Why A Veteran May Be Your Next Best Hire

The service members who serve our great country and are successful in their careers are great candidates for employment due to certain skills and traits. The attributes that they have are highly desired in the civilian workforce. Some characteristics that are found in adults over the age of thirty are very common in veterans in their early twenties. Finding these qualities in the young men and women is what makes veterans unique.

Some of the attributes that are instilled in a veteran are:

1. Focus on mission accomplishment

Service members are assessed through their entire career on whether or not they can complete an assigned task in a timely and efficient manner. Service members usually perform their task in conditions that are not normal in the civilian sector. Most of the time they lack some of the equipment and personnel they would need to do the assignment. No matter what, the service member will persevere and succeed. They take what they have and make do with it in order to finish what needs to be done.

2. Take initiative

From day one of a service members career they are empowered to make big decisions. They are encouraged to take reasonable risks. It is instilled into them to trust their instincts and their training that they have received to help guide them to the best course of action.

3. Quick learners/adaptability

Veterans have the proven ability to quickly learn new skills and concepts. They possess identifiable and transferable skills proven to achieve success. Service members usually change jobs every 12 to 18 months with no transitioning time with an incumbent. They are expected to hit the ground running and get up to speed quickly about the new position. Within 90 days of starting an assignment, they will appear to others as if they have been working in the position for years.

4. Management

It is a very common that service members with no more than 2 years’ experience in the military to be responsible for teams of 14 to 100 people. They have experience in conducting employee performance counseling, setting professional and personal development goals, managing specific training needs and administering on the spot counseling rather it is verbally or written to help reinforce the goals of the organization and help motivate and improve individual performance. Service members understand practical ways to manage and achieve goals in even the most trying circumstances. They are trained to lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation, and inspiration.