MightyRecruiterVeterans & Business Uncertainty: Why Military Personnel Make Outstanding Hires
If your company has trouble finding qualified candidates, or employees with the right mindset, there is a large demographic you should explore: military veterans. Veterans have a 2.6 percent higher unemployment rate than other job-seekers; that may not sound like much, but it amounts to 235,000 veterans who are looking for employment. One of the many reasons veterans have more trouble finding work is that their military experience is often described on their resumes in jargon that is not easy to understand in civilian terms. Of course, this is not why you should consider hiring a veteran; most veterans have not only strong technical skills and knowledge, but are also adept at team-building, organizing, and handling problems deftly in a crisis. They are also highly adaptable to change, which is a huge plus in today’s rapidly morphing markets; you can be sure that veterans & business uncertainty are compatible with one another.
Veterans Are More Engaged in Their Work
Business schools don’t focus on unpredictability when training graduates, but the military trains its troops on this principle as a matter of course. Leadership among troops can be assigned to anyone, anytime, anywhere, even if that person has no prior experience with the unit activities in which he or she is involved. Veterans are accustomed to full engagement in what they do, because the lives of their friends and subordinates depends on it. They do not see themselves as merely working for pay, or consider leaving a job undone just because it is five o’clock. In fact, most veterans have spent years in remote locations where it was not possible to leave the office and go home at all; every minute of their day was spent with the people they worked with, and they shared food and lodging together. The ability to resolve interpersonal conflict, communicate effectively, and reach goals in a timely manner is a survival skill to a veteran, not just words printed on a vision statement. The connection between veterans & business uncertainty should be obvious.
Veterans Have a Wide Scope of Experience
Members of the military are often stereotyped as rigid, conforming and following orders automatically without thinking and weighing options. This is an astounding misconception, considering how many veterans are expected to make decisions on their own in isolated conditions that involve a number of changing factors and have enormous consequences if the wrong course of action is followed. Veterans must learn to adapt to new cultures and create alliances of mutual aid among members of host countries and troops from other countries who work together in international operations. Far from having conformist attitudes, veterans typically have a natural curiosity about the people they must work with, which leads to greater perceptiveness, empathy and reflection. In today’s increasingly diverse workplace, these workers have an edge in learning about what makes people different and building effective teams where everyone can contribute unique skills.
Veterans Know How to Maximize Resources
Veterans have learned how make do with what they have, which is another great reason why veterans & business uncertainty have common ground. In a combat zone, supplies and equipment are never guaranteed, but the mission goes on, regardless. They have learned to find a way to take care of any problem or accomplish any assignment without waiting for a supervisor to fix it with outside assistance. Overall, this has made veterans not only efficient and solutions-oriented, but they have also acquired a wide range of hard skills in technology, logistics, communications and management. If you are envisioning your company’s veterans & business uncertainty outlook, you should realize that these employees can do more with less and don’t have to be always asking for advice and support.
Veterans Aren’t Daunted by the Unpredictable
The business world is facing more and more uncertainty every day, as growth and decline in different sectors of the economy continue to fluctuate and defy prediction. Even college students struggle to determine if their degree will be relevant to the job market by the time they graduate. Veterans are accustomed to this stochastic climate, and thrive in it, which is why veterans & business uncertainty mix so well. These men and women not only are seasoned to succeed in unstable conditions, but they maintain their effectiveness under pressure and remain committed to see a task through.
If you are interested to learn more about how veterans can help your business, visit Mighty Recruiter to review more articles and other resources on this topic, and how to find quality employees and grow your company.