Hiring Veterans for Skills

Job Hunt Challenges

 Every company wants to find candidates who have leadership, strong work ethic, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work in a team (among other skills). Who do those skills define? Veterans. As such, why do veterans struggle to find employment after their military service? In the 2016 Veteran Hiring Report, iCIMS reported the top reasons veterans haven’t applied or accepted a job - among them, “56% of veterans reported not being satisfied with the salary or benefits offered. 41% didn’t think they had enough training or education to do the job and 28% stated they were concerned about their ability to “sell themself” in an interview”. The common denominator is veterans are often unaware of and reluctant to promote their capabilities or speak to their transferable skills.

Untapped Talent

On the employer side, civilians often have difficulty understanding what veterans did in the military and how those skills and experiences can benefit their company. With limited time to make a decision, hiring managers and recruiters don’t often look beyond the military occupation titles. While 85% of the military occupations have a direct civilian equivalent skill set, the other 15% also carry transferable and highly sought after skills. A few examples are Gunner’s Mate, Field Artillery Officer, Munitions and Missile Maintenance. Peel back the layers and discover the skills that went into learning and becoming those specialty occupations. Months, weeks and years of training and multiple responsibilities equate to skills such as identifying requirements, inventory management, safety specialist, hydraulic systems, quality control/assurance and compliance.

Even when companies recruit and hire veterans, they are failing to make the most of that veteran’s talents and experience. This contributes to underemployment, high levels of frustration and even boredom for veterans. Gaining an understanding of the top skills veterans hold, employers can tap into this talent and ensure they are providing a challenging and rewarding career path for long term success.  "By readjusting the idea of “experience” and being open to nontraditional job candidates and career paths, companies can access a much bigger talent pool at a time when competition is fierce, and certain skills are hard to come by." Brendan Browne, head of talent acquisition at LinkedIn.

Tis the Season

 As this year draws to a close and families gather to celebrate the holidays, let us each take a moment to think about the service women and men who do not get to be home this holiday season. We appreciate their sacrifice and that of their families. What gifts can we give them? The gift of working to understand that military titles do not define the veteran, their skills do. The gift of taking the time to find and hire veterans, a gift that also benefits the employer. A candidate with leadership, a strong work ethic, problem solving skills and so much more. "Interview for skills, not an exact role. In today’s job market, recruiters and executives at Facebook look beyond the job description and the handful of roles they may be hiring for, in order to assess candidates for skills that align with roles they know will be opening up down the road. This kind of forethought is essential in the future of work." www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/bptw-interview-candidates/ Employers can take advantage of the best of the veteran talent pool. Connect with a veteran, have a discussion with a veteran candidate and find out what they bring to the table. It will be time well spent.

 Happy Holidays!

Robyn Grable - Founder, Veterans ASCEND