Top 15 Strategies for Successfully Hiring Veterans in Your Organization
Hiring veterans presents an exceptional opportunity for organizations to infuse their teams with employees who embody resilience, leadership, and dedication. Veterans bring a unique perspective shaped by their extensive military training and experience. To tap into this powerful talent pool, companies need a thoughtful recruitment strategy plan that supports their transition from military to civilian employment. Here are 15 strategies for successfully integrating these hiring heroes into your workforce:
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Develop a Veteran-Centric Recruitment Strategy Plan
Establish a recruitment strategy plan that is specifically designed to identify and attract veteran talent. This plan should include outreach to military bases, participation in veteran job fairs, and partnerships with veteran support organizations.
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Create a Dedicated Military Hiring Program
Consider creating a specialized program that targets veteran talent acquisition. This initiative can streamline the process, making it easier for veterans to understand how their skills match job requirements and for employers to assess their qualifications accurately.
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Understand Military Terminology and Skills Translation
One of the primary challenges in hiring veterans is translating military experience into civilian job qualifications. Employers should familiarize themselves with common military terminology and leverage skills translators to bridge the gap between military and corporate language.
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Utilize Military Job Boards and Veteran Network
Post job openings on military-specific job boards such as Hire Veterans and partner with veteran networking groups. These platforms focus on hiring heroes and are an effective way to reach candidates who might not be on mainstream job sites.
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Collaborate with Veteran Organizations
Build relationships with organizations like American Corporate Partners (ACP), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and The Mission Continues. These groups can connect you with motivated and highly skilled veteran job seekers.
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Offer Military-Friendly Benefits
Consider tailoring some of your benefits to appeal specifically to veterans. This may include offering flexible schedules for service members in the reserves or military leave policies.
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Provide Veteran Mentorship Programs
Develop mentorship opportunities that pair veterans with other veterans or civilian employees who have military experience. These mentorships can ease the transition into civilian work by offering guidance, building camaraderie, and providing a support system.
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Educate Hiring Managers on Military Culture
Training hiring managers on military culture and the nuances of hiring veterans will foster a more inclusive recruitment strategy plan. This understanding will help managers evaluate veteran candidates with insight and empathy.
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Highlight Transferable Leadership Skills
Veterans often possess unparalleled leadership abilities honed during their service. During talent acquisition, emphasize roles where these leadership skills will be put to good use, such as team management, project coordination, and operations oversight.
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Use Targeted Recruitment Language
Ensure job descriptions are written with veterans in mind. Use language that emphasizes qualities veterans possess, such as teamwork, discipline, and strategic thinking. Avoid jargon that may not resonate with military candidates.
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Recognize Certifications and Training
Many veterans have completed specialized training and earned certifications during their service that may not be widely recognized in the civilian job market. Understand these qualifications and how they translate into relevant skills for your organization.
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Create a Veteran Resource Group
A veteran-focused Employee Resource Group (ERG) can provide peer support, build a sense of community, and improve retention rates. ERGs are also a valuable tool for onboarding new veteran hires.
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Streamline the Application Process
Simplify the hiring process to make it more veteran-friendly. Avoid requiring extensive civilian job experience that may exclude highly qualified veterans who possess transferable skills but lack traditional corporate experience.
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Offer Career Development and Training
Veterans value opportunities for advancement. Investing in training programs that build on their existing skills helps them grow within the organization and contributes to long-term retention.
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Foster an Inclusive Workplace Culture
Creating an environment that values diversity, including military experience, is key. Ensure that your company culture celebrates veterans’ contributions, encourages open communication, and supports ongoing dialogue about how their skills can benefit the team.
Deployment to Employment Commitment
Why Hiring Veterans Is Good for Your Business
Hiring veterans not only enriches your workforce but also enhances your organization’s overall talent acquisition strategy. Veterans bring dedication, adaptability, and problem-solving skills that are highly sought after in the business world. Integrating these hiring heroes into your team leads to a workforce that is better prepared to face challenges with discipline and resilience.
Employers that implement a comprehensive recruitment strategy plan for hiring veterans will not only attract this unique pool of talent but will also create a more inclusive and high-performing workforce. These strategies will help bridge the gap between military and civilian work environments, ensuring veterans feel valued and empowered to contribute to their new roles.
Happy Veterans Day
As we reflect on the contributions veterans have made, it’s essential to acknowledge their lasting impact, both in uniform and beyond. Hiring veterans is more than a recruitment strategy—it’s an investment in resilience, leadership, and dedication that enriches workplaces and communities alike.
On this Veterans Day, we are reminded of the words of John F. Kennedy: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Let this sentiment inspire organizations everywhere to not only thank veterans but to offer them opportunities that honor their service and commitment to preserve our freedoms and keep America safe.
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Ready to make a military to civilian job transition?
Let Lloyd help you find a role and organization that will offer the best fit for you and your experience.
Visit Lloyd’s Job Board to apply for one of our current searches.
Here are some suggested questions to ask ex-military candiates so you can best understand how their unique experiences and skills might impact your organization.
Interested in hiring Veterans?
Contact Lloyd to learn how to build a veteran pipeline of qualified candidates. Complete our Request Talent query to launch your search and we will have one of our Lloyd recruitment professionals reach out to you.
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Written by Nancy Schuman, CSP, the former Chief Commuications Officer for LLoyd Staffing.
A recruitment and career specialist, Nancy has more than 40 years in the staffing industry – 27 of them with LLoyd. Now semi-retired, she remains an advocate for career education; she has advised thousands of candidates on their resumes and job searches while also serving as the Careers columnist for a large weekly Long Island newspaper. Nancy has written 11 popular books for job seekers and business professionals. You can find her Author’s page and books on Amazon. She continues to blog for Lloyd and coach job seekers at all levels, offering advice for today’s competitive workplace.
Read these additional Lloyd Blogs for information on Veterans Employment.
