Veteran employment has been on an uptick over the past decade -- going from a post-9/11 unemployment rate of nearly 10% to a historic low of 3.7% in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This is very good news, both for veterans and the companies that are benefiting from hiring veterans. But there's still more that employers and staffing firms can do to make veteran transitions to civilian jobs easier -- and also to attract more veteran job candidates -- according to a new Monster and Military.com survey.
Our survey, which polled 300 veterans, revealed that, in spite of improving conditions, there remains a communication gap between employers and job seekers. Surprisingly, a majority (55%) of respondents felt that recruiters and human resource (HR) professionals didn't understand their experience, and a whopping 63% were disappointed in the support they got in their job search.
For employers and staffing firms, this miscommunication has serious consequences, namely that you may miss your diversity and veteran recruitment goals and lose out on an incredible talent pool.
In addition to surveying vets, we also compiled our fourth annual Best Companies for Veterans list in advance of Veterans Day. These businesses' best practices, combined with our poll, reveal top strategies for creating enviable veteran hiring programs.
Here's what our nation's bravest told us they want from companies:
1. Accept Military Training in Place of Civilian Credentials (79%)
Military training equips veterans with a unique toolbox of hard skills -- from coding to project management to health care -- and soft skills, including leadership, teamwork and working well under pressure. But many former military personnel find they don't have the specific certification, credential or degree listed on a job posting, having gained their skills in military training, so they might not apply.
Because there's so much crossover in relevant experience (especially in industries such as information technology, or IT, and defense), top veteran-friendly companies often accept military training as an equivalent for some civilian credentials in order to capitalize on hiring candidates with strong backgrounds in jobs they're eager to fill. For example, BAE Systems (No. 9 on our list) honors several military training credentials in lieu of formal certifications in areas such as welding, intelligence analysis and project management.
It can pay for recruiters to understand what veteran training means. One of the simplest ways to determine whether a candidate's skills match your needs is to ask them to explain their background. A simple conversation can prevent missed opportunities to discuss how their military experience can be an asset -- if not for this job, then perhaps for a future one.
2. Demonstrate a Track Record of Hiring Veterans (74%)
With candidates of all stripes increasingly assessing companies for cultural fit, it's no wonder that veterans want to see that you have welcomed other veterans. This is why two of the biggest factors that we look at when evaluating winners for our Best Companies for Veterans awards are the percentage of year-to-date veteran hires and the percentage of total employees that comprise veterans.
Together, these numbers tell us that a company is making a short- and long-term commitment to veteran hiring. Our winner this year, ManTech, had a tremendous showing of veteran talent: 47% year to date (YTD) and 47% total hires.
If a company has strong numbers (they don't need to be this strong!), and they're comfortable with being held accountable, they should consider going public with the results as part of their veteran recruitment marketing. But even if they are newly committed to veteran hiring, they can demonstrate it through employer branding. For example, they could share a video on their career page or social channels of a recent veteran hire talking about their experiences at the company.
Related: Does your resume pass the 6-second test? Get a FREE assessment.
3. Have a Dedicated Veteran Recruiting Team (58%)
All 10 winners of our Best Companies for Veterans awards have recruiters who are specifically focused on veteran hiring. The fact that these companies also have had results for their programs shows the benefit of a strategy that includes segmenting their talent acquisition professionals to increase diversity; in this case, in the area of veteran hiring.
If a company or staffing firm is too small to have a person or team that's 100% dedicated to veteran hiring, they could still benefit from giving the responsibility to one person as part of their job or having a committee that works toward the goal together. Recruiters can use resume search tools to find candidates with military experience who also meet other qualifications in your job description. Technology has made this kind of pinpointed candidate search much more efficient than in the past, so even smaller companies without the resources of an enterprise-level organization can actively search for veterans to hire.
Another strategy to consider is outreach. At PRISM (No. 5), they make a concerted effort to educate their recruiters and hiring managers on developments in the local veteran community as a way of strengthening their relationship with a valuable talent pool.
4. Have Recruiters Who Are Veterans Themselves (64%)
To alleviate the communication gap between veteran candidates and recruiters, some companies are taking the next step beyond simply having dedicated veteran recruiters in their workforce. They're hiring recruiters who are veterans themselves. Then, as part of employer branding, they can advertise to the veteran community that their team has firsthand knowledge of transitioning out of the service.
The top-ranked companies on this year's list all have veterans on their recruiting teams -- and some, such as CACI (No. 2) and Booz Allen Hamilton (No. 4), have more than 10, sending a clear message to veteran candidates that they are not only valued candidates but that their experience is understood.
If companies don't currently have veterans on their recruiting team, they can still benefit from this approach by making sure to connect candidates and new hires with any former military personnel on staff as part of the hiring process.
5. Offer Special Veteran Onboarding Programs (60%)
Onboarding can mean different things for different companies. For some, it starts on Day 1 with a new-hire orientation, whereas for others, it can begin earlier in the hiring process.
For a company such as PRISM, the "onboarding" process starts with the first contact with a veteran candidate by offering resume writing advice and interview techniques and continues through a veteran performance management system with Day 1, Week 1 and monthly check-ins with a career counselor.
Even a small transition assistance (TA) staff can develop a program that involves the entire team and incorporates periodic check-ins, mentoring with senior staff or a buddy system that helps new hires acclimate to the company's culture.
If a company doesn't already have some kind of onboarding or mentoring program in place, it should consider adding one; better yet, if you're a veteran job seeker, you could offer to start one for your prospective company.
Even if a company can't commit to every single one of these actions, adopting just one or more can make a big difference in veteran hiring results, and much of the framework can be applied against other diversity hiring as well. For more inspiring best practices on veteran hiring, check out our 2018 Monster and Military.com Best Companies for Veterans list.
Related: For the latest veteran jobs postings around the country, visit the Military.com Job Search section.
The Next Step: Find the Right Job
Whether you want to polish up your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area, or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox.
