By Brad Miller, TheMilitaryGuide.org
When veterans apply for jobs in the civilian marketplace, they offer a number of advantages over other candidates due to the many useful abilities and values they pick up in the service. They can fill jobs requiring specialized skills and are typically in superior physical condition. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 370,000 vets were unemployed in 2017, but more and more employers are discovering the benefits of putting them to work in their organizations.
3 Transferable Skills That Come with Hiring Veterans
Some veterans lack work experience outside the military but have characteristics that give them an edge over other job candidates, such as:
- An eye for detail. Veterans are reliable, detail-oriented employees, and selecting a candidate with military experience often has the added benefit of gaining a role model for existing workers.
- Integrity. Military life means putting others’ needs before your own and acting honorably. Smart managers value the integrity and trustworthiness vets bring to the workplace.
- Team player attitude. Veterans are mature thinkers and have often overcome great adversity to succeed in their military careers. From the first day of basic training, service personnel are trained to put the mission first and act in the best interest of the team. Often, that means taking a leadership role in their field of expertise while at the same time dutifully following orders.
Professions Where Veterans’ Skills Stand Out
Here are some of the ways that veterans’ soft skills can translate into promising careers. The following tables represent LinkedIn salary data for positions that require the skills mentioned above.
Detail-oriented vets can become:
| Top jobs wanting that skill | Median Compensation (LinkedIn) |
| Customer Service Representative | $34,000 |
| Administrative Assistant | $38,000 |
| Account Manager | $64,000 |
Veterans can use integrity to excel as:
| Top jobs wanting that skill | Median Compensation
(LinkedIn) |
| Store Manager | $56,000 |
| Sales Manager | $85,000 |
| Realtor | $90,000 |
Team leadership is valuable for:
| Top jobs wanting that skill | Median Compensation (LinkedIn) |
| Logistics Manager | $70,000 |
| Operations Manager | $72,000 |
| Human Resources Manager | $75,000 |
5 Reasons Military Veterans are Great for Your Organization
If you need more reasons to hire a vet, here’s what they can offer once they’re established in your business.
- Skills and aptitude. Many veterans already possess the physical or “hard” skills that come in handy in a variety of fields. Sometimes all they need is to take a refresher course or secure civilian certifications for their skill sets. For example, many vets know how to operate heavy equipment, such as tanks and other large vehicles, and might do well in construction or transportation fields. And any skills they don’t already possess, veterans pick up quickly — having been required to do so since Day One of their military basic training.
- Leadership. Vets possess the ability to motivate employees and peers alike. In the service, men and women must learn to lead by example, regardless of whether they’re in a subordinate or leadership role. A worker with this ability can benefit virtually every civilian role in the workplace.
- Diversity and tolerance. If you want a more cohesive workforce, hire a veteran as a role model. Military members work with whomever they’re assigned to team up with. They learn to deal with other service personnel regardless of diverse beliefs, genders, race, and religion, including different physical and mental abilities. Of course, hiring someone from the military increases diversity of thought and experience in the workplace as well.
- Calm under pressure and deadlines. Those in the military have regulated schedules for everything and often must make do with limited resources. This gives them an uncanny ability to recalibrate and reprioritize to complete tasks on time, even if the mission changes midway. For example, military experience with chains of command and shifting supply logistics are great training for handling e-commerce customer relationships and other large-scale operations.
- Health and safety advocate. U.S. military personnel learn the importance of the health and safety protocols that are vital in combat or war game situations. In addition, many vets learn emergency management, first aid, and CPR skills, which are useful resources for any organization.
More Information on Employment for Veterans
There are many great resources to help veterans looking to fast-track the hiring process, including the following:
- Joining Forces works with veterans to conquer important skills and to help them complete the education and planning to find a good job.
- The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011: The Veterans Opportunity to Work program assists vets in transitioning to civilian life.
- Find out about tax credits for hiring veterans and wounded warriors.
- Many vets have traveled the world and are used to relocating. They may also be eligible for free relocation assistance services from the military.
Military training instills numerous skills and values in its service members that can put many veterans ahead of the employment game, qualifications-wise. Mutual acknowledgment and understanding between job-seeker and employer can help in matching the right candidate with the right job, to the benefit of all. Whether you’re a vet looking for a job or someone looking to hire a veteran, the valuable assets provided above can help with the process.
Photo by Benjamin Faust on Unsplash
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