Veteran Employment Stereotypes
Tod Neal, MBV MBA
Visionary Leader | Technology Strategist | Driving Innovation | Process Optimization | Public Speaker | KY Colonel
There are stereotypes that somehow always emerge after a conflict. These stereotypes do veterans a great disservice if we brand them. - General Martin E. Dempsey
Hollywood movies shape most civilians’ image of our service members, leaving many wondering how those military skills translate. The success we reintegrate our veterans and their families as they return to our civilian life directly contributes to a sustainable all-volunteer force.
Stereotype:?Veterans lack relevant civilian job skills.
Fact:?Military service teaches critical vocational tasks, skills, and experiences.
A person with a bachelor’s degree is described as having discipline, perseverance, teamwork, and communication skills and can meet deadlines. (Rosser) These same attributes are instilled in service members during their initial training and reinforced throughout their service term.
However, 91% of military occupations have a civilian-equivalent position. (RAND) The military requires logistical, administrative, and maintenance specialists like any large company or public entity. An Infantryman’s tactical and technical skills might appear less relevant outside the military. Still, arduous training and experience instill invaluable attributes like leadership, accountability, resiliency, problem-solving, and adaptability.
Veterans’ value to the civilian workforce should not be thought of only in terms of a direct skills match between their military expertise and the job-specific skills required by civilian businesses. Over 40 years of peer-reviewed academic research from business, psychology, sociology, and organizational behavior demonstrates ten critical vocational tasks, skills, experiences, specific abilities, attributes, and characteristics required for business and industry, which military experience imparts to veterans. (IVM) These include
Stereotype:?Veterans are no more productive than any other candidate.
Fact:?Veterans perform as well or better than their civilian peers.
Job candidates may say they have a strong work ethic in an interview, but you will know once they see them in action. The veteran has had a strong work ethic ingrained into them. A veteran knows the importance of staying on schedule, completing tasks on time, and bringing consistent effort and performance to the job daily, ensuring high productivity.
A significant reason a veteran may be able to help productivity is that they are self-motivated and efficient individuals. Service members have been trained to complete tasks as efficiently as possible. In addition, they are disciplined in how they use their time not to waste it.
The Corporate Executive Board (CEB) recently released a study to capture the value proposition of veteran employees. CEB found that veterans’ performance is 4% higher than civilians and that veterans are 3% less likely to turn over. These conclusions may not seem striking at first. Still, when applied to a company of one thousand employees (where 1 in 4 employees are veterans) with $150,000 in average revenue per employee, the veterans’ higher productivity and retention rate translate to increased revenue of $7.3 million. (Pollak) A survey noted that 99% of employers believe veterans perform better than their civilian peers. (Monster) Furthermore, 97% of employers would recommend hiring veterans. These figures offer both practical and economic incentives to hire veterans.
Stereotype: Veterans are not well educated.
Fact: Veterans exceed national norms in education and intelligence.
Only 25% of 17 to 24 years of age are physically, mentally, and morally qualified for military service. (Gilroy) All enlisted service members must have a high school or general education diploma. (Campbell) Consequently, a higher percentage of veterans ages 25 and over have a high school diploma than their civilian counterparts. (Census) The current generation of service members “exceed national norms, on average, in education and intelligence, health and character qualities.” (Meyer)
More civilians have a bachelor’s degree than veterans; a higher percentage of veterans have completed more college courses than the general population. Nearly half of all young veterans (47%) earned a college degree, while only 37% of their civilian peers did. It is not easy to capture or recognize the experience veterans gain during numerous deployments. An E-8 may lack the technical knowledge of an MBA. Still, their ability to think critically, solve problems, work effectively in teams and under stressful circumstances, adapt to dynamic environments, and lead diverse groups has been honed by decades of practical experience that the traditional college graduate lacks. (DOD)
Special operations forces use an attraction strategy to get access to the best raw talent in the military. Their elite status is a magnetic draw for young men who want to prove themselves and be among the best. The average education level of special operations recruits is above that of conventional forces. It is not uncommon to find individuals with advanced degrees from top colleges or managerial experience in a corporation. (Sobel)
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Stereotype:?Veterans cannot think for themselves and can only follow orders.
Fact: Service members are trained and expected to act on their initiative and to think outside the box to fix complex problems.
Some unfamiliar with military service may believe that service members and veterans can only take orders and lack initiative or the ability to act independently. However, a service member’s ability to execute intent-based operations is a defining characteristic of our American military. All service members, regardless of rank or occupational specialty, are trained to perform complex tasks in highly challenging environments armed with a mission statement and their commander’s intent. For Special Operations personnel, this has changed dramatically during the decade and a half following September 11th, 2001. Special Operations non-commissioned officers must understand strategy and policy and a deeper understanding of the commander’s intent to execute disciplined initiative to make informed decisions, often in complicated or unclear circumstances. Once they understand the purpose of their mission, their unit’s essential tasks, and the desired operational end state, junior leaders are empowered to make their own decisions. This intent-based capacity, conspicuously absent in other armed forces, distinguishes the American military and underscores the significant responsibility delegated across our junior ranks. This empowerment across the U.S. military breeds independence, effectiveness, maturity, and confidence in decision-making that should appeal to any prospective employer.
The bottom line, these veterans have developed skills during their military time that can be difficult to find in the general population. Therefore, hiring a veteran when you have a job vacancy is not only a friendly show of support but can also increase productivity and benefit your company.
References:
Campbell, R. (2018) What Are the Requirements to Join the U.S. Military? Chron. https://work.chron.com/requirements-join-military-10604.html
DOD (2021). U.S. Military Rank Insignia. U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Insignia/
Gilroy, C. (2009). Statement to the House, Committee on Armed Services, Recruiting, Retention and End Strength Overview, Hearing. Serial 111-112. https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG- 111hhrg50088/pdf/CHRG-111hhrg50088.pdf?
IVM (2012). The Business Case for Hiring Veterans: Beyond the?Clichés. Institute for Veterans and Military Families. https://vets.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/TheBusinessCase7.14.pdf
JCS. (2014). Veteran Stereotypes: A Closer Look. Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/CORe/141024_veteran_stereotypes.pdf
Meyer,?T. (2013). Serving Those Who Served: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Assisting Veterans and Military Families. Washington: The Philanthropy Roundtable. p153.
Monster (2016).?Veterans Talent Index. 9th Edition. https://www.monstergovernmentsolutions.com/docs/vti/MON-VTI-Report-11082016.pdf
Pollak, M. (2019) The Business Case for Hiring Military Veterans/Reservists. Journal of Veteran Studies. https://journal-veterans-studies.org/articles/10.21061/jvs.v4i2.99/galley/96/download/
RAND. (2017). What Veterans Bring to the Workplace. National Defense Research Institute. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/tools/TL100/TL160-1/RAND_TL160-1.pdf
Rosser, L. (2013). The Value of Hiring a Veteran. Fox Business. https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/2829023521001/value-hiring-Veteran
Sobel, A. (2021). What’s So Special about Special Ops? Stragety+Business. Reprint No. 09403. https://www.strategy-business.com/article/09403?gko=c6aca
U.S. Census Bureau (2019). Veteran Status, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates. https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Veteran
I help large US corporations drive high-ROI workforce solutions by unlocking the full potential of military veteran talent.
3 年Hi Tod Neal! Thanks for quoting from the interview I did with Fox Business News. Helping companies break through the myths and misperceptions of veterans so they can improve recruitment of service members is my area of specialty (visit https://thevalueofaveteran.com for more details). Another common misperception is that many/most recently separated veterans have Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and employers are either hesitant to hire them because of that (vets seen as too risky), or they are willing to hire, but assume PTS symptoms presents exactly the same in every person who has it, so are looking to "PTS-proof" the workplace, similar to how a new parent might baby-proof their house.
People & Culture Professional (HR)
3 年Lisa Rosser
Construction Manager @ FTI
3 年Thank you for sharing. I would like to add another stereotype that I encountered. I was asked specifically if I had the capability to work under conditions where application of discipline did not include raising my voice and applying rigorous exercise or other creative physical reinforcement. When I answered this would not be an issue, the additional question was how? My response was tempered in experience. I was blessed enough to walk among giants, USSF, NSW, MARSOC, and other elite military units are not tolerant of unimaginative disciplinary responses. Performance is expected in these units. Deficiency is trained out; success is rewarded. These tools in hand, my response to the second question was simple: The intent of correction and discipline are to provide a path to success. If I know my team, I know how to talk to them and how to empower them. This means I also know how to correct them, if needed. If my guidance is clear and the intent is known and understood, the need for correction and discipline is minimized. How? Provide a task, conditions, standards, and suspense to thwart the need for a misunderstanding that may allow for deficiency; check on progress and be involved in the outcome; and finally, provide feedback during a task. I don't always nail it but I do my best. In keeping with this article, veterans are more likely to do their best because it is expected while in service. This does not end when we hang up the uniform. Great article. This is a fantastic way to display what we can do and why adding veterans to the workforce is value added. Tod Neal, you are one of the giants.
Veteran Transition Coach and Mentor | Proven Clinical Research Leader| Great White Shark Diver | Open Water Swimmer
3 年Fantastic! Thank you Tod Neal for such a thoughtful piece.