Are Military Veterans Getting Hired?

A poll from the Society for Human Resource Management shows the greatest challenge military veterans face in the civilian job market is how they translate and describe their military experience. On the hiring side, HR professionals are largely unaware of Department of Labor programs that help them to identify military veterans seeking civilian jobs. Well over half – 60% -- of HR professionals polled said translating military skills to the civilian job experience is a challenge when it comes to writing resumes, interviewing and other related job-hunt communications. 

Another 48% said difficulty transitioning from the structure and hierarchy in the military culture to the civilian workplace presented a hiring challenge. Similarly, 36% of respondents said a challenge to hiring is the amount of time it takes military veterans to adapt to civilian workplace culture overall.

Released during the SHRM annual conference in San Diego, the poll, “Employing Military Personnel and Recruiting Veterans – Attitudes and Practices,” is part of a SHRM initiative to find solutions to address the high unemployment rate among military veterans.

While the poll shows that 50% of organizations that hired veterans made a specific effort to recruit these candidates, greater awareness of military veterans as job candidates overall is needed.

“The high unemployment rate of military veterans is startling and SHRM is committed to working with federal agencies such as the Department of Labor and civilian HR professionals to create initiatives that get veterans hired,” said Laurence G. O’Neil, president and CEO of SHRM.

The poll also shows that while 46% of HR professionals think post-traumatic stress issues or other mental health issues may present a challenge to hiring, and 22% think the same of combat-related physical disabilities, the assumptions are unfounded. Only 13% of HR professionals experienced in working with employees returning to civilian work from active duty reported issues in transitioning them back into the workforce.

Stellar Performance

Among those companies and organizations that have hired military veterans, the performance feedback for such employees is stellar. Roughly 97% of HR professionals said military veterans bring a strong sense of responsibility to their work.

Their performance is exemplary across other criteria, too, according to HR professionals: 96% said military veterans work well under pressure; 92% noted that military veterans see a task through to completion; 91% highlighted strong leadership skills; 91% noted also a high degree of professionalism in military veterans; and 90% observed strong problem-solving skills among military veterans.

How Can HR Find Military Veterans to Hire?

When asked what tools and resources “would help a lot” the civilian HR effort to recruit and hire military veterans, three key solutions emerged:

• 39% of HR professionals said programs to train veterans with additional skills for the civilian workplace


• Nearly 36% said programs to help veterans transition their existing skills to the civilian workplace


• 32% said assistance in identifying and reaching out to qualified veterans would help them to recruit and hire military veterans.

The poll found that HR professionals were mostly unaware of Department of Labor (DOL) resources. Nearly seven out of ten – 68% – said they were not at all aware of the Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER) program while 16% were somewhat familiar but do not use. Another 70% reported they were not at all familiar with the DOL’s Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) while 19% noted they were somewhat familiar but do not use.

The military veterans poll surveyed 429 randomly selected HR professionals across industries and the country. It was fielded June 8-18, 2010.