Veterans have proven time and time again to be great additions to the American workforce after retiring from active duty. The US military veteran segment is a significant part of the total American workforce. Many have not just adjusted well to civilian business roles, but have excelled at them as well. With military veterans holding positions at just about every level in a vast range of industries, many businesses have worked on improving their veteran recruiting process.
However, it is still surprising that many employers are hesitant to consider a veteran candidate as their first choice for a given role. With veteran unemployment stats in 2020 still fresh, veterans are definitely applying for roles, but most are facing difficulties in securing the jobs they want. This can be the result of several factors contributed by both sides. However, many of these aren’t likely to limit a veteran candidate from doing his or her job well. Here are the top reasons that employers may often be hesitant to recruit veteran candidates.
Skills Don’t Translate Well On Paper
The biggest reason businesses often forego excellent veteran candidates is a simple case of proverbially speaking different languages. Many veterans are unable to understand the valuable skills they possess and their importance in the modern workplace. As a result, they may not be able to give due importance to them on their resume. Some may not even mention these skills at all. Recruiters typically have a tech talent pipeline that they have to make efficient use of so that they can fill positions quickly. That means they may usually not have the time to read between the lines and focus intensely on each candidate.
In many cases, this often results in a stellar veteran candidate being overlooked. However, on part of veteran candidates, the fix is as simple as seeking help from a veteran already employed in a similar industry for tips on wording their resume correctly. Employers need to start working with recruiters that actively work with veterans, to ensure they don’t miss out on a potential star performer.
Job Postings May Be Unclear About Specific Skills
The communication barrier works both ways. Sometimes employers can send out job postings that may seem very appealing to a veteran candidate. However, when they do engage in the recruitment process, they often turn out not to meet crucial requirements. For civilian candidates, many of these requirements would be obvious when applying for specific roles, even if they aren’t specifically mentioned in the advert or job description. But veteran candidates may not have that understanding. If this happens frequently, it may indicate a deeper problem with the employer’s hiring mechanism.
Unfortunate Stereotypes and Hiring Bias
Veteran candidates have been plagued by unfortunate stereotypes for many years. Mainstream media and singular, isolated incidents have cemented the PTSD stereotype for many returning veterans. Yes, combat veterans do see very stressful service in extremely hostile areas. Many suffer injuries and mental trauma that require treatment and rehabilitation. That said, most veterans haven’t been in combat roles at all. Combat is only one aspect of military service, with thousands of technical and support roles comprising the vast majority of service roles. Unfortunately, stereotypes tend to cloud hiring decisions and the bias can act against hiring vets or even hiring military spouses.
Concerns with Smooth Acclimatization
Veterans come from very different backgrounds than most candidates applying for a role. Military life is not easy, particularly with deployments abroad away from friends and family. With the rigors, discipline, and strict chain of command in the military, veterans are also used to a very different lifestyle. Both of these can often seem to be problems when integrating veteran candidates with the rest of the workforce. But this is usually only a temporary adjustment period that rarely lasts beyond the initial few weeks in most cases. A veteran hiring program should always have defined policies to help veterans make this adjustment smoothly for greater hiring success.