Why Employers Should Hire Veterans – Insights from Our November Webinar
Krista Biesecker, Director of Marketing & Communications, CareerScope
I recently moderated a discussion on how companies can expand their talent pipeline with Veterans, and after hearing the insights and commitment from our panelists, I’m even more eager to spread the word about why Veterans make great civilian employees.
Service members are trained and expected to solve complex problems, take the initiative, and think on their feet. These same characteristics are in demand in any civilian workplace.
People with military service:
- Have a strong work ethic
- Are experienced working in diverse teams
- Have learned important vocational skills
- Have demonstrated leadership abilities
- Are adaptable and can perform well under pressure
Aren’t these the same attributes that any civilian workplace would value and seek out in their employees?
In addition, studies have shown that veterans are more productive and have higher retention rates than their civilian counterparts. (Institute for Veterans and Military Families)
According to Bryan Zawikowsi, Vice President and General Manager of the Military Transition Division of Lucas Group: “Smart employers realize that there are some skills that can be taught and learned while there are other intangible skills that must be developed via experience over time. The military does a very good job of putting people in positions of great responsibility early in their careers. This is why many military veterans have leadership skills and a work ethic that is usually found in more experienced candidates.” https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/why-veterans-make-great-employees-in-industrial-businesses/
Employers need to commit to hiring Veterans and creating workplaces that welcome service members as they transition into civilian life. Our November webinar panelists offer the following advice to employers:
Ryan Amole, Managing Partner, Ryde Technologies
“I think just some simple things to start…making your job postings veteran friendly…simply having a line in your job posting that says ‘We hire veterans and military family members.’ Very simple and straightforward, but a veteran sees that and is immediately going to feel welcome…the first big step is really awareness and taking a proactive step to be inviting to those people in particular… the other helpful thing is engaging a staffing partner in your industry to help you with this.”
Lisa Barber, Human Capital Manager, Military Veteran Advocate, Accenture Federal Services
“There’s a myth that what we do in the military is not transferable to civilian life….the advice is to understand what military specialties are transferable to your unique business. So understanding where your business, whatever your business is, intersects with either core technical skills that we have in the military or core values that we have in the military is a super important first step.”
Irene Perez, MS, CRC, Business Outreach Specialist, NJ DVR
“If you’re an employer in New Jersey, you might want to connect with the Department of Labor Veterans Unit. Here in New Jersey, we have a business outreach representative designated for the veterans…they have many connections with employers, and they assist them with talent recruitment. They also do positive recruitments or virtual recruitments just for veterans. They also educate the employer on how to recruit and employ veterans, and they also assist with the tax incentives.”
You can watch the recording of Expanding Your Talent Pipeline with Veterans here.
