Are there traits or experiences you think give veterans an advantage in life over those without service experience?

After 10 employer panels with 3 to 6 panel members they always said:
"Veterans always show up to work on time or early."

Flexibility and adaptability. Strong work ethic. Ability to work individually or as part of a team.

Shell Oil Company, thanks for recognizing what veterans bring to the table. I'll give my top 4 which can be an asset to ourselves and our company, but can also be challenges:

Recognizing what we bring and offering challenge and mission not charity is always the best way to engage vets.

1. An unconscious and virtually unavoidable drive to get things done. Mission accomplishment is so ingrained in most of us that we can't resist it. This can make us stubbornly goal oriented and frustrated at bureaucracy and red tape, or dedicated to accomplishing tasks even when we don't believe in the overall mission of the organization (a dangerous place to be).

2. A desire to take care of eachother. We want to take care of our team, Troop Welfare is unconscious and persistent. This can be jarring when we don't find it in others, in our leaders or in our new employer's cultures.

3. A recognition of what is truly important. Do these decisions affect lives? Is anyone going to die or be hurt? Then we better get it right! No? then I can ease off my people a little bit here. We arent immune to stress (for sure) I'm not even anchored at a different point like I think I should be ("I've been shot at why is preparing this document making me so nervous?") but when it comes to how we ride others, I think we can recognize when stuff matters and when it doesn't.

The short answer is yes! Vets bring the particular technical skills and knowledge that was part of their day-to-day job. It may be IT or diesel engine repair, physical security or aircraft sheet metal, but the military trains service members well and normally allows them to practice their trade or profession gaining invaluable experience. In the process, the Services also instill a set of personal values that invariably lead to success in the private sector job market, because many non-veterans just don't build these values into their lives: dependability, loyalty, integrity, flexibility, innovation, and physical and mental toughness.

There is a level of commitment, teamwork, and sacrifice we learn in the military that is very hard to match in the civilian sector.

I'm an old retired Army First Sergeant and I have worked offshore in the Oil Industry for decades. Let me assure you that I can tell ex-military personnel out there. But, then perhaps I'm biased. People trained to complete the mission, get the job done, make good things happen are what employers are looking for. They find that in people like us.

Personally, what I consider to be a positive trait, I usually call it a weakness as well, my inability to quit. I say this because I will not stop when solving a problem, which I consider to be opportunities. This is a great trait under the right positions, and perhaps a flaw in others. this is what you will get with most Veterans/Retired military members because their are no times you can quit in combat. Hope this helps some to understand the mentality, I found myself having to go back to work as a military contractor, simply because I couldn't understand that breaks were mandatory, even though we were no where near complete.

Yes. Both traits and experience set most military personnel above the competition. How else can America have the greatest military fighting force the world has ever witnessed?

The trait to never give up and complete the mission, or die. The experience being involved in serious matters and growing from them. This breds confidence.

There is no such thing as bad weather!

M. Morris RVT

Good opportunity for Jobs...

Yes.
Drive, dedication, professionalism and ability to handle stressful situations.