Ben Biles • May 23, 2023
Blog Post
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With 48% of companies ranking recruiting top talent, and 68% reporting difficulty reaching ideal candidates in the recruitment process, organizations are looking for ways to optimize their talent attraction strategies and processes. Prioritizing the recruitment of student veterans is one way that corporate recruiters can tap into a top talent pool that is often overlooked in companies’ recruitment efforts. From excellent academic achievements to prior work experience, here is why recruiters should prioritize student veterans in their hiring efforts. On average, student veterans outperform their non-veteran peers academically. Student veterans are more likely to pursue and graduate with highly sought after business and STEM degrees. Beyond attaining degrees in demanding and complex fields of study, student veterans also earn, on average a 3.35 GPA , in comparison to the non-veteran student average GPA of 3.11. Student veterans have a proven professional track record. Organizations that learn to translate military experience and identify transferrable skills gain a major competitive advantage; many companies overlook or misplace veteran hires because they don’t know what various responsibilities and jobs in the military entail. Student veterans have a proven professional track record from their time in the service, and advanced degrees. While their working experience is specific to the military, the transferrable skills student veterans have developed make them stand out from their non-veteran student peers. Student veterans are diverse candidate pool. The majority of employees report that their employers need to do more to increase diversity at their organizations. Prioritizing the hiring of student veterans enhances diversity and inclusion initiatives within organizations by encouraging inclusive hiring practices and processes. The student veteran pool is made up of a diverse set of candidates, with different backgrounds, creeds, ethnicities; by targeting student veterans, recruiters and organizations can enhance their organizations’ approach to intersectional, inclusive hiring. Military experience instills highly-desirable qualities in student veteran candidates. Student veterans typically have many of the qualities corporate recruiters and hiring managers prioritize in candidates; these qualities are indicative of candidates’ potential and anticipated contribution to an organization. Military service cultivates and requires a strong work ethic , leadership skills, reliability, loyalty, teamwork, problem-solving skills, time-management, and organization. These soft skills, coupled with advanced academic achievement and prior work experience, make for highly desirable candidates. Recruiting top talent is a highly time-intensive, expensive undertaking. As corporate recruiters and hiring managers are considering how to get the most out of their investment in talent, finding candidates who possess both the hard and soft skills that will help make their organizations thrive, prioritizing student veterans in recruitment strategies should be a priority . To learn more about how to best tap into the student veteran talent pool, join American Veterans Group for its virtual panel discussion – VetSuccess: Campus to Career – on April 24, 2024 from 1:00-2:00 pm EST.
Today's corporate landscape is missing out on a valuable, yet untapped resource: military veterans. Despite serving in various professional fields and career levels within the military, veterans are still an undervalued talent pool in today’s workforce. According to a recent study by ZipRecruiter and the Call of Duty Endowment, 33% of veterans experience underemployment – meaning they are significantly overqualified for their current position. Despite valuable experience from years of military service, veterans are 15.6% more likely to be underemployed than their non-veteran peers. This doesn’t just apply to veterans entering the civilian workforce straight out of service – veterans with college degrees face underemployment too. Veterans with bachelor’s degrees enter the corporate workforce with twice as much work experience than non-veterans with the same level of education, according to LinkedIn’s “Veteran Opportunity Report.” They’re also three times more likely than non-veterans to have a graduate degree or higher. "Veterans with bachelor’s degrees enter the corporate workforce with twice as much work experience than non-veterans with the same level of education...Despite this, veterans are half as likely as non-veterans to reach senior leadership roles in the corporate world – and even when promoted, their progression is notably slower than their peers." Despite this, veterans are half as likely as non-veterans to reach senior leadership roles in the corporate world – and even when promoted, their progression is notably slower than their peers. According to the same LinkedIn report, on average, it takes veterans two more years than non-veterans to reach their first director or vice president position. This disparity often begins at the campus recruiting level , where student veterans find themselves in entry-level positions that fail to leverage their skills and potential. The disconnect between the skills acquired in the military and the civilian labor market exacerbates this issue, leading to prolonged delays in professional development. Though student veterans may not have experience in a civilian workplace, many have developed critical professional skills during their time in the military that are simply incomparable to the typical college graduate. To combat this critical mismatch, company recruiters must adopt a skills-first strategy when working with student veterans to ensure they are being placed in positions that are appropriately challenging and make the best use of their skills and experience. Skills-first hiring isn't just an act of goodwill for the veteran talent pool — it's a strategic decision for employers. Skills-first hiring can help employers: • Expand their talent pools • Improve equity and representation • Create a workforce adaptable to the changing labor market • Meet the skills demands of changing industries • Bridge the opportunity gap between veterans and non-veterans Military veterans are ready to apply their skills and experience in the civilian workplace but hiring processes are not always ready for them. By being intentional and strategic about veteran hiring, companies can tap into this diverse talent pool and unlock unparalleled value, foster innovation, and promote a culture of inclusivity and growth. To learn more about how to advance student veteran employment, join American Veterans Group's virtual panel discussion, VetSuccess: Campus to Career on April 24, 1-2 pm EST.
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