Hiring Veterans Is A Very Smart Plan

Think about what it’s like to transition from military to civilian life. It can be a challenge. After spending years in the service of our country, those leaving the military have to decide what roads to take to shape the rest of their lives.

They have strong backgrounds, contacts and experience that can be transferred to the business community. And they are very smart. According to militaryleaders.com, more than 70 percent of Fortune 1000 executives are former military members.

The boom of new military leaders is good for business. Military people know the value of teamwork and of being resourceful. Skills like thinking fast, adapting and building solid relationships can be transferred to the business community. Leveraging these skills makes sense for customers looking to enhance veteran work programs. It’s good for the vets and great for business.

With that in mind, Strategic Staffing Solutions (S³) developed and launched its first pilot military program, the S³ Combat Recruiting Support Team, in 2013. The initial cadre of the Military Sourcing Team is located in San Antonio, Texas, but has close ties to the all of S³’s 24 branches in the U.S., many of which are military friendly. The close proximity to these cities is the fuel for a veteran candidate pipeline and the inspiration for S³ consultants. To date the team has found more than 100 new hires for us.

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The individuals we hired have strong credentials, which re-enforces the value veterans bring to the workforce and how those skills can transfer to the private sector.

For example, one is a retired Air Force senior noncommissioned officer and former Air Force recruiter (with an MBA from Columbia Southern). One was an intelligence analyst in the Army and led more than 300 combat intelligence missions in Iraq and Kuwait without loss of life or equipment and has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas A&M-San Antonio. Two others are retired senior noncommissioned officers from the U.S. Navy: one specialized in medical logistics and the other was a field medic in the Navy attached the U.S. Marine Corps and completed his military career as a senior instructor at the Tri-Service Radiography School, Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.

Since the program’s inception, we’ve nearly tripled the size of the team, including additional military veterans and a military dependent. Some of new team members are “forward deployed” to our offices in Richmond, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, while another works remotely from Florida.

Of course, sourcing talent for S³ clients is only one part of the program. A deep education of staffing and recruiting industries is an essential component. For this team it’s about more than just doing the work, S³ is committed to giving veterans the skills to advance in the company. As the team members gain experience with customers nationwide, they will transition from sourcer to junior recruiter and then senior recruiter.

In addition, like all S³ employees the Combat Recruiting Support Team gives back to the communities where they live and work. In just one year, S³ presence has been felt at veteran-related charities and job fairs. What’s more, the veterans are encouraged to bring wives, friends and other vets to participate.

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