Former military personnel equipped for corporate success www.grantham.edu (800) 955-2527 2012 Grantham University d.12.95
The Business Case for Hiring Veterans: Former Military Personnel Equipped for Corporate Success Making the transition to civilian life has proved to be extremely difficult for many military veterans in the aftermath of the worst economic crisis in decades. The good news is that as the economy begins to rebound and hiring picks up, employers increasingly recognize the powerful skills and capabilities that veterans bring to the workplace. New studies underscore the potent business case for hiring veterans: Many of the beliefs, habits and abilities acquired during military service from a strong work ethic and sense of mission to a familiarity with advanced technologies closely align with qualities considered essential for success in the American workplace. Employers are waking up to the fact that the modern, all-voluntary military provides exceptional background and training for meeting the challenges of a fast-changing and competitive business environment, said Stephen Waldron, vice president of student advising with Kansas City-based Grantham University and a retired Marine Corps colonel. These skills may not always be apparent on a resume, but they re nonetheless extremely valuable to organizations, and more often than not, they can be found in abundance among former military personnel, said Waldron. Employers also are in a position to take advantage of new incentives designed to accelerate veterans return to the workforce, including federal tax credits and initiatives aimed at making the transfer of skills from the military to civilian sector easier. A Growing Commitment to Veterans More than 2.4 million Americans have served in the military since the attacks of September 11, 2001. 1 Many have struggled to establish new careers upon their return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans finally fell below 10 percent in late 2012 2 down from a peak of 15.2 percent in January 2011 3 the percentage of young, out-of-work veterans remains almost two points above that of the general population. 4 And for female post-9/11 vets, an already bad situation is getting worse: Unemployment for young women veterans jumped to nearly 20 percent in late 2012, up from 14.7 percent a year earlier. 5 Fortunately, a major shift in employer attitudes about veteran hiring appears to be underway. In the past, the companies that made the greatest effort to hire ex-service personnel typically were those in the defense sector. But today, large employers from a wide range of industries are joining forces to boost veteran hires. The 100,000 Jobs Mission, for example, is a program designed to bring 100,000 vets into the workforce over the next eight years. The initiative was launched in the spring of 2011 by JP Morgan Chase & Co. and today includes more than 60 major employers. 6 A
similar Obama Administration initiative called Joining Forces now includes about 2,000 companies and has resulted in the hiring of 125,000 veterans and their spouses just since August 2011. 7 This growing commitment to veterans is driven in part by a desire to extend a hand to those who ve sacrificed for their country. But it also reflects a realization that veterans frequently make exemplary employees, according to Waldron. He noted that veterans workplace virtues begin with the basics. Perhaps the biggest complaint that employers have about employees is that they aren t reliable, he said. But that s not a problem with most veterans. You can expect them to show up on time and ready to work. They generally don t have a work-phobia. Matching Skills Recent studies illuminate the range of traits that veterans typically possess and the extent to which these qualities align with characteristics seen as vital for success in the business environment. Researchers with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University compared academic literature focusing on successful employee characteristics with studies describing the qualities veterans acquire through military service. Among the findings of their March 2012 study: 8 Veterans are entrepreneurial: Successful innovators and entrepreneurs share key characteristics with veterans, including strong self-efficacy, a high need for achievement, comfort with autonomy and uncertainty, and the ability to make effective decisions in the face of dynamic environments. Veterans assume high levels of trust: The ability to trust co-workers and superiors has been consistently identified as a predictor of high-performing teams, strong organizational cohesion, good morale and effective governance. Analyses of veteran characteristics show that military service produces a strong inclination toward inherent trust and faith in both co-workers and leadership. Veterans are adept at skills transfer across contexts and tasks: The ability to take skills learned in one context and apply them to another is a valuable organizational attribute and one that veterans possess, thanks to their training in contingency planning. Veterans have advanced technical training: Veterans accelerated exposure to high technology contributes to an enhanced ability to link technology-based solutions to a diverse range of organizational challenges and tasks. Veterans are comfortable in discontinuous environments: Organizational advantage is conferred on firms able to act quickly and decisively in the face of uncertainty and change. Military experience similarly requires the ability to accurately evaluate a dynamic situation and act in the face of uncertainty. These
skills are further enhanced for individuals who ve served in a combat environment, the study states. Veterans exhibit high levels of resiliency: Multiple studies show that military veterans exhibit high levels of resilient behavior, including the ability to successfully adapt despite adversity, overcome hardship and trauma, and excel in the face of harsh environments. These same characteristics are viewed as important in the business environment, particularly in areas such as new product development, early-stage ventures, sales and high-technology positions. Veterans possess advanced team-building skills: Several studies comparing military personnel and veterans to non-veterans in the area of team-building show that veterans are more effective at organizing and defining team goals and mission; better at defining team member roles and responsibilities; and better at creating a plan of action. Veterans exhibit strong organizational commitment: The military experience engenders a strong connection between the individual and the organization. Studies show veterans bring this sense of organizational commitment and loyalty to the civilian workplace. Veterans have had [and can leverage] cross-cultural experiences: Individuals with military backgrounds typically have more international experience, speak more languages and have a higher level of cultural sensitivity versus age-group peers who have not served in the military. Veterans have experience in diverse work settings: Because those serving in the all-volunteer military come from a variety of educational, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, veterans are highly accepting of individual differences and exhibit a high level of cultural sensitivity in workplace interpersonal relationships. Along with the Syracuse study, a second report similarly identified key advantages associated with hiring veterans. The study entitled `Employing America s Veterans Perspectives from Business was produced by the Military, Veterans and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security and was based on in-depth interviews with 87 individuals representing 69 companies. 9 Among the perceived attributes that veterans bring to the workplace, according to the report, are leadership and teamwork skills, character, structure and discipline, expertise, ability to perform and make decisions in a dynamic environment, the ability to get the job done, resiliency and loyalty. New Tax Benefits Beyond the skills of the personnel themselves, companies also are hiring veterans to take advantage of new tax benefits included in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which was
signed into law by President Obama in 2011. Businesses that hire veterans unemployed between four weeks and six months can receive a credit of up to $2,400; those that hire veterans unemployed for more than six months can receive a credit of up to $5,600; and those that hire wounded warriors unemployed for more than six months can receive a credit of up to $9,600. 10 The act further mandates that the Department of Labor seek ways to better translate military training into civilian sector jobs, and make it easier for veterans to get the licenses and certifications required for specific professions. 11 Overcoming Stereotypes and Ignorance Yet even with these incentives and the growing recognition of veterans abilities, a significant percentage of employers remain unaware of the benefits that hiring veterans can produce. Instead, persistent stereotypes about service personnel, combined with a general lack of knowledge about military service, frequently conspire to diminish veterans employment opportunities. Shanna M. Fowler, career services manager with Grantham University, said common stereotypes include assumptions that veterans are too rigid or formal, or that they may be suffering from combat-related stress. She said many recruiters also have difficulty understanding what veterans did in the military and how those experiences could translate effectively into the private sector. Finally, companies often simply do not know where to look for veteran job candidates. The disconnect usually occurs with the recruiters and hiring managers, even at those companies where the leadership is fully committed to hiring veterans, Fowler said. To address the problem, Fowler said, it s important for organizations to develop training programs that can educate recruiters, managers and others about the business logic supporting veteran hires. Strategic hiring plans that include information about how to most effectively reach veterans, and how to best match their skills with specific roles and positions, likewise should be created and implemented. Grantham University, for example, provides weekly webinars that are designed to help mid-level human resource managers train recruiters and talent acquisition personnel about veteran hiring. A wide range of information is presented in the sessions, including guidance about Military Occupation Codes (MOCs), or the service codes used to match military positions to the equivalent job in the civilian sector. Grantham also can provide employers with a wealth of information about the best sites and services for locating veteran job candidates. Finally, Grantham is able to help companies develop detailed veteran recruitment strategic plans that solidify and institutionalize a commitment to hiring veterans. Veterans aren t looking for a handout or a shortcut, Fowler said. They simply want a chance to compete on equal footing in the labor market. Fortunately, as more
employers understand the skills bring to the workplace, our veterans should not only be able to compete, but excel. 1 Employment Situation of Veterans Summary, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 20, 2012, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm 2 Jobless rate for Post-9/11 vets down last month, Army Times, Oct. 5, 2012, http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/10/military-jobless-rate-drops-911-veterans-100512/ 3 Employers On A Crusade To Hire Post-9/11 Veterans, AOL s Hompage for Heroes, Oct. 11, 2012, http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/10/11/these-employers-are-on-a-crusade-to-hire-post-9-11-veterans/ 4 Jobless rate for Post-9/11 vets down last month, Army Times, Oct. 5, 2012. 5 Veteran unemployment rate dips, but crisis deepens for ex-military woman, NBCNews.com, Oct. 9, 2012 http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/05/14244058-veteran-unemployment-rate-dips-but-crisis-deepensfor-ex-military-women?lite 6 Employers on a Crusade to Hire Post-9/11 Veterans, AOL s Hompage for Heroes, Oct. 11, 2012. 7 Ibid. 8 The Business Case for Hiring a Veteran Beyond the Clichés, Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families, March 5, 2012, http://vets.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/the-business-case-for-hiring-a-veteran-3-6-124.pdf 9 Employing America s Veterans: Perspectives From Businesses, Center for a New American Security, June 11, 2012 http://www.cnas.org/employingamericasveterans 10 Fact Sheet: The VOW to Hire Heroes Act, Democratic Policy and Communications Center, November 2011, http://dpc.senate.gov/docs/fs-112-1-28.pdf 11 VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, House Committee on Veterans Affairs, November 2011, http://veterans.house.gov/vow