What American Veterans Can Bring To Your Workforce

Despite having proven work ethics and a strong dedication to getting the job done, many veterans in the US report having trouble finding employment outside of defense contracting. Many hiring companies wrongly assume military skills won’t translate easily into their day-to-day or worry the transition may be too challenging.

So today, as we recognize and honor the military servicemen and servicewomen who have given so much to our country, we thought we might highlight some of the ways our veterans continue to serve our nation by bringing their specialized skill sets to the civilian workforce.

Unique Skill Set

Veterans go through a lot of training, which means they not only pick up many skills along the way, but they are adept at learning new skills very quickly and efficiently.

Carlos Del Pozo, Team Engine Co-Founder and U.S. Army Veteran, says “Leaving the military, I wasn’t sure how my skills would translate to the civilian world. Now I tell transitioning service members that the skills and values that they probably take for granted are among the most universally valued by employers, regardless of the job.”

According to SHRM, 90%  of military occupations have directly transferable skills to civilian occupations, but if you’re having trouble understanding the military lingo on resumes, you’re not alone. There isn't a skills development problem; there is a skills translation problem. Thankfully, there is now a Military Skills Translator that can be used for both employers and veterans to translate military lingo into more traditional resume language to ease the process and make finding common grown more simple.

Discipline and Hard-Work

The six core values of the Department of Defense are duty, integrity, ethics, honor, courage, and loyalty. These might not sound too different from your own company values. The discipline that is required to live up to these values is unmatched.  The military’s entry criteria is so strict that 71% of the American population cannot meet it, so the fact that someone was even accepted into the armed forces shows that they have met a higher standard than the average job applicant!

Teamwork and Communication

Employee engagement is a hot topic for a lot of companies as many have transitioned to more remote communication practices. How do you ensure your jobs, policies, announcements, and even schedules are communicated clearly and acted on in a timely fashion?  If you are running a deskless workforce, a service member can be the perfect liaison to ensure that all employees receive any type of communication—from safety discussions to shift changes.

Military personnel learn to communicate efficiently and effectively when out in the field. Their lives and those of their fellow service members depend on it. Because of the high-pressure situations they may have experienced, many have become adept at quickly summarizing and communicating complex information. This intense training means they can work well in (and lead) teams successfully.

If you’re looking to elevate your workforce with hard-working and motivated employees, make hiring veterans a priority. You will notice your company’s efficiency and performance rise and your employee turnover rate will drop.

Finally, we'd like to take this chance to recognize the veterans we work with, the veterans we help find jobs, and the veterans on our team. Thank you for your service.