Introduction: Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining Military Veterans and Spouses

When growing your Military Hiring Program Initiative, it is essential to focus on three key components: Attract, Hire, and Retain. Each component plays a crucial role in building a successful and sustainable program. In this article, we will discuss part 1: 

Attract. Understanding how to use the right message at the right time, targeted to the right audience, is vital in attracting military veterans and spouses to your organization. By effectively communicating your value proposition and demonstrating your commitment to supporting the military community, you can build a strong foundation for your hiring program. Let's explore the strategies and best practices for attracting top military talent. 

Finding the perfect candidate to fill critical positions within your organization can be challenging. You need someone who is hardworking, well-educated, and an expert planner, with a "mission-first" attitude and a proven ability to face adversity with positive outcomes. You want someone who understands and practices diversity in the workplace and respects policies, procedures, and regulations. Does this ideal candidate exist? The answer is a resounding YES! The perfect candidate is the American military veteran.

Now that you've identified the perfect candidate, the next step is finding them. Attracting military and veteran talent begins with developing a military hiring strategy. Remember when growing your military hiring / talent pipeline, focus should be short term, mid-range and long-term hiring. Here are five practices to help your organization attract veterans that we at FMI have developed over 25 years of working with America's top employers:

1. Develop a Solid Military Recruiting Strategy Creating a strategy starts with the company’s vision. This should be a top-down initiative with specific, measurable, and achievable goals that the entire organization understands. It will need to have executive sponsorship and buy-in. Once the plan is set, recruiters and hiring managers must be trained and equipped to execute it, including creation of a Military Hiring Guide that makes military hiring easy and builds continuity in your program. Performance reviews should be tied to veteran hiring performance to ensure continued success.
2. Leverage Existing Veteran Employees Engage current employees who have served in the military. They understand the military transition process and can assist in interpreting military skills and interviewing veterans. A brotherhood and sisterhood exist within the veteran population, and veterans who believe in their organization will want to share it with others. Set up a Veteran Referral Program and incentivize it by giving out military challenge coins, gift cards etc...
3. Market Your Organization as a Veteran Employer of Choice While building your brand as a veteran-friendly / ready company is essential, being recognized as a military hiring company is key to success. Leverage current veteran employees and share and showcase their success stories. Develop a Military Marketing Campaign using the right military verbiage and images etc... Right message to the right people at the right time. Create military-specific brochures and other digital marketing materials for military hiring events and use veteran employees as recruiters at these events. Maximize your message on all major social media platforms. Develop a veteran hiring landing page on your company’s website and send veteran applicants a separate email thanking them for their service when they apply. Make veterans feel welcomed before they even step foot in your company.
4. Get Engaged with the Military Community To find veteran employees, your organization must be engaged in the veteran community. Establish partnerships with non-profit veteran service organizations like the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, USO, Wounded Warrior Project and Goodwill Veterans programs. Connect with local military transition centers and make routine visits to reach out to those leaving military service. Build relationships with local National Guard, Reserve units, ROTC programs and encourage employees to get involved with volunteer programs supporting veterans. Grow your Unit Liaison Program. Conduct a public Veterans Recognition Program and Ceremony during May - Military Appreciation Month or November and Veterans Day.
5. Hire Military Spouses When developing a veteran recruiting and hiring strategy, remember military spouses. Although they do not wear the uniform, they possess many skills employers are looking for. Military spouses are resilient, flexible, adaptive to change, culturally aware, and focused on getting the job done. As many are exceptional project managers, they are incredibly important in our military's success and will be a game changers for employers. 
6. Military Partnership Program Partnering with organizations such as the Army Reserve Private Public Partnership Program, U.S. Army PaYS (Partnership for Youth Success Program), and the Military Spouse Employment Program (MSEP) are excellent ways to support the military veteran community. These partnerships also enhance your military hiring initiatives, build your brand, and grow your military talent pipeline for the long term. Additionally, consider signing an ESGR Statement of Support during a Ceremony Signing Event to demonstrate your commitment. These are just a few of the many ways to fortify a company's military hiring strategy with many more ideas to explore.

For employers seeking to grow a military hiring program, understanding how to attract and retain military and veteran talent is crucial. By developing a solid military recruiting strategy, leveraging the experience of existing veteran employees, marketing your organization as a veteran employer of choice, engaging with the military community, and leveraging the valuable skills of military spouses, you can build a robust and effective military talent pipeline. Embracing these practices not only support the veteran community but also enhances your organization's diversity, resilience, and overall success. 

Stay tuned for Part II: Hire, and Part III: Retain, coming soon!

Start today to harness the exceptional qualities and skills that military veterans and spouses bring to the workforce.

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