Veteran candidates are untapped hiring gold nuggets in the recruiting world today. Why? Veterans have the skills and the experience necessary to join and lead civilian teams when assessed properly, given clear succession paths and goals. Recruiting veterans makes great business sense, and attracting these experienced men and women is a crucial part of a smart talent acquisition strategy.
Did you know the military has over 7,000 job positions across more than 100+ functional areas, and 81% of these jobs have a direct civilian equivalent? Maybe not because it’s not advertised that well. The current unemployment rate of veterans is shockingly higher than the national average at 15%. People in high places are doing what they can to change that, but for now, it’s up to recruiters, hiring managers and HR professionals to do a little legwork.
“The military trains people to lead example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation, and inspiration. Veterans understand the practical ways to manage behaviors for results, even in the most trying circumstances. They also know the dynamics of leadership as part of both hierarchical and peer structures.”- Military.comMilitary hires are used to leading teams and having a very clear hierarchy. They don’t need to be leaders immediately upon entering your workforce though. Work on attracting military veterans knowing where and how they can use the skills they have within your workforce. Other attributes of military veterans:
- Mature Leadership
- Adaptable Problem-Solving
- Accountable Resourcefulness
- Confident Decisiveness
- Responsible Discipline
- IT
- Engineering
- Healthcare
- Transportation
- Leadership
- Public Relations
- Accounting
- Law
“Veterans have learned to work side side with individuals regardless of diverse race, gender, geographic origin, ethnic background, religion, and economic status as well as mental, physical, and attitudinal capabilities. They have the sensitivity to cooperate with many different types of individuals.”– Military.comWith leadership skills, diverse skills and the ability to work alongside much of your workforce, veterans should be the ultimate talent pool. So….why aren’t they? Programs like the Veterans Career Transition Program (VCTP) connect many veterans to specific careers and then train the veterans with educational programs & workshops that help ease their transition back into the working civilian world (in their designated areas of expertise of course.) A lot of these programs also offer soft skill training. The veteran workforce is your untapped market of gold, and there are just a few simple steps to take to attract these ideal workers. In fact, it can be great for your recruiting budget as well as many military-focused niche job boards offer free job postings to help spread the word about opportunities. Check out some niche sites/ job boards many veterans use. Look for military placement sites, job boards and career fairs. Other great spots to recruit veteran candidates are college campuses or Guard and Reserve units. It is usually easy and welcomed for recruiters to set up visits in these locations. Tweet This:Check out some niche sites/ job boards many veterans use. In addition to setting up the ol’ job booth at the local career fair, scan some military job boards. These job sites are a tool for military alumni to post jobs, access resume databases, as well as exhibiting at military career fairs and target advertising.