Every year, the armed services transitions nearly 250,000 men and women back to a civilian lifestyle.  That makes 250,000 eager job applicants looking for work—and not just in paramilitary organizations such as police or border patrol.  More than 80 percent of military jobs have a civilian equivalent, so if your company isn’t tapping into this talented pool of candidates, it should be!

For starters, veterans possess soft skills that could benefit any company.  Veterans understand how to work as a team, and they understand how to work under pressure.  They have experience overcoming adversity, and their work ethic is top notch.  Many also have leadership experience and special skills.  In addition to obtaining high-quality employees, companies can receive a number of federal income tax credits for hiring or employing military veterans, National Guard members, or Reservists who meet certain requirements.  So how do you find these amazing employees?  You create a presence where veterans are looking for work.

A great way to start recruiting veterans is to check out the career fairs specifically designed to connect veterans with companies like yours.  Try signing up for the NCOA Career Expo at military.com, a virtual career fair at veteranrecruiting.com, or a Career Opportunity Day at hireheroesusa.org.  And don’t miss the many career fairs hosted all over the country by The American Legion.

The U.S. government also has resources that help veterans transition to civilian work.  The United States Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) has local representatives who work to increase employment opportunities for veterans.  These representatives conduct employer outreach as part of their services, but you don’t have to wait for them to come to you.

Of course, you can always find veterans by reaching out to the military itself.  Most bases have career resources to help match military personnel with employers, and this is often the first place transitioning service members will search for work.  Reach out to your local base’s career advisors and let them know you are interested in hiring veterans.  When you have available positions, you can work together to make a successful pairing.

When looking to hire veterans, don’t neglect traditional recruitment methods.  Although specialty job boards exist for veteran recruitment, many vets still search for jobs and post their resumes on popular career sites such as LinkedIn and CareerBuilder.  Some of these traditional sites also have special groups created to reach veterans.  Beyond career websites, there’s the old recruitment standby, word of mouth, which is consistently the most valuable recruitment tool in the Human Resources arsenal.  Many people have connections to an active or transitioning service member who is looking for work.  If your company is veteran friendly and is actively seeking employees, spread the word!

Hiring veterans is a great way to round out your company’s human resources.  For many companies, its workforce is its most unique and important asset, its largest expense, and its largest investment.  Employees propel sales, provide customer service, and generate new ideas.  They alone truly have the power to drive business results.  That’s why it’s important to prioritize hiring the best and brightest talent.

To earn the healthiest return on your most critical investment, let us help with recruitment and retention guidance!  The friendly HR professionals at YES! Your Human Resources Solution, Orange County’s premier HR consulting firm, will optimize your search for today’s hottest talent and evaluate ways to keep top performers on board.  Let YES! help steer your Human Resources strategies, so you can focus on driving business results.  To harness the power of saying YES!, visit our website or contact us for a free consultation.