Using Hiring Solutions To Create The Best Veteran Hiring Strategy

While you may already be familiar with the benefits of hiring military veterans into your company using hiring solutions, you may not yet know how to leverage this population fully.

For recruiters less familiar with the benefits, research shows that veterans tend to be more dedicated employees, are more productive, and can deliver a higher ROI compared to non-veterans in your workforce. So follow our suggestions to utilise this incredible power of veteran candidates!

Update Your Job Description

Focus on experiences and knowledge only. You should also avoid listing years in a position or certificates and qualifications as requirements for the role. Many veterans lack academic degrees or formal certificates but still have the relevant experience and skills that you need. Take the time to re-think who can do the job and break the job down into the absolutely required critical knowledge, skills, and abilities, and then list these in your ads. Not only will this help with your veteran hiring efforts, but it will benefit your pool of candidates that are not veterans and that may not have the formal education but do have the right skills. Looking for an easy way to lure in veterans? Using hiring solutions like EVA-REC! With EVA-REC you can post jobs for free with one click to 2,000+ job boards, channels, and social media platforms. This allows you access to the best talent around the globe!

Track Your Hiring Pipeline Data

Monitor your candidates at every stage to identify where you lose or gain veterans throughout your hiring process. Look at the demographic make-up (including veteran status) at each stage of the hiring process to see if there is a fall-off at a certain stage. For instance, do you get enough veterans applying? Are your recruiters sourcing veterans? Do you have a sufficient percentage of candidates at each step but then their percentage decreases because of the interview? Find out what your numbers look like so that you can address the area where the shortfall begins. Hiring solutions like EVA-REC are very useful here because they allow you to gather all your candidates’ data in one place, letting you easily spot bottlenecks and see where your efforts are falling short.

Learn About The Military’s Culture, Values, And Language

If you understand the culture, values, and language of the military – and share that knowledge with your recruiters– you’ll more effectively engage your military veterans. Research shows companies that make the effort to understand and honour the military culture and military family experiences do a better job of recruiting and retaining their veteran employees. Make sure your recruiters who work with veterans understand the military. If you have veterans in your company, you can train them to serve as recruiters, brand champions, or advisors to the company. You can also use hiring solutions like LinkedIn to create groups focusing on veterans. You can add veterans and recruiters, allowing them to learn from each other.

Capitalise On Veterans’ Networks

Word of mouth is your most effective tool for recruiting and retaining veterans. This is because veterans have learned to trust comments from other veterans and military members. A pro-veteran web page or brochure – with flags and pictures of soldiers – will mean nothing to a veteran if they have heard negative comments about your company from current veteran employees. Deal honestly with veterans, respect the military and its culture, take care of military families, and utilise their skills well. Doing this will portray a positive image of your company to veterans, enabling them to apply. Also, encourage your current veteran employees to share their experiences with other veterans who might be interested in working for your company. For example, you can create a series of videos using hiring solutions like iCIMS Video Studio where existing employees explain how they use their military skills in their jobs.

Ask The Right Interview Questions

Learning how to hire veterans also requires a conscientious approach to interviewing. Ask about relevant military and civilian training as well as their experience and why they believe they’re qualified to do the job. Avoid asking directly about the type of discharge they received or about specific deployments. Veteran candidates could construct this as the recruiter trying to determine if the veteran has any type of medical affliction like post-traumatic stress disorder. When interviewing a candidate who is a Reservist, avoid asking whether they could be mobilised or whether their service could interfere with their job in any way as this cannot be a basis for denying them a position due to several legal protections. You can also automate your interview process through hiring solutions like EVA-SSESS. This will allow recruiters to ask a set number of questions from any candidates, whether they are a veteran or not, discarding any bias recruiters may have.

Wrapping It Up

Veterans are a vastly under-tapped resource in our society – and a rich well of skills to fill those important roles in your organisation. Utilising various types of hiring solutions will help you ensure your veteran hiring and retention programs will be highly successful. Good luck! EVA-REC is one of the award-winning hiring solutions that automates and improves the hiring process through next-generation AI technology. Small businesses to industry leaders rely on EVA-REC to find and hire the people they can depend on. With EVA-REC’s world-class features, companies can seamlessly ramp up team collaboration, streamline the hiring process, and create an immersive experience for recruiters and candidates alike. Request a free demo and see how EVA-REC allows you to reach the untapped talent pool of veteran candidates!

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