I wanted to fight on sight for a few years afterwards from the 'support' they provided over emails and messages.

Just venting now, but the disconnect between our actual operations and what MARLANT thought we were doing was huge.

Ya I burnt a few bridges that trip and FRE '20. The support we received was horrendous.

 

[Underway]

Bit of a funny story, deploy on Reassurance circa 2015 (or 16?), and was told to expect a swan around from NATO port to port doing flight deck parties etc. (eveything below was publically reported on with NATO tweeting about it etc)

A few months before we left Syria was accused of using chemical weapons on it's populace. We spent a bunch of time off Syria, including a whack of time shadowing the Russian fleet that was launching missiles and air strikes.

We also transitted into the Black Sea right around the attempted coup in Turkey, so was interesting not really being sure who was in control of the country we were allies with. Mad props to their AOR though for RASing with us anyway!

When we weren't doing that, we were bobbing around in the migrant corridor between Africa and the closest points in the EU (Italy, Greece etc) where there were overloaded boats getting rescued all the time.

There was some other stuff, but in general it was definitely not a drinking tour of the UK and friendly EU ports (in fact, CJOC gave us a hard 2 drink maximum when on shore leave, with other restrictions).

...Unless you asked the N37 for support, and they kept telling us we didn't need things like search lights, and other handy high readiness . Mind still blown, and there were a few people I wanted to fight on sight for a few years afterwards from the 'support' they provided over emails and messages.

Just venting now, but the disconnect between our actual operations and what MARLANT thought we were doing was huge.

Sounds about right. OP REASSURANCE, part amazing port visits (Sicily, Rome, Athens, Odessa, Constanta, etc... ) part super serious because the Russians were buzzing us or shooting missiles over us into Syria.

 

[Remius]

Its only a matter of time (if not already) where there will be commercial AI programs for job seekers that game the AI programs that employers run.

Sigh.

Nothing beats the short-list personal interview - which I presume are more and more done by way of Zoom.

My group is currently looking at AI as part of the initial screening process. We are hoping it lets us cast a a wider net for talent. Right now, hiring managers limit areas of selection to smaller populations not because they don’t want external talent but because they don’t have to ressources to take on large processes. We are hoping that this use of AI can help with that.

 

[GR66]

Would there be any benefit (for Army trades at least) to giving a degree of geographic posting certainty by concentrating like units together rather than spreading them out among the Brigades. For language reasons 5 Brigade would remain as is, but for example could you co-locate the Strathconas and the RCD together in Edmonton so that for the majority of Anglo Armoured pers they would spend most of their career in one physical posting location. Similarly, 1 RCHA and 2 RCHA could be in Shilo, 1 & 2 CER in Petawawa, etc.

Infantry would be a bit tougher, but if we were to stream between Mech Infantry (Anglo in Edmonton, Franco in Valcartier) and Light Infantry (Anglo in Petawawa and Franco in Valcartier) it could possibly work?

Curious what members think the potential plusses and minuses could be.

 

[daftandbarmy]

My group is currently looking at AI as part of the initial screening process. We are hoping it lets us cast a a wider net for talent. Right now, hiring managers limit areas of selection to smaller populations not because they don’t want external talent but because they don’t have to ressources to take on large processes. We are hoping that this use of AI can help with that.

.... and then crash into the obsolete/analogue PER, and other HR, processes from the 19th century once they've enlisted

 

[Remius]

.... and then crash into the obsolete/analogue PER, and other HR, processes from the 19th century once they've enlisted

I’m with a PS organisation so can’t speak to that. What I can say is we are concurrently developing an employee engagement plan. We have a relatively high retention rate where I am and we are trying to leverage best practices to solidify that. Talent retention is tied into what we are trying to achieve. So attraction, recruitment and hiring, development and retention are all under the same umbrella. But it’s a work in process.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I’m with a PS organisation so can’t speak to that. What I can say is we are concurrently developing an employee engagement plan. We have a relatively high retention rate where I am and we are trying to leverage best practices to solidify that. Talent retention is tied into what we are trying to achieve. So attraction, recruitment and hiring, development and retention are all under the same umbrella. But it’s a work in process.

Excellent. Sounds like you are leading the way! Seriously...

 

[mariomike]

The CAF ranks high on the 2022 list of, "Most respected occupations in Canada".

Paramedics top list of most respected occupations in Canada: Poll

A new survey suggests Canadians hold emergency responders and health-care workers in high esteem compared to most other professions.

ottawa.citynews.ca

2022 Respect score by profession

• Paramedics – 92.0
• Firefighters – 91.4
• Nurses – 89.6
• Farmers – 88.7
• Medical Doctors – 86.5
• Pharmacists – 85.1
• Members of Armed Forces – 84.2
• Scientists – 82.9
• Airline pilots – 82.4
• Grocery store workers – 80.8
• Transit workers – 80.6
• Teachers – 80.1
• Veterinarians – 79.9
• Engineers – 79.8
• Police officers – 70.5
• Judges – 68.8
• Private sector long-term care home operators – 62.7
• Journalists – 58.4
• Lawyers – 55.8
• Radio/TV talk show hosts – 54.0
• Bankers – 53.8
• Clergy – 52.9
• Professional athletes – 50.6
• Business executives – 48.6
• Union leaders – 46.7
• Elected members of parliament – 46.3
• Advertising practitioners – 41.6
• Car salespeople – 40.3
• Owners of social media platforms – 33.9

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

The CAF ranks high on the 2022 list of, "Most respected occupations in Canada".

Paramedics top list of most respected occupations in Canada: Poll

A new survey suggests Canadians hold emergency responders and health-care workers in high esteem compared to most other professions.

ottawa.citynews.ca

2022 Respect score by profession

• Paramedics – 92.0
• Firefighters – 91.4
• Nurses – 89.6
• Farmers – 88.7
• Medical Doctors – 86.5
• Pharmacists – 85.1
• Members of Armed Forces – 84.2
• Scientists – 82.9
• Airline pilots – 82.4
• Grocery store workers – 80.8
• Transit workers – 80.6
• Teachers – 80.1
• Veterinarians – 79.9
• Engineers – 79.8
• Police officers – 70.5
• Judges – 68.8
• Private sector long-term care home operators – 62.7
• Journalists – 58.4
• Lawyers – 55.8
• Radio/TV talk show hosts – 54.0
• Bankers – 53.8
• Clergy – 52.9
• Professional athletes – 50.6
• Business executives – 48.6
• Union leaders – 46.7
• Elected members of parliament – 46.3
• Advertising practitioners – 41.6
• Car salespeople – 40.3
• Owners of social media platforms – 33.9

No love for the Lawyers and Bankers?! What gives!

 

[daftandbarmy]

No love for the Lawyers and Bankers?! What gives!

At least 'Actors' didn't even make the list, which shows an unnerving degree of wisdom