With their diverse, marketable skill sets that allow them to focus on one project or multitask, veterans are without peer in the value and integrity they offer a company. Veterans offer flexibility with set standards. Unfortunately, these skills are often misunderstood; progressive companies, like PeopleScout, hire military recruiters to translate them.
My personal experience with transition was attending a three-day transition program designed to shift emphasis to the corporate world, underscoring the importance of selecting a career and structuring the résumé-writing process. I arrived home to Indiana and found employment at a steel fabrication facility as a third-shift maintenance technician.
I worked long hours, working my way to first shift and then into management. Although the job was rewarding, I was still searching for direction. The company I worked for stepped up their military hiring initiative. The idea was to grow a robust position within the company as a military recruiter.
I was living my dream, my family was growing and I was an integral part of what I thought was a growing successful company. Two weeks before my twins were born, I received a call that my position was eliminated after 12 months with the company. I was now forced to relocate my family -- risky but acceptable.
I wanted to get back to military recruiting. I searched for opportunities with increased responsibility as a recruiter. My prior company touted itself as "veteran friendly," but lacked the intellectual understanding of how to incorporate the added values of veterans. Simply, they did not understand the investment and its return, but understood the arrogance of placing false proclamations over substance.
PeopleScout, a company that recognizes the importance of understanding how to place veterans, came to the rescue. I am now the senior military recruiter.
My challenge: Translate veterans' skills into value-added traits the corporate world embraces. Companies that successfully hire veterans are ones that reach out at military events and job fairs through Military Recruiters. Successful companies create their own path through sound genuine internal processes. My hope is more companies will dedicate time and resources to this humanized approach.
The Real Issue Why Veterans Are Not Connecting with Available Jobs
Veterans sell themselves short. They are underpaid and almost become prey for the industry. Government-controlled Transition Assistance Programs (TAP) remain inadequate. Skills do translate to corporate values. Solution: Take the guesswork out of transitioning and use corporate technology to create a focused approach.
I now work for a company that is genuine in its motive to hire veterans. I found to my surprise that many veterans were not proficient in negotiating their compensation. They learn quickly, but in general, they are behind the power curve while their civilian counterparts fully understand their worth.
In one example, I once had a perfect candidate for a position, but he was not contacted due to his stated salary requirement. I followed up with the candidate and discovered that due to his lack of insight on position pay and geographical area, he had simply "thrown a number out there." Once I had educated him on the salary range for the position, he was willing to decrease his request and take advantage of relocating at the Defense Department's expense to compensate, and he was eventually hired.
This is an example of technology driving the process. My point is that military candidates are expected not only to translate their skills and be in the right place at the right time, but also play the "pick a number between 1-10" game and get it right.
I am home in Indiana with my family and look forward to coming to work every day, providing corporate value while assisting veterans. This is invaluable to me. My goal is to leave this world a little better than when I found it.
Carl Vickers is a contributor to the book "An American Crisis: Veterans' Unemployment" and is a senior recruiter for PeopleScout.
The Next Step: Find the Right Job
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