As I thought about why employers may want to hire military veterans, the following qualities came to mind. If you have hiring needs, and have doubts about hiring veterans, consider these qualities that veterans bring to the table.
- Loyalty: The dictionary describes this as “a strong feeling of support or allegiance.” This is an excellent quality to consider. In the military, this trait is sewn into the core of each soldier. A loyal soldier is one who supports his or her leadership. I’m confident ANY boss and/or team would thrive with a loyal veteran!
- Honesty: In my research, I found that during Basic Combat Training (BCT), honesty and integrity are taught in detail. From then on, the soldiers live out these qualities in everything they do. They do what is legally and morally right. They develop this quality by adhering to moral principles. This requires that they do and say nothing that deceives others. As their integrity and honesty grow, others begin to trust them at a deeper, more intimate level.
- Selfless service: Putting others before self is an attractive quality in a job candidate. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, do a little more, persevere a little longer. The idea is how he or she can add to the effort. How far would a team member with this quality take YOUR organization?
- Teamwork: No one makes it through any military training by themselves. In every part of training the soldiers have a “buddy” and a “no man left behind” code of ethics. This creates superb communication skills, project management skills, and the ability to read another person’s body language. These are transferrable skills that are rarely taught in the civilian world. Does your team work together in this fashion?
- Leadership: Leadership is a widely-used term. It can be a valuable skill — from an individual contributor who influences employees around him, as well as the CEO who leads by example. One of my favorite quotes on leadership is from Dwight D. Eisenhower, General, U.S. Army. He said, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Are your employees doing things because they have to, or because they WANT to?
When making hiring decisions, consider the transferable skills military veterans are taught during their intense training. They are required to use these skills for the duration of their military enrollment, so most have a minimum of 4 years’ experience in executing these skills every day. At Pearl Interactive Network, we show companies the value of hiring veterans who possess these skills. Please visit our website to learn how we can help you find veterans with the skills sets you’re looking for.
About Michelle Vance
Michelle is a recruiter at Pearl Interactive Network, and has been involved in recruitment for over 25 years. She has been exposed to diversity-focused recruitment as well as civilian-focused recruitment; with some of the largest known employers and smaller entities. Both of her sons served our country during 911. She has a passion to ensure accuracy in the veteran recruitment space, and hopes her unique perspectives offer enlightenment in the veteran hiring arena.