How to market and brand your company to attract top veteran talent.
Make Your Business A Great Place to Work
Having a respected brand and mission significantly impacts success when it comes to hiring veterans.
A solid public image and presence could differentiate between a veteran signing with you or going to a competitor. To guarantee that you stand out as the most promising option for veteran employment, one of the ways you can spotlight your company is by determining what parts of your company would resonate well with veterans and making that connection through targeted marketing.
For instance, veterans are trained to contribute to a team, so having team-building exercises within your organization will draw them to your company. Another vital factor for hiring veterans is ensuring your organization has committed, engaged support for veterans. Stay engaged online in veteran communities, and foster a veteran group within your company for work-sponsored outings. Being involved in veteran networks online is a great way to reach the veteran population and will get you one step closer to finding suitable veteran candidates.
Having these committed efforts and resources in your organization is crucial for hiring veterans, as it will drive more veteran traffic and provide your company with more candidates to hire.
Learn how Mission Box Solutions can grow your access to the military community.
Maximize Your Message That YOU ARE HIRING VETERANS
You must produce a branding budget for maximum exposure at job fairs, virtual hiring events, summits, social media, and networking. The possibilities are broad, but they require time and effort to come to life.
Enduring to see the fruits of your labor will involve patience and dedication, so giving up before the results will not help your company in the long run. Having a thought-out plan is essential and ensuring your goals are feasible and practical while challenging your company to be dedicated, purposeful, and prosperous with hiring veterans.
Host or Attend A VETERAN RECRUITING EVENT
Consider virtual, formal, and even on-base events for hosting or attending a recruiting event. Throughout the year, there are veteran career fairs occurring all over the country. If you attend an event in your local market, you will have a chance to get to know your local veterans and possibly meet future employment candidates. View upcoming military job fairs.
For formal events, anticipate most veterans there to have some civilian work experience. They will most likely have already transitioned out of the military and will have had some experience working in civilian jobs. On-base events, however, will have veterans transitioning out of the military and, therefore, not as much civilian industry experience.
Virtual events allow you to meet veterans with restricted schedules who can’t attend in-person events and can be more cost-effective. Travel expenses are nonexistent, and company time is used more efficiently. Virtual events allow you to include multiple decision-makers early in the recruiting process, saving time and resources in the long run.
Whether you choose formal, on-base, or virtual career fairs (or perhaps a combination), recruiting events are great ways to focus your efforts on hiring veterans in one place.
Create A VETERAN HIRING PROGRAM
Because many companies have veteran hiring initiatives and have proven themselves as valuable employees, it makes sense for companies to invest in a veteran recruiting program. So, how do you create a dynamic, effective veteran recruiting program? Below are a few strategies to get you started:
Connect with a Transition Assistance Program
Visit a nearby military base or contact a civilian TAP specialist organization, such as TAOnline, Recruit Military, or Hire Heroes USA. These organizations will help connect your company to a valuable pool of veterans ready to re-enter the job market.
Market your Organization as Military-friendly
Ensure your potential pool of veteran employees know that you understand their needs and will work to find the right fit for their skills. Presenting military-friendly messaging will help build brand trust among the military community and attract veteran job-seekers to your organization.
Learn the Military Lingo
Understanding how ‘military speak’ job titles, and descriptions translate to civilian positions is essential. Veterans may overlook your job post because of a lack of military-focused language, even though they would be an excellent fit for the type of position you are trying to fill.
RETAIN Your VETERAN EMPLOYEES
Understanding how to retain veterans in your company is just as important as how to hire them. A formal Employee Resource Group (ERG) can help increase employee engagement, develop leaders, and expand marketplace reach.
Veteran Employee Groups (VRG) are specific employee resource groups devoted to assuring veterans connect within an organization. A strong VRG represents a positive image of your company’s values and brand. Positive word-of-mouth is priceless promotion; If veterans have a positive experience, they will likely tell their friends. These programs can help your organization develop a more influential reputation and hire more veterans.
Hiring veterans is a valuable and fruitful investment for your organization. Avoid temporarily taking these initiatives as you go through the veteran hiring process. Instead, taking a robust and dedicated approach and getting specialist input (like Mission Box Solutions) will help to lift your organization to a preferred workplace for veterans. Hiring veterans also provides security clearances, tax breaks for hiring veterans, and OFCCP compliance.
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Photo credit: Getty/MivPiv