Want to Add Veterans to Your Talent Pool? Here’s How.
By Patty McDonald, PHR | Manager, Business Services
Veterans are known for being adaptable, highly trained, and dependable - which makes them highly attractive as a candidate pool. Our team fields a number of questions from employers about how to recruit veterans for positions that they are looking to fill. Here are some of the nuances about accessing these top-tier candidates.
Understanding Military Occupations
If you are interested in attracting veterans to your organization, It may benefit you to become familiar with the occupations that service members are trained to fulfill within the military. While most people are aware of combat arms type skills (weapons-related, infantry, artillery, etc.) that service members may learn, many don’t realize that there are hundreds of different types of occupations that military personnel may pursue.
While careers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines vary to some degree; many occupations are similar across the different branches and many closely mirror “civilian” occupations. For example; the military offers careers in IT, transportation and logistics, facilities maintenance, construction and engineering trades, public relations, and many more.
Training is offered along the career pathway, which makes these candidates highly competitive for jobs. Most of the occupations and career pathways offer transferrable skills that can be relevant to a broad range of positions. For example, many (if not all) service members learn how to follow protocols and procedures, work within a team, and manage projects (or operations) which can be valuable in many different industries and positions.
Even though the occupations may be similar to titles in the civilian sector, clearly translating how their experience in the military matches similar civilian companies in application materials can be difficult. Recruiters may overlook a perfect candidate because the words or the context is a little different for someone who has military experience. Taking some time to understand the military occupational system may open up a talent pool for your organization.
Employers can research which military occupations may be a match to positions in their organization using a variety of crosswalk tools such as the Civilian-to-Military Occupation Translator available on careeronestop or the Military Crosswalk Search tool available on O*NET OnLine.
“Recruiters may overlook a perfect candidate because the words or context is a little different for someone who has military experience. Taking some time to understand the military occupational system may open up a talent pool for your organization.”
Accessing Transitioning Military and Veteran talent pools
According to Hire Heroes USA, the military discharges 270,000 service members annually and an estimated 80% won't have a job lined up at the time that they separate from the military. That number reflects individuals who may be stationed throughout the United States and even in other countries across the globe and as they exit military service are either heading “home” or are looking for a new place to call “home.” The number that return to Maryland depends on how many were originally from Maryland, are returning to the area, or want to make Maryland their new home!
As is true at a majority of military installations worldwide, locally soldiers at Fort Detrick who are in the process of separating from the military may attend a multi-day class called the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). This program includes fundamentals of career transition and provides resources to help soldiers explore careers in the civilian sector, translate their military skills and experience, and prepare for a successful job search. In 2020, instructors there worked with approximately 130 service members who were stationed at Ft. Detrick.
Darlene Carver, an instructor at Ft. Detrick’s TAP program, works with soldiers at Ft. Detrick and a number of transitioning service members across the globe through a virtual center. She notes that the TAP program aims to prepare every soldier for life outside of the military.
Transitioning service members participating in the TAP program may be eligible to participate in Internships with civilian employers during the last six months of their service time through a program called the Career Skills Program (CSP). The CSP/DoD Skill Bridge program began in 2014 and has gained momentum ever since with hundreds of soldiers from Maryland installations (including Fort Belvoir, Fort Myer, Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Detrick, and Fort Mcnair) placed with employers in the National Capital Region covering in 2020 (even amid the pandemic). Employers can sign-up to “host” an internship experience that allows a service member to work in the organization during their transition from active duty. This is cost-free for employers, a significant benefit to the business. Service members gain valuable experience to help make the transition into a new career path. Businesses interested to learn more can visit DoD Skill Bridge or contact the Career Skills Program Installation Site Lead, Rahat Mehmood by email at Rahat.t.mehmood.ctr@mail.mil.
Frederick County has a veteran population of approximately 17,000 residents. According to the 2017 Census information, veterans generally experience lower rates of unemployment than non-veterans and higher education levels, making them appealing to many talent attraction programs. To attract veterans, make sure that your job descriptions are clear and you promote job vacancies with a variety of sources where they are accessible. The American Job Center has a Veteran’s Outreach Specialist from the Department of Labor who may be helpful in getting job announcements in front of local veteran candidates.
Additionally, there are a number of organizations, websites, and hiring events that may offer a broader reach to access veterans and transitioning service members all over the world who may be looking for their next career opportunity, such as:
Adjusting to Civilian Work Culture
Depending on how long the individual served, how recently they separated, and their experiences in the military; the adjustment to civilian work culture can be overwhelming. Consider an individual who may have entered the military directly after high school or college and stayed in the military for an entire career; the perspective of the work environment may be radically different compared to your organization’s work culture.
They may be managing employment applications, resumes, and interviews for the very first time. Some differences may be subtle, like lingo and key phrases that a veteran may need to learn, or adjusting to a new kind of work attire. Some differences may be substantial like the structure of the organization and the way that people interact with each other. Navigating benefits packages and compensation structures may not come naturally to someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience in private sector employment.
Whether subtle or substantial, it can be a challenge to successfully acclimate to a new position and a new organization. Taking the time to properly onboard new hires is a best practice in general, whether you are hiring a veteran or not. Providing an opportunity to be introduced to the organization, the culture, and the employees can give new employees the foundation for success and go a long way to improve retention.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As with any candidate pool, veterans may also have disabilities (service-connected or otherwise) that require accommodation. Employers should follow EEOC guidelines during recruitment, application, and employment phases as they would for all applicants. For additional information about veterans specifically, visit Veterans and the Americans with Disabilities Act: A Guide for Employers.