Do you Agree with the (6) Reasons Why Top Employers Hire Veterans?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 10:48:37 -0400

Do you agree with the (6) Reasons Why Top Employers Hire Veterans?

http://www.careerealism.com/hire-veterans-top-employers/

If anything this article points out (6) things that you the veteran or transitioning service member should highlight during your pre-screening interviews, on your resume, and during the face-to-face interview. Hold onto these for the future!

The reason I ask this question is because I've seen a lot of posts/discussions where veterans aren't getting hired by the Top Employers.

Is this the case RP Members? Are Top Employers talking a good game about hiring great veterans, but not putting it to practice in the real world?

6 Reasons Why Top Employers Hire Veterans | CAREEREALISM

Veterans make promising hires in any industry, but it can be to find employers willing to hire them. These are the reasons top employers hire veterans!

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Aug 15 at 2015 11:11 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 11:11:47 -0400

I'd put those in the "can be" category. I'd also take into account why employers don't hire Vets:
- Fear of PTSD and will they go Postal?
- Culture clash and not worth the resources to fix it.
- Poor writing skills.
- Can disabled Vets perform?
and the list goes on. Ex Mils who are looking for employment need to have their receptors going in both directions so they can take advantage or tamp down the errant perception as it arises. A big one is Mil disability does not equate directly to L&I disability so the Vets need to know the differences and be prepared to address it.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 15 at 2015 11:17 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 11:17:36 -0400

I have to say yes, these are traits/qualities that Veterans bring to the company. However, "We hire Vets" is getting old in my book. I would really like to see these companies actually list the percentages of veterans that they hire. And the percentages of veterans within their companies. My personal experience has been that they talk a big game, but don't follow through.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Aug 16 at 2015 2:37 AM

PO1 John Miller — Sun, 16 Aug 2015 02:37:15 -0400

I've been pretty fortunate in that all of the jobs I've had since I retired from the Navy I got in part due to my veteran status, and for the reasons listed in the article.

However, it's also been my experience that some jobs out there which could be considered entry level are not a good fit for veterans, at least in the opinions of hiring managers.

I interviewed for what was essentially an entry level help desk position with a large defense contractor, but not an IT help desk (actually a help desk for sensor systems used in ports of entry into the United States) so I felt like even though it was entry level, I was going outside of my comfort zone and thought that showed initiative.

The hiring manager, himself a Marine veteran, asked me straight up why a person with 20 years military experience was applying for this position. I told him "even though it's entry level my experience lies in IT. So though I do have help desk experience I don't have experience in your systems and feel like I would be a good fit for the job and the company and also feel like there is room to grow."

He didn't buy it, but karma bit him in the butt. Just a few months later I got a call from the same company offering me that very same position. I said "Thanks but no thanks!"

A side story: that company and position was/is located in Carlsbad. It would have been nice too because my wife worked a few miles away on Faraday Ave.

Response by MSgt Lionel (Leo) Rondeau made Feb 18 at 2016 10:19 AM

MSgt Lionel (Leo) Rondeau — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 10:19:00 -0500

I know that those reasons are why I like veteran candidates, but I don't know that all employers truly understand the value of those reasons. My personal feeling is that a veteran hiring initiative will get a resume review but not necessarily lead to an interview. The disconnect lies in the understanding of how those six reasons lead to a successful fit for the role, even without specialized experience that may be needed for the role. Many times I can teach that specialized skill, but I can't teach integrity, loyalty, or a strong work ethic.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Feb 18 at 2016 10:19 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 10:19:52 -0500

Thanks form sharing COL Mikel J. Burroughs. In general. employers are looking for veterans who were honorably discharged with a good service record. [I have added some comments in brackets]
1. Specialized Skills [tempered with experience. Potential employers would be looking at our level of experience with the application of skills]
2. Strong Work Ethic [very important; however, not all veterans are self starters. Some need external motivation to perform well including incentives.]
3. Accountability [very few veterans were accountable for real assets except commanders, financial and property book officers. All of us were responsible for what we signed for. Where accountability exists it is a good thing; but, it is not universally applied throughout the military services.]
4. Loyalty [all veterans know that genuine loyalty is multifaceted - loyalty to superiors, peers and subordinates is required for an organization to function well. Loyalty requires courage of conviction and willingness to speak up - loyalty does not include yes men or woman or sycophants]
5. Teamwork [makes a lot of sense except for military specialties which are not team focused]
6. Integrity [always important, but, not always easy to ensure]

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 18 at 2016 1:32 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 13:32:34 -0500

I'll break down why it's both good and bad. I don't find #1 true at all. There's a lot of jobs in the Corps that simply are flat useless in the civilian world. And while I think most military people are loyal and have integrity, neither of these qualities will get you anywhere in the civilian world. I think a lot of the reasons companies hire military people is because they can put them in a job, tell them what to do and let them do it without having to worry abotu personal ambitions getting in the way. I don't know any Marine that I don't consider a dirtbag that would play politics, throw people under the bus, or climb the corporate ladder on other people's work. The rest is pretty much dead on, although someone did mention that if you are disabled or a multiple tour veteran there is some legal but not really discrimination.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Feb 18 at 2016 2:17 PM

LTC John Shaw — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 14:17:15 -0500

I love this article, it highlights veterans at our best.

Response by LCpl Frankie Rush made Feb 18 at 2016 3:18 PM

LCpl Frankie Rush — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 15:18:39 -0500

Yes I believe that is one good reason that companies should look at Vets. I work for the City of Knoxville in Knoxville, TN. They do hire Vets.

Response by SPC Andrew Griffin made Feb 18 at 2016 4:32 PM

SPC Andrew Griffin — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 16:32:42 -0500

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Response by SSG Trevor S. made Feb 18 at 2016 10:54 PM

SSG Trevor S. — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 22:54:24 -0500

My personal observation is that "Vet Friendly" is a catch feel good phrase with hardly any backing in the real world.

Response by Sgt Mike Williams made Feb 21 at 2016 6:36 AM

Sgt Mike Williams — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 06:36:27 -0500

COL Mikel Burroughs, while I agree that these are top reasons employers should hire veterans, I would echo MSgt Thomas Clifford by saying, I'm not really convinced that they do. When I speak to Veterans, it seems that more and more of them are struggling to find meaningful employment.

Response by Doug Macdonald made Feb 24 at 2016 12:31 PM

Doug Macdonald — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 12:31:10 -0500

COL Mikel J. Burroughs, Absolutly. I might add just 1 more, creative solutions to complex problems.

Response by MAJ Emma Toops made Feb 25 at 2016 3:01 PM

MAJ Emma Toops — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 15:01:20 -0500

All 6 qualities are reasons why an employer would want to hire a Veteran; however, the only reason why any employer hires anyone, veteran or not, is that the person they select is who they PERCEIVE to be the BEST FIT for the position being filled. The items on this list might be part of "Best Fit", but typically they boil down to having the skills and experience to do the tasks/responsibilities inherent in the job, having the right attitude/motivation, will get along with others already on the team, will not be a risk to the needs or priorities of the company, and they can afford to compensate them for having all these things.

Where most Veterans fall out of contention is proving their skills/experience from the military to do the tasks /responsibilities inherent in the job. Many times, it's because they don't communicate themselves well enough to a non-military hiring individual who doesn't know enough about the talent coming out of the military.

This culture gap of information/understanding/communication is precisely why I do the consulting work that I do. Transitioning military have to learn how to present themselves well in order to be competitive. Civilians merely need to have some empathy and enough basic understanding of the military culture to ask the right questions to get to the information they need to make an informed decision. Too often, no one is helping the non-military with what they need to know, thus it all relies on the service person to bridge the gap.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2016 7:55 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 19:55:54 -0400

It depends on the 'top employer'. Most businesses purpose is to make a profit. The 6 reasons sound good but....
- the ones that want to crack the code in a specific niche to get DOD contracts will hire a veteran with the right knowledge and connections.
- others will tell you they hire veterans for those reasons, although their hiring numbers will prove otherwise... it is lip service to get more business
- others are too big that they can afford to hire veterans and will keep them if the veterans have the right skills to increase the bottom line

I concur with MSgt Clifforg. The messaging is getting old, and is merely a ploy to get more business from veterans and non veterans alike. For many 'employers' is also lip service to make up for the lack of support that businesses provided to the Vietnam vets.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Jul 7 at 2016 12:17 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 12:17:55 -0400

This is 100% on point only when there is a strong correlation between the service member MOS/Military Skills and the job opening, which means that MOS/Military Skills are directly tied to employment potential. Therefore service members need to have great resumes that directly correlate to the job opening, in military language service members need to stay in their lane and apply lessons learned as it relates to civilian jobs. Example Military Police = Police Officer, like wise those in the new MOS of Cyber Security = Cyber Security, Lab Tech = Lab Tech, Combat Engineer = Construction/Construction Project Managers.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jul 7 at 2016 12:47 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 12:47:19 -0400

5 of the 6 would work for me if I was hiring someone for the job, loyalties are earned, not demanded.

Response by SFC Louis Willhauck, MSM, JSCM, and ARCOM made Jul 7 at 2016 11:08 PM

SFC Louis Willhauck, MSM, JSCM, and ARCOM — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 23:08:34 -0400

I still think the big problem is that when you get down to it, military types are great "mission" doers but show little or no understanding of the "profit motive" and the "suits" can see that. Remember that QA was abandoned by the "suits" many years ago as an unnecessary cost. Because if something isn't right (and this usually only happens rarely) the customer will let us know. Thus the cost is reduced by the factor of a hundred or so. Why pay to check something that is most likely okay to begin with? In the military everything must be right all the time or lives can be lost.

Response by LTC Greg Henning made Jul 13 at 2016 9:41 AM

LTC Greg Henning — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 09:41:06 -0400

I know that General Electric activity recruits veterans for all these same reasons. Many veterans report that the corporate culture comes into conflict with their military experiences. There is an adjustment most veterans must make to succeed in this new environment, It is critical to find like-minded people and build a strong network. Excellent article!

Response by SA Jim Arnold made Jul 15 at 2016 9:19 AM

SA Jim Arnold — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 09:19:59 -0400

Too many companies pride themselves on hiring vets, but then judge them on a type of discharge or according to military conduct.