Transforming Your Company from Military-Friendly to Veteran-Ready

BY Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza | December 30, 2023

At a time of chronic labor shortages, the U.S. has the benefit of a cohort of highly skilled professionals to draw on: the roughly 200,000 service members who exit the armed forces every year. 

Resources for transitioning service members and veterans are plentiful, so the challenge for many job candidates is navigating what Army veteran Dave Harrison calls the “sea of goodwill.” Employers have to work hard to stand out. Veterans entering the civilian labor force “are so bombarded with information that you can’t assume that they know what you do, or who you are, or what a career path is,” he said.  

Harrison, a former soldier in the airborne infantry airborne who is now the executive director of workforce development and government programs at the recruiting firm Fastport, spoke in a From Day One webinar on how employers can transform their organization from military-friendly to veteran-ready, which I moderated. During our conversation, he described the qualities of a veteran-ready workplace and how companies can help transitioning military members launch new careers.

Mapping a Civilian Pathway

Employers should the attention of transitioning military members–and their families–by helping them map a new path. Many won’t know the types of jobs available to them on the other side, how their skills translate to new industries, and how to grow a career outside the military. “Being able to articulate a career path is really the key to recruitment. It doesn’t have to be a ladder; it can be a lattice,” Harrison said. 

He recalled being approached by a veteran at a hiring seminar, who described her skillset and asked for advice on career direction. To Harrison, she sounded like a good match for a career in industrial refrigeration, an industry she had never considered. 

“[Industrial refrigeration] is a big deal,” Harrison said. “That affects the economy and the food supply. Now you have a job where you are one of the most important people on the planet; you have a certification, and when you get to a third-level certification, you’re earning six figures plus. With those certifications, you can go work anywhere in the world, and you have job security.” People just don’t know what they don’t know, he said. Recruiters can help them find out.

Offering Stability in a Time of Transition

Veteran-ready organizations help their former military hires build meaningful connections in their new workplace. “The more connected they feel to something, the quicker they are engaged and become dynamic and very, very purposeful,” Harrison said. 

He recommended installing a mentoring program for veterans–ideally, one where veterans mentor other veterans. There’s a natural camaraderie, a shared language and a common experience that enables them to build meaningful connections quickly.

Dave Harrison, executive director of workforce development and government programs for Fastport (Courtesy photo)

Employers can be the stable point during a transitional time. When Harrison returned to civilian life, resources like workplace-mentorship programs just weren’t available, and it’s one of the reasons he has devoted so much time to building them. Without it, veterans and transitioning military members are at risk of being disenfranchised and disconnected. Those first six months are crucial to retention, Harrison said. Without connection and support, your new hire might bail.

Those leaving the military will also be sorting out their GI Bill benefits and working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) to access the resources they need. “When they’re in transition, a lot of these folks will seek VA supportive services, medical services, things like that,” Harrison said. Some will enter civilian life with various levels of disability. Those new hires, especially, will need the time and flexibility to access healthcare providers and mental health services.

Reaping the Benefits of Hiring Veterans

Employers willing to make their organizations veteran-ready can take advantage of federal incentives to hire veterans. While participating in training programs under the GI Bill, veterans, as well as some of their family members, can get funding for books and supplies, and some are even eligible for monthly housing allowances. An apprenticeship is one such program, but only if registered with the federal government. 

Harrison has made a substantial effort to set up registered apprenticeships as a way to provide veterans with job training across all kinds of industries and job types and help them access benefits.

Without programs like this, Harrision said, “I couldn’t look them in the eyeballs and say we’re veteran-ready. I thought [apprenticeships] were only for bricklayers and pipe fitters, but it was a path to get the monthly housing allowance GI Bill benefit to veterans we were hiring.”

Adding Veteran Strengths to the Civilian Workforce

Corporate recruiters and military veterans don’t always share a language, Harrison said, and this can amount to missed opportunities. Hiring managers may read a veteran’s resume and think the skills don’t match what they need, and veterans may not know how to translate their skills for a non-military job.

Though veterans come to the civilian workforce with all kinds of skills, backgrounds, certifications, and experience, employers can expect to find many who excel in people management and logistics, Harrison said.

People management in the military is an around-the-clock job. “While deployed, they’re managing 30, 40, 50, or even 60 people, and responsible for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They’re responsible for everything,” Harrison said. Others succeed in logistics. “There is nothing in the military without logistics in place. Everybody has to understand what the goal is, what the mission is, what the idea is, what the intent is.”

Employers looking for local talent may be wise to tap veteran talent pools. Military folks aren’t intimidated by moving. It’s part and parcel of military life, and the transition to the civilian workforce is an opportunity for the veteran and their family to make a big move. A great employer can be a worthwhile destination.

Former military hires typically come in with a special kind of grit, and it serves them well in the workplace, especially in tough moments. “The wonderful thing about most transitioning service members and veterans is you don’t have to tell them that every meal is a feast and every day is a holiday,” said Harrision. “You can look them in the eye and say ‘Today is not going to be good. It’s going to be really bad.’ They will take a lot of damage for you and with you. They’ll jump in the hole with you.”

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Fastport, who sponsored this webinar. 

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

(Featured photo by Liudmila Chernetska/iStock by Getty Images)

 

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