Whether you’re just now starting a business in Florida or have been an established company for some time, making a conscious and concerted effort to actively seek out, recruit, and hire veterans may be one of the best business strategies you can deploy. Why? Because veterans are known for displaying a strong work ethic. They are used to teamwork and diversity, are loyal, and often bring valuable technical, managerial, and “soft” skills developed and honed during their military service. Moreover, the employer may even qualify for a tax credit for your veteran hiring practices.
Consider these valuable insights from The Complete Manager Makeover (CMM) to help you recruit the veteran talent you’re looking to acquire.
Find and familiarize
It is important that you post the job openings you wish to fill in places where veterans can find them. Start with your state’s job bank, then explore other job posting sites that job-seeking veterans frequent. Most of these sites are free, but some require a subscription or a fee per job posting. Many veterans report difficulty finding jobs once they return from service, so make it as easy for them as possible.
Let your other employees serve as your ambassadors and recruiters among their veteran acquaintances, as well. There is no better workplace endorsement than a satisfied existing employee. With their current relationship with a potential veteran candidate, they may be qualified to offer valuable insight into whether or not a veteran will fit into your company as an employee.
Depending on how recently any veteran employment candidate transitioned from service to civilian life, you should be aware of the challenges they can face with this transition. Offering resource groups and other tools, such as apprenticeships and on-the-job training, to help them with this passage can be a positive selling point for your recruitment efforts.
Tap into talent
The veteran talent pool represents diversity in education, training, skills, and personnel. Women, for example, are among the fastest-growing veteran population segment. Veterans often leave the military with degrees and experience in health care, security, information technology, cybersecurity, and various engineering positions. Veterans that led teams often transfer those skills well to management and supervisory roles.
Some veterans sought military service due to their foreign language and translation skills; others may have learned language skills during their military service. In an increasingly global corporate environment, such abilities can also add significant value to private companies back home by fulfilling translation services roles.
Take care of your team.
To treat your veteran — and non-military — employees with the respect they deserve, there are a few implementations you should make if you haven’t already. For one, having a dedicated payroll platform that keeps you organized with automatic payroll scheduling and same-day direct deposit will ensure your staff is paid on time. Many software programs also offer tax calculation and filing, a bonus to you and your team members every tax season. One of our premier partners, isolved.com, is a perfect resource for managing your payroll.
It’s also a good practice to offer your employees perks that boost their morale and work-life balance. This can come in the form of things like bonuses, incentive programs, half-day Fridays, or gift certificates. Similarly, offer your staff a benefits package that includes physical and mental healthcare. Veterans may suffer from physical and emotional issues, whether service-related or not, and will greatly benefit from professional services.
Serve them, serve yourself.
One of the greatest ways that business owners can thank veterans for their service to our country is to offer them meaningful employment once they come back home and help arm them with the tools necessary for career success. Rather than it being a one-way street, however, you are getting the benefit of military discipline, training, work ethic, attention to detail, and many other traits that veterans now bring with them to civilian life — traits that you would want to see in all of your employees.