Don’t overlook a key source of talent: military veterans

There are many benefits to hiring veterans. But to take advantage of this talent, businesses must better understand the skills they have to offer.

Who is higher-ranking: a lieutenant general or a major general? What exactly is an “MOS”? What duties does a unit supply specialist perform? Most civilians—and, importantly, hiring managers—would not be able to answer these questions. (See answers below). And that poses a problem, both for military personnel who have left the armed forces and are seeking civilian employment, and for the employers who want to hire them.

The gap in understanding how military experiences and skill sets translate into a civilian workforce setting is just one challenge when it comes to recruiting and hiring military veterans. But these challenges have never been more important to overcome—not just for veterans but also for businesses themselves, which are missing a key source of talent.

Consider that the number of military veterans is on the rise. Each year, 13,000 individuals leave the Armed Forces in the UK. In India, the number is 60,000, and in the US, 200,000. While there has been some improvement in veteran unemployment rates, veterans in some countries still face higher rates of unemployment than the general population. In the UK, for instance, the unemployment rate for veterans is approximately 5.4% vs. the national average of 4.0%.

Thankfully, there are multiple government programs designed to help veterans find civilian employment, and increasing numbers of employers are interested in hiring veterans as awareness grows of the benefits of doing so, including the array of government supports and incentives, particularly in the US and UK.

However, there is still a lot businesses can do to better understand what military veterans have to offer to the civilian workforce and take advantage of this valuable talent pool.

(A lieutenant general ranks above a major general. MOS—or military occupational specialty—is the role a service member has in the military. And a unit supply specialist receives, inspects, securely stores, issues, delivers and inventories all military supplies.)

Understanding military veterans’ skillset

A recent Harvard Business School study counts veterans among the more than 27 million “hidden workers” in the US, UK and Germany. According to the study, these are people who meet with consistent failure to find employment due to hiring processes that focus on what they don’t have (such as credentials) rather than the value they can bring (such as capabilities).

The fact is, veterans often possess a unique set of skills and experiences that could be highly valued in the civilian workplace but are not immediately recognized.

Through their military service, veterans are required to make decisions in highly pressured situations and maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity. They are expected to put team success ahead of personal recognition, which promotes a collaborative environment.

Military training also instills clear and concise communication, which is crucial for teamwork, as well as the ability to quickly analyze complex situations and adjust to new challenges and technologies in dynamic environments. Many veterans also bring international experience, offering cultural awareness and diverse viewpoints.

However, people who have left the military are often unsure how to translate these skills into civilian job qualifications or how their experience matches up to corporate roles.

While the connection might seem murky, it’s actually quite clear. In a recent study into veteran aptitude for the IT industry, the global veterans support group WithYouWithMe analyzed two years' worth of psychometric and aptitude data from the testing of more than 9,200 veterans across Australia, the UK, USA and Canada.

The study found that veterans score higher than average in both numerical reasoning and digit symbol coding, both of which correlate with the ability to interpret and draw conclusions from data, understand and recognize coding patterns; and use logical reasoning to solve problems.

More than 50% of veterans also score highly in recognition memory: the ability to identify previously encountered events, objects or people. The study authors point out that this plays a significant role in the process of understanding new concepts and applying transferable skills.

How employers can help bridge the gap

Many programs are now available to help military veterans align their skills and resumes with the civilian world. In the UK, the Career Transition Partnership provides resettlement support and career advice to service leavers. Organizations like the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes also play a crucial role in offering training, job placements and advocacy.

However, employers can also be a key part of this effort. Very often, employers do not understand military qualifications or terminology or recognize their value. If they don’t see a formal civilian qualification, such as a project management certification, on the resume, it can hinder the applicant’s prospects.

Employers can help close the gap between the military and civilian mindset in the following ways.

• Prompt for details about the jobs they did, the training they received and the types of leadership roles they filled. The UK Office for Veterans Affairs notes that veterans will often talk about their experiences in terms of what “we” rather than “I” did to accomplish goals, which doesn’t always tell the employer what they need to know. Hiring managers should encourage veterans to talk openly about their strengths and skills and ask for further information on what a role or word means. Even better, ask an ex-military employee to join as part of the interview.
  
  
• Use direct, jargon-free language in job postings so candidates aren’t put off by unfamiliar terminology. WithYouWithMe suggests emphasizing the importance of soft skills relevant to the role, like teamwork or strategic problem solving.
  
  
• Reach out by phone. When possible, according to WithYouWithMe, initial outreach to a veteran candidate should be made over the phone, as people less experienced in navigating the civilian job market will place far more value on a direct conversation than an email.
  
  
• Promote the efforts you’re taking to recruit and hire veterans. This could range from attending veteran job fairs and local events to engage with people who have left the military, to social media promotion and messaging about advocating for veterans’ employment.
  
  Businesses in the UK should also consider signing the UK government’s Armed Forces Covenant, which encourages businesses to pledge their support for employing veterans and recognized businesses that demonstrate or advocate support to the armed forces community. Just this year, Cognizant was awarded the gold-level status in the Armed Forces Covenant employer recognition scheme.

The benefits of hiring military veterans

For businesses that take these and other veteran-friendly measures, there are many benefits to be had. For one, businesses can reduce recruitment costs, especially if they work with the organizations supporting veterans, because they’ll have direct access to this talent pool. They can also reduce attrition; according to a recent LinkedIn report, veterans remain with their employers 8.3% longer than nonveterans and are 39% more likely to be promoted earlier than nonveterans.

Military veterans are also considered high-quality hires; according to the Harvard Business School study, “hidden workers”—which includes veterans— outperform their peers on six key evaluative criteria: attitude and work ethic, productivity, quality of work, engagement, attendance and innovation.

Businesses also gain skills in areas that often see talent shortages, including engineering, project management, logistics and IT, according to the Royal British Legion. The WithYouWithMe research also found that—based on aptitude and personality type—veterans were most commonly matched to careers in project management, operations and cybersecurity response as a result of their ability to manage complex situations and problem-solve under pressure.

Further, for organizations requiring employees to handle sensitive information, veterans often have the security clearances needed for many IT, cybersecurity and engineering jobs in key sectors such as government, energy, utilities, communications and high-tech manufacturing, according to VeteranUK.

In the UK and US, there are also government benefits and incentives available to businesses that hire veterans. The US federal government offers a Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which offers tax relief to help cover some of the expenses associated with onboarding and training. And in the UK, employers are eligible for National Insurance relief for the first year of a veteran’s tenure.

Finding talent by hiring veterans

Some people say good talent is hard to find. But by taking the time to understand the best ways to recruit, hire and retain military veterans, businesses will find a key source of talent among the ever-growing numbers of people leaving the military and eager to find their place in the civilian workforce.