This Veterans’ Day (Nov. 11) the United States will have been at war for 4,783 days. This represents the longest period of war in the history of our nation. The burden of this prolonged conflict has been shouldered by a small number of men and women, who volunteered to serve their country. The wars are largely winding down and our warriors are coming home. As our wartime military downsizes, a number of our veterans will be transitioning to civilian life. So in the days, weeks and months following this Veterans’ Day, thank a veteran. Hire one.
Here are 5 reasons why you’ll be glad you did:
1) Leadership Experience
Service members often have more leadership experience than their civilian counter parts. The US military conducts more formal leadership training than almost any other institution. Military leadership courses are mandatory as one moves through the ranks and course lengths are measured not in days, but in weeks and months.
Across the branches, service members generally receive leadership and supervisory responsibilities after a younger age than their civilian counterparties. The military has high expectations of their leaders. So whether those young leaders be officers (lieutenants and ensigns) or non-commissioned officers (corporals, sergeants and petty officers), they have been asked to step up rather quickly, figure out their personal leadership style, and lead. There are pretty decent odds that they’ve been asked to do so in a deployed environment as well.
The Navy SEALs have a saying, “It pays to be a winner.”
Even if you’re not hiring for a supervisory role, there is an inherit benefit to hiring people with leadership experience. They can be a strong presence within your workforce. After all, peer leadership is one of the harder forms of leadership. Having a mature veteran within your workforce can be positive influence for your other employees.
2) Maturity
Few things force one to grow up quite like a combat deployment and I would venture to guess that the majority of US veterans who have served within the last 14 years have been on a least one. Many have been on multiple deployments. The result is some rather mature 20- and 30-somethings. All you have to do is turn on a random reality show to realize that maturity does not automatically come with age.
While there are many mature, young Americans doing good things in their communities, I think it is safe to say that most young veterans are more mature than the average American their age. It’s to be expected, as it is exceedingly clear in Afghanistan and Iraq that live is not a game. There’s no reset button, no do-overs, and no extra lives. For any employers concerned about the maturity of their employees (especially the junior ones), veterans are a nature choice. They make mature, team-oriented employees.
3) Team-Oriented
When one joins the military, one of the first principals they are indoctrinated with is that they are each a member of a team. They live together. They train together. They fight together. Strength comes from that camaraderie, from that ability to depend on each other. It shouldn’t be an exceedingly difficult sell to convince employers the benefits of team-oriented employees. It’s more than the idea of employees who play in the sandbox. It’s the idea of employees who bring with them the mentality, “We’re all going to succeed together. I’ll help you improve in areas in which you’re weak and you’ll help me in areas in which I’m weak.” That’s what teammates do. They look out for each other.
4) Perseverance
The Navy SEALs have a saying, “It pays to be a winner.” Veterans of these wars are all too aware there is no gold star of participation. When they take the field, no one is telling them, “Just go out there and do your best.” Veterans come from a place where the difference between winners and losers can be dire and unforgiving. The result is that veterans have a sense of tenacity and perseverance which employers would find invaluable.
It’s not charity… it’s smart business.
These are not going to be employees, who throw their hands in the air and give up when things go wrong. These are going to be your fighters. They know that things rarely work out exactly as planned. They know things go wrong. Plans may go up in smoke, but they keep fighting because it’s in their nature. They’re quick studies with an innate and ingrained will to persevere.
5) Quick Studies
When veterans join the private sector, they may have less relevant work experience than other individuals their age. However, military men and women are quick studies. While civilians may sit in the same role doing the same thing for years, the military rotates its people between jobs rather frequently. It sometimes seems like just when you get really good at your job, they give you a new job. However, the effect is that the military produces very versatile people. They have an ability to adapt and learn new jobs and tasks quickly.
Most every service member has been asked to do a job that they weren’t trained for and/or is above their pay grade. There may be a steep learning curve, but service members get the job done. Because we’ve all had to adapt and do the jobs, which we’re assigned, we have high expectations for our subordinates to be able to do the same. While the military spends a lot of resources producing highly trained service members, sometimes the answer is simply, “Figure it out.” They do. Veterans can learn, adapt and quickly become highly valuable employees in most any workplace.
So Why Hire a Veteran?
As the military begins to downsize, the United States will see more and more veterans entering the private sector. They may make a stop in college, in graduate school or move directly into the private sector workforce. Veterans appreciate the thanks that Americans give them, but what they really need after sacrificing for years for their country… our country… are jobs. Don’t let the sentiment pass with Veterans’ Day. Thank a veteran. Hire one. It’s not charity… it’s smart business.
Oritse Justin Uku is a former US Army officer and author of the best-selling Taking the Boy Scouts to War: The Short Tale of a Long Journey to Afghanistan, available on Amazon.com.
Photos:
SGT Curt Cashour/US Army, Flickr, 5 Apr 2007, Rights reserved.
Hope Myers/Paraglide, Flickr, 24 Mar 2014, Rights reserved.
Lance Cpl David J Beall/US Marine Corps, Flickr, 4 Mar 2010, Rights reserved.
MC2 Jeffry A. Willadsen/US Navy, Flickr, 22 Aug 2013, Rights reserved.