US military veterans make up a sizeable (and constantly growing) segment of the workforce. Veteran talent often possesses valuable skills and experience that can prove useful in any workforce; sadly, businesses consistently find it difficult to source, onboard, and retain vets. This is primarily because organizations persistently approach veteran candidates in the same way they do civilian candidates. It is imperative to understand that vets are a very different class of talent, and have very different backgrounds, motivations, and goals.
This blog explores some of the most important things veteran candidates are seeking as they transition military experience into civilian careers. Understanding these drivers could help business boost success rates for any future veteran hiring drives. Read on to discover more.
Meaningful Work
The foremost motivator for vets to consider an employment opportunity is meaningful work. Too many vets and military spouses get trapped in jobs that offer very little in terms of advancement or professional development. Despite hiring bias and media stereotypes, veterans offer considerable value to any organization, beyond mundane or menial work roles. In order to entice talented veteran talent, businesses must consider them for more meaningful roles that offer a mutual value proposition.
Easier Transitions
Despite best efforts, the transition from an active member of the military to a civilian can be challenging. Veterans come from strictly regimented backgrounds, used to military acronyms and clearly defined processes. By comparison, civilian roles are usually far more relaxed. There might also exist a language barrier that both veterans and recruiters find difficult to address.
As such, businesses need to update their employer brands and value propositions to make the transition easier for veterans. Recruiters with former military experience and veteran-based staffing agencies can also prove to be a huge help in the transition. Ultimately, this can help businesses hire talent that may have been otherwise overlooked because messaging and processes were not developed with veteran candidates in mind.
Empathy and Respect
The US military protects national interests and security, often in extremely violent and dangerous parts of the world. Military recruits face very real physical and psychological threats in the field. They also often sacrifice certain life milestones, or at least put them on hold, during the course of their service.
To put it succinctly, members of the United States military make significant sacrifices; and once they transition out of active service, veterans should still be accorded the respect and empathy they deserve. Especially from civilian employers that hire them. Small gestures, like a “Thank You for Your Service” campaign on Veterans Day, honor and celebrate veterans in the office. These gestures can help them to feel included as valuable members of the workforce, and offer validation that they remain valued in the community as well.
Vision and Structure
Being organized and self-motivated is usually the hallmark of most veteran resources. Life in the military prioritizes neatness, organization, and quick thinking. These soft skills in veterans make them extremely valuable employees., but for their skills to be at their impactful best, veterans also require structure in the workplace, along with a clear overarching vision for the business and their part in it.
Military success often demands collaboration with shared goals in mind, and this conditioning can just as easily apply to business success as well. Getting military veterans to buy into an employer’s long-term vision can offer many advantages. It can turn vets into workers that motivate their teams, assist struggling coworkers, drive people collectively toward shared success, and so on. It can also empower them to make the necessary mission-critical decisions that turn vision into reality.
Camaraderie
Making friends in the workplace is not usually a huge motivator for professionals, but there is no denying that a trust-based relationship between coworkers makes workplaces warmer and more productive. Veterans are no different. While they will do their best in any workplace, they will do even better if they can establish a more personal connection with other members of the workforce.
Multiple veterans in a singular workforce provide added benefits. The shared experience of military life can be a powerful catalyst to help veteran hires form bonds with like-minded individuals who shared the same experience. In many cases, this can be leveraged as a mentorship program for new and incoming veteran hires.