How is it that many veterans, some of the most talented and dedicated workers, are having difficulty finding work?
At Vector Technical, we regularly work with veterans of all stripes, helping them to land great jobs with promising futures. Still, in our experience, we’ve found veterans struggle with several barriers to entry that civilian workers don’t.
We stand by our veteran job seekers. And for this blog, we wanted to investigate the experience of veterans looking for work compared to Ohio employers who want to know how to hire veterans—and how to better bring the two together.
Barriers to Wellness: Both Real and Perceived
One of the primary difficulties veterans face when looking for work is the stigma that can come with their military service. Many employers will readily claim they support and stand with our veterans. But when it comes to hiring, there’s a different story.
Many employers worry about hiring veterans due to wellness issues, both real and perceived. On the one hand, there are several real and well-documented barriers that veterans face when looking for work:
- Lack of integration initiatives for veterans entering the civilian workforce
- Cultural gaps between civilian society and their military background
- Higher rates of physical and mental injuries
- Mismatched skills or skills poorly translated from the military to the civilian sector
How A “Grain of Truth” Can Translate to an Undue Burden for Veterans
These are all real factors that act as a “grain of truth,” which many employers will understand in a much larger proportion—one that isn’t based in reality and can possibly even disqualify the applicant as an otherwise promising employee.
As such, many veterans struggle to overcome prejudice with which other job seekers don’t have to contend. To disprove or otherwise overcome these prejudices means an added step to their job search in which veterans are often compelled to go above and beyond to demonstrate they’re not only highly skilled but physically and mentally stable.
Understanding the True Advantage of Veterans
For many employers wanting to know how to hire veterans, the most straightforward strategy can be a simple shift in perception. Where many may see a liability in a veteran, we see a unique offering of hard and soft skills that make veterans some of the very best recruits.
Here are a few examples:
- While many employers worry that a military background and a history of deployments could make veterans mentally or physically unstable, we see how this history can make candidates more tenacious, determined, and innovative in overcoming difficult challenges.
- Some employers, especially those with rigid qualifications for their openings, will have difficulty understanding how the skills veterans gained during their service will translate to the role. But as recruiters, we have a unique capability to gauge a candidate’s skills offering, helping our clients understand the true skill set of a veteran candidate.
- Vector Technical believes in recruiting with empathy. We go the extra mile to understand our candidates and to help our clients get past perceived barriers and come to a better understanding of the candidate’s true value and potential.
How to Hire Veterans: Work with Vector Technical Recruiters
Every day we’re sourcing and recruiting veterans to the crucial benefit of both our candidates and clients.
Whether you’re an employer wanting to know how to hire veterans or you’re one of the talented, hard-working veterans with whom we’ve had the pleasure to work, we can help. Contact Vector Technical today.
