Each year, thousands of military personnel transition back to civilian life. While they are no longer on active service duty, they still represent a valuable talent pool. Over recent years, more businesses have grown aware of the value veteran candidates bring to the workplace; and with a looming talent shortage, the competition among corporations and smaller firms to hire veterans for civilian business roles has increased.
More businesses offer hiring and onboarding programs aimed specifically at sourcing veteran talent. While this is commendable, many employers continue to fall short in one key area: offering the right business incentives to veteran candidates.
Key Factors to Boost Veteran Interest in Hiring Programs
Measuring hiring success is key to ensuring hiring programs are effective, sustainable, and scalable. Understandably, civilian employers may not be equipped to handle this in the context of veteran hiring. That does not negate the importance of measuring hiring success for this demographic. The following metrics may offer useful insights for businesses and employers to gauge the success of veteran-focused hiring initiatives:
Clear Business Objectives and Goals
Any hiring initiative is (or should be) aligned with larger business goals. This does not change in the case of veteran talent. Clearly defined goals and business objectives can prove to be very appealing as they lend clarity to why candidates are hired in the first place. The success factor here is clearly communicating to veteran candidates what business objectives are best served, often prior to or in conjunction with their onboarding.
Leadership Roles and Empathy
Another key area that proves appealing to veteran candidates is the type of leadership personality that they will be reporting to when hired. This includes hiring managers that will be supervising the new hire. Veteran candidates will also place value on the people running or managing veteran hiring programs from interview to onboarding.
Among other factors, a key focus area here would be the goals set by the leadership, as well as their own background. Civilians can, and do, run veteran recruitment drives, and understandably, vets will usually feel more comfortable working with other veterans with shared experiences.
Resources Offered to Veteran Talent
Having a vet-focused recruitment program is not enough to deliver success when hiring or retaining veterans. The components of the program will play a huge role in any veteran candidate or new hire’s decisions. For example, the resources that the employer offers to veteran candidates can make or break a successful hire.
This may include special material to help ease the transition from active duty into a civilian role. It may also include other benchmarks, such as candidate diversity, knowledge sharing, and onboarding techniques. In other words, vet candidates will expect a streamlined onboarding process that can speed up their transition and integration as painlessly as possible.
Employer Hiring Success History
The volume of successfully recruited and onboarded veteran candidates is an important consideration for current and future veteran talent. For veteran candidates, the historic success rate of veteran hires is going to be a significant indicator of whether an employer is good for them or not.
As with any candidate pool, word travels – if a business has a reputation for being empathic and possessing streamlined veteran onboarding among veteran circles, more candidates would be willing to apply. On the other hand, a poor reputation may discourage them.
Talent Retention and Growth
Talent retention rates are very important indicators of hiring success, not just for employers, but for employees as well. This is no different for veteran talent onboarded during a year. With greater retention rates and employee growth opportunities, more candidates will buy into the success of a business.
Veteran applicants, just like any other professionals, value stability and growth more than any other professional trajectory. Businesses that can demonstrate these qualities, particularly in the context of veterans working in civilian roles, are far more likely to attract the right kind of vet talent.
Vet-Friendly Brand Reputation
Measuring changes in perception and awareness is not as straightforward as qualitative factors, but these qualitative changes are still valuable indicators for veteran employees. Employers that are more successful at hiring veterans are usually those organizations that work to change perceptions and outdated biases.
For many veterans, fighting both of these factors is an uphill battle that starts as soon as they apply to most positions. Veteran candidates will find that employers who already possess a reputation for being unbiased or even vet-affirmative are far more appealing prospects.