By Nick Busse
Veterans can be an effective addition to your organization, and a large group of them are already looking for work in the private sector. According to SkillBridge, the Department of Defense’s workforce transition program, more than 200,000 U.S. military service members transition to the civilian workforce annually. While that’s only a fraction compared to the pool of candidates just graduating college, military veterans have something recent college graduates are missing—years of experience.
When companies don’t actively recruit and hire veterans, they miss out on a uniquely skilled pool of individuals who bring a diverse perspective to the workforce. Here are five benefits of recruiting transitioning service members and military veterans:
Benefits of Hiring Veterans
- Exceptional Leadership Skills: Military veterans have undergone rigorous training to prepare them to lead and make critical decisions in high-pressure situations. Many take on leadership roles in their early 20s, much sooner than most in that age bracket. They have the ability to remain calm under high-stress situations, adapt quickly and effectively communicate, significantly enhancing your team’s performance and productivity.
- Strong Work Ethic & Quick Learners: Veterans are known for their incredible work ethic and dedication. They understand the importance of precision and punctuality, which allows them to pay high attention to detail. Additionally, many veterans are confident in learning new skills after having to complete rigorous training in a short amount of time. These qualities make it easier for them to onboard into new roles and start producing high-quality work at a faster pace.
- Problem-Solving Abilities: In the Army, you’re taught a seven-step problem-solving program, which starts from gathering information and goes to analyzing potential solutions and making a final decision. This program teaches practical problem-solving skills that can be applied to situations in the workplace where critical thinking is a must.
- Team First Mentality: Service members are taught to work in a unit from day one. Every day, they coordinate and complete tasks within their unit and outside units, which consist of people with different cultural backgrounds. They must maintain keen communication skills to effectively interact with diverse groups, making them excellent contributors to creating an inclusive work culture.
- Resilience & Adaptability: Military veterans have faced adversity and overcome many difficult obstacles during their service. This experience instills in them a sense of resilience and adaptability, which allows them to thrive in dynamic work environments. In the military, if you fail, you try again—a trait critical to ensuring success in business.
Best Practices for Recruiting Veterans
Businesses that have successfully recruited and retained military veterans have several military-focused practices. Below are the most successful:
- A Focused Training Program: Providing a transition program for military veterans with insights into your workplace culture and expected behaviors will help set them up to become high-performing team members. Set up a Military Employee Resource Group (ERG) or internal group with other service members as a resource for new veteran employees to turn to when they need support.
- Actively Recruit & Market to Veterans: Strive to connect with transitioning service members and veterans at employment fairs; partner with military programs such as SkillBridge and Hiring Our Heroes and recruiters like the 7 Eagle Group. This helps connect military talent to IT or cyber security roles and customizes your outreach to match veterans’ skills and experience. Sharing these efforts on corporate social media accounts and interacting with veterans in the comments is also important. By doing this, you’ll quickly see more engagement.
- Philanthropic Programs for Veterans: Participating in charitable events for veterans outside your company shows they already have your support before applying for a position. Sending care packages to deployed military veterans or conducting raffles where veterans can win free products from your brand are just a few ways to do this.
- Have a Clear Mission Statement: Today, most candidates, including military veterans, want to work with an organization with a distinct and clear mission. They want to feel that their values align with the organization they represent. Showcase why a candidate should work with your organization by clearly communicating its purpose and values.
Start Hiring Skilled Veterans
When you hire a veteran, it not only supports those who have served our country but can also help bring your company to new heights. Their experiences will add value to your corporate culture and improve your organization’s bottom line.
Discover how you can start hiring skilled veterans today, and learn more about The Benefits of Hiring Veterans to further understand how they can contribute to your organization.
