Tuesday, November 11, 2014

4 Benefits of Hiring a Veteran

If you’re looking for skilled workers with an impressive work ethic, you may find the answer among the many veterans returning from combat. If you’ve been setting your sights mainly on recent college graduates, you may need to broaden your hiring practices. Veterans can be an enormous asset to the workforce for a variety of reasons.

  1. Strong Work Ethic
    Veterans are extremely hard workers. They are accustomed to the military environment, where they focused on completing missions and knew there would be serious consequences if they failed. Veterans often want to work more than required work hours to get their jobs done. It can be more of a challenge to get them to take a break than to get them to work hard.

  2. Translatable Skills from Service
    Veterans have many skills that can be translated to the workplace. Once they get used to the civilian environment again, they can integrate their military skills with their work. A major skill that is common among military personnel is communication. Veterans understand the importance of clear communication, and as a result, they will tell their boss or coworkers when there is a problem. Related to communication, veterans may have the valuable skill of speaking other languages as a result of their time in the service.

  3. Intense Loyalty
    The military fosters close relationships and unparalleled loyalty. When veterans come into the workforce, they bring their tendency toward these values. Veterans often make long term commitments to companies, therefore, they are a good choice if you are looking for workers who will stick around rather than moving from job to job. Veterans are likely to be devoted to your company and its overall success.

  4. Impressive Leadership Skills
    Depending on their rank, veterans may have excellent leadership skills and the ability to manage other people in a high-pressure environment. Someone with a higher rank will be even more of an asset in a leadership role. Additionally, while the military fosters strong loyalty and teamwork, veterans also learn how to be independent. They are willing to find the tools necessary to get a job done on their own if it’s necessary.

Some companies may shy away from hiring veterans, but if so, they are missing out on excellent workers for their team. Veterans can thrive in the workplace environment if they are given the opportunity to use the tools they learned in service.