Why Hiring Veterans Could Be Beneficial To Your Business

Many business owners and managers are aware of the fact that they need good workers and employees to run their companies, but few stop to consider the option of hiring a veteran. This can happen for a number of reasons. Often veterans can be overlooked by employers because of the inability to translate a military career resume into one that is applicable to the current job market. Many veterans are also trained to have humility, and to focus on the greater goal at large or on someone else rather than themselves.

This leads to not being able to present themselves in the most appealing or unique way to potential employers. However, many veterans have an impressive skill set, along with years of highly focused training. That sort of disciplined training can be extremely beneficial to the work place, if you’re able to hire the right people to tap into it.

Here are some unique skills that veterans can bring to the table that other cannot:

Unique problem-solving skills

Veterans have been trained to be innovative when it comes to troubleshooting. While they have served, they have been put in extremely stressful circumstances which most people have never had to deal with, often life and death scenarios. Being put under this sort of pressure teaches them to be on their feet, and to think quickly when dealing with a problem. They have been taught that they must act quickly, or severe consequences may occur.

Security clearance

Many veterans have been through rigorous checks in order to obtain their security clearances and credentials. These types of checks are essential to have for many types of companies, and since they’ve already had them, the savings is passed onto you in the hiring process.

Adaptability

One of the most valuable traits in veterans is the ability to adapt to just about any situation. During service, veterans are put through the ringer in terms of being in new situations and territory that they’ve never dealt with before. They must often orient themselves in a new culture or society, sometimes without much knowledge of the local language or customs. Not only are they thrust into this challenging environment, they must be able to complete their tasks expertly, efficiently, and following protocol to the letter. When it comes to adaptability, no one you could possibly hire will have the same level of experience with it as a veteran will.

Loyalty

Veterans are taught from day one to see the value in loyalty. This benefits the companies who hire them because every employer knows how costly time-wise and money-wise it is to have a turnover rate in the workplace. Veterans have sacrificed and laid their lives on the line in their former places of work, and are taught to see challenges in a positive light, and to work through them rather than run from them. This makes them highly valuable in a leadership position in the workplace, because they have been taught to do what it takes for the greater good in order to produce results.

A sense of community

When veterans have been deployed, they have been deprived of interaction with friends and family, and are forced to develop a strong sense of camaraderie and trust among their fellow soldiers. This translates beautifully to the post-service workplace, because not only have they been reunited with family, but they are also able to foster a healthy, team-oriented environment in the workplace where they can rely on each other to create the best company possible. Veterans understand the value of working well with others for a sustainable career.

Unique sense of perspective

Veterans are trained to be highly focused on the task at hand, but also to be able to see the bigger picture and work toward higher goals. This is crucial for the workplace for reasons that tie into adaptability. Ability to adjust perspective from big to small and vice versa can be highly integrated into achieving company goals.

Attention to detail

This positive trait is tied into veterans being trained to be extremely focused. This attention is so high, is it sometimes almost cultivated as a sixth sense of sorts, so they can sense when something is a bit off, and taking positive steps to change it, bringing it back on track.

Utmost integrity

This is something that should be at the forefront of an employer’s mind regarding their company because it’s essential that it occur at absolutely every level. Lack of integrity can cause degradation and can make or break a company. Veterans are trained to have uncompromising moral strength no matter what they are faced with, so they will keep integrity in mind with everything they set out to do.

More advantages

Besides these benefits, there are governmental advantages to take into consideration if you’re thinking of hiring a veteran.

1. The “Employer Incentive” Program.  This program provides not only assistance, but incentives to companies who choose to partner with veterans. Since the government has a quota to fill, you could stand to benefit from that sort of partnership.
2. Tax Benefits.  Companies who hire veterans are also able to take advantage, in some cases, of tax benefits. These tax credits have been put into place to ensure that there is a spot for veterans coming home after they have served overseas.

Ready to learn more about hiring veterans?  Visit CareerOneStop’s Business Center for free resources and more details about hiring veterans.

Ava Collins of Hicks Group, a staffing and consulting firm with experience connecting businesses to qualified veterans, wrote this article for CareerOneStop. Collins says that working with an agency that helps put veterans to work is the easiest way to go about hiring veterans as well as gaining more in-depth information about how it could vastly improve your business.