Military hires can be effective additions to any organization’s human capital. For that reason, most recruiters know better than to overlook them. Veterans are well-trained professionals who manifest discipline, loyalty, and commendable adaptability, in addition to exceptional soft skills. In order to maximize this vastly underrated talent pool, hiring managers need to reassess their recruiting policies in order to make them more veteran-friendly.
When an organization begins to hire veterans, a company-wide change may be necessary for developing vet-centric and inclusive policies. Learning how to seek veteran candidates can be prudent for all primary decision-makers in order to attract the right talent pool. Consistent efforts and strategic planning can help organizations hire proper candidates from the outset. Here are some strategies to make the process more consistent the first time.
1: Break the Bias Associated with Military Careers
A candidate with military experience might foster misconceptions. Most of this unfairly stems from bias and preconceived notions. Recruiters and decision makers need only look at other organizations and their veteran-employee success stories to realize that vets add substantial value to any enterprise. As aspiring vet-friendly employers, recruiters should not subscribe to these stereotypes about ex-military personnel.
2: Change the Company’s Perception
Demonstrating a veteran-friendly environment entails more than just hiring veterans as long-term associates. Military talent is different from civilian talent, even if both seemingly have the same social and educational backgrounds. Vets have gone through immense training, often developing a comfortable familiarity with even the most high-pressure situations. For that reason, a veteran’s emotional acuity and thought process tends to be vastly different than that of a civilian.
In order to attract the right resource pool, a complete overhaul of the company’s outlook may be necessary. Recruiters must necessarily develop customized strategies for onboarding and recruiting veterans. Likewise, they should recognize veteran employees as valuable assets, build a positive rapport with them, and gain the trust of the military community.
3: Craft Clear and Military-Friendly Job Descriptions
Usually, a familiarity with veteran language and talent isn’t a specialty of in-house recruiters. Moreover, translating military experience to civilian roles can be complex. Partnering with a veteran staffing agency might be prudent for crafting crisp and veteran-centric job descriptions. Recruiting professionals can help organizations articulate the job responsibilities and its accompanying benefits in military-friendly language. Putting some thought into the job description goes a long way to appealing to the right candidates.
4: Leverage Past Connections to Veteran Fraternity
Most veteran candidates will take note of an organization with prior military ties. It could be a past military program or a contract with the armed forces. Rightly, veterans think of themselves as comrades-in-arms and respect companies that strive to care for their own. In addition to making the organization vet-friendly through reasonable policies, recruiters also need to demonstrate their strong ties to the military community.
Most veterans see the success of your veteran hiring program as a demonstration of the company’s commitment. Leveraging past connections with the military or other governmental bodies can be an additive to the enterprise’s value proposition such that vets see such a company as a sturdy and reputable employer.
5: Tap into Military Spouse Talent
Most military spouses have gone through high-pressure situations alongside their veteran partners, share the same values, and have strong personalities. They are more than likely to adapt to ever-changing situations and are quick learners. Accordingly, hiring military spouses could be an advantage to any organization. Such hiring practice could be leveraged to attract vets too, as it enables them to keep their family unit intact when assuming a new role.
Transitioning to civilian life can be a challenge for military families; veteran-friendly organizations can help military spouses do their part.
6: Create a Separate Online Career Page for Vets
Constructing a specialized recruitment page is a brilliant strategy for attracting the right candidates. Recruiters can employ different employment strategies for civilians and vets, highlight veteran employee success stories, and offer relevant resources and career roadmaps for prospective military candidates. Moreover, using relatable language on a separate career page can help ex-military candidates find roles relevant to their experience.
Conclusion
Hiring veterans requires dedication and considerable targeted marketing. As a whole, veterans must ultimately see your organization as a great place to work. This proposition could be a long process, but the benefits of hiring veterans make the commitment a worthwhile investment.