When hiring Veterans for a role, soft skills hold just as much merit as hard skills. Being able to adapt, problem solve, and lead a team are all valuable talents needed to succeed in many types of jobs. These same capabilities can certainly help any company continue to grow and strengthen its internal population.
Atrium celebrates and supports veterans assimilating into civilian roles by highlighting the top 5 benefits to hiring Veteran Employees.
Leadership Skills
One benefit to hiring Veterans is their strong leadership experience. Often Veterans have become leaders by their early 20s, which is much sooner than other candidates coming from corporate backgrounds. Many Veterans are responsible for guiding direct reports, which builds skills in providing feedback, self-confidence and motivation, and delegation which are fundamental tools for great leadership.
Adaptable
When hiring, most of us hiring managers are looking for someone with a keen sense of adaptability– able to dive head first into new challenges and pivot when necessary to more pressing projects at hand. One benefit of hiring Veteran workers is that the fundamental value of adaptability is instilled in many of them from as early as basic training. Experience being thrown into unfamiliar situations makes veterans more equipped to handle fast-paced and ever changing work environments.
Teamwork
One essential social skill to look for when hiring a new employee is the ability to work well with a team. Veterans have a strong skill-set in traits such as teamwork, communication, and empathy. Since many Veterans have experience working with a multitude of different backgrounds, they are also able to adapt to different personalities and work with a diverse group of people in a team environment.
Diversity
A huge internal benefit of hiring veteran employees is diversifying your employee pool. Clients and employees value companies with strong DEI efforts, thus attracting more business and more talent to your organization. Servicemen/women also have experience working with people from all different cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, putting them at an advantage when connecting with clients and employees.
Process Driven and Organized
When searching for a process-driven and organized new hire, Veterans are the perfect candidate. From the seven-step problem solving process to help teams make strategic decisions, to setting goals and following policies and procedures, Veterans are well equipped to take on any undertaking. By having these tools under their belt, Veteran workers are able to easily transfer these skills from active duty into a corporate environment.
Hiring Veteran workers not only makes your company a more inclusive and diverse environment, but also strengthens your team by bringing to the table the multitude of skills and lived experiences that Veteran employees will bring. If you are interested in hiring a Veteran, you can find a representative that will connect you with available applicants on the U.S Department of Labor’s website or by advertising on your website that your company is veteran-friendly.
