Hiring Veterans Is Right Thing and Smart Thing To Do for Businesses

Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

In honor of Veterans Day observed annually on November 11 – when Americans thank veterans for their service in the United States military – business and technology leaders would be wise to help the approximately 200,000 U.S. service members who are making the transition to civilian life each year find new careers in the private sector and in the process they will help themselves too, according to a post on the Forbes.com website.

The post on Forbes.com states: “For veterans who leave the service, transitioning to a good career – particularly in technology – can be challenging. Some have never worked in the private sector, and many don’t realize that the skills they acquire in the military can be immensely valuable in civilian life. Partly as a result of this, almost a third of veterans are underemployed, meaning they work in jobs that are far below their skill level.”

The post continues: “This is not only a disservice to our veterans, but also to our country. These returning women and men have outstanding capabilities in areas like communications and teamwork, and many have unique leadership skills. By helping veterans find jobs that match their capabilities, we give them the opportunities they deserve while also strengthening our industry and our economy.” Here are three steps to use to hire veterans:

• Prioritize It – Employers must first “recognize that hiring veterans is an investment in human capital that adds diversity and capability” to their talent pools and educate their organizations “on why it is important to actively recruit veterans.”
• Program It – Employers who have made hiring veterans a priority should “regularly report and measure” their efforts in order to show “how these individual contributors have made positive and significant impacts on the business.”
• Partner To Achieve It – Employers can partner with many organizations that will help them “find veterans that would be good fits” for their company whether they are “technical skills enablement programs” or “strategic veteran leadership transition programs.”

For Veterans Day in 2016, ESR News reported that with employment an important issue for Veterans completing their military service, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – which serves and honors the men and women who are America’s veterans – offered a Veterans Employment Toolkit to provide veterans with resources on how to find jobs, make smart career decisions, and advance in the civilian workplace.

For Veterans Day in 2015, ESR News reported that nearly two-thirds – 64 percent – of U.S. military veterans employed in white collar jobs in the civilian workforce said they were not using skills that could be relevant in the corporate world while more than one-third – 38 percent – said corporate leaders were incapable of seeing their full potential, according to the book “Mission Critical: Unlocking the Value of Veterans in the Workforce.”

ESR Thanks U.S. Veterans for Their Service to America

Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – a leading global background check firm in the San Francisco, California area – would like to thank the men and women who are veterans of the U.S. military for their service to America. ESR reminds employers that courts in California and other states will be closed for Veterans Day on November 12, 2018. For more information about background check services from ESR, visit www.esrcheck.com.

NOTE: Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) does not provide or offer legal services or legal advice of any kind or nature. Any information on this website is for educational purposes only.

© 2018 Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – Making copies or using of any part of the ESR News Blog or ESR website for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is first obtained from ESR.