Hiring veterans is something about which most American businesses remain positive. However, many organizations are struggling to maintain their initiatives to hire veterans. This does not necessarily reflect a deficiency on the part of the candidates themselves. This blog explores some key pieces of information that employers often overlook when recruiting veterans. Such information could enable firms to make better hiring decisions in the context of identifying and engaging veteran employees. Read more to discover some key facts employers need to know about hiring workers with military backgrounds.
Vets Want Meaningful Jobs, Not Menial Ones
One of the biggest mistakes that employers make when hiring vets is failing to offer them meaningful roles. Veterans, like any other demographic, need reassurance that their role and the quality of their work will necessarily add value to a business. Not having this reassurance risks the engagement and loyalty of a veteran worker. Disengaged employees suffer from lowered motivation and productivity, as their perception of their role and professional future no longer match their long-term and short-term personal goals. Offering a veteran a job that is not meaningful will likely impair his or her performance as well as the desire to remain with the organization over the long term.
Veterans Struggle to Translate Their Skills
This is one of the biggest obstacles in hiring workers with a military background. Even military spouses sometimes have trouble articulating their own skills and experience. This is largely due to two reasons – the first is that some military veterans (and spouses) struggle to conceptualize the value of their role in a civilian workplace context. This can make hiring the right veteran candidate a true challenge. There is further consideration; that is, most recruiters struggle to speak the right language as well. In-house recruiters may have no problem dealing with civilian candidates, but they may often find themselves out of their depth when conversing with a former member of the military. This gap in communication can cause many businesses to lose out on high-quality talent.
Hiring Veterans Allows Businesses to Claim Tax Breaks
For businesses that need further motivation to hire veterans, note that veteran employees on a payroll enable employers to take advantage of certain tax breaks. The government incentivizes veteran-friendly hiring practices by offering tax credits and rebates to employers that employ veterans.
As a matter of example, businesses can claim a tax credit on each veteran hire that meets Qualified Short-Term and Long-Term Unemployment standards set by the U.S. government. In addition, hiring former service members that were wounded during a term of service allows businesses to apply for the Wounded Warrior tax credit. These benefits can add up to significant tax savings in both the short term as well as the long term.
Having Veterans in a Workforce Makes Hiring Vets Easier
Many veterans feel more confident applying and working for an employer if there are already one or more veterans in the workforce. Employers that have veteran employees should consider making them a prominent part of their hiring efforts. These employees not only act as advocates for an employer brand, but they can also take a more active role in helping new veteran employees adjust to their roles. This can go a long way toward onboarding new employees and helping them quickly settle into the workplace as a functional part of the team.
Working with Specialized Veteran Recruiters Pays Off
In many cases, businesses may find it easier to work with third-party staffing agencies that specialize in veteran recruitment. These specialized recruiters deal primarily with candidates who were formerly part of the military. Such long-term recruiting experience empowers these agencies to identify soft skills in veterans that may be difficult for a general recruiter to distinguish. In the same vein, these recruiters may be more effective at translating a veteran candidate’s experience into a civilian workplace context. They may also be more effective at translating the role and its requirements into words that resonate more soundly with the veteran candidate.