According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), three million veterans have returned from military service in the past decade. Another one million veterans are expected to reenter the workplace in the next five years.
Not surprisingly, individuals with military experience often make excellent employees. Here are just a few of the reasons you should consider hiring veterans:
- Leadership abilities. Our military trains people to lead by example, as well as through direction, delegation and motivation. Veterans understand the dynamics of leadership and the practical ways to manage behaviors for results.
- Teamwork. Military personnel know how genuine teamwork grows out of a responsibility to one’s colleagues. Some military teams are small, others very large, but all members of these teams know that their individual efforts must support the team in reaching the larger objective.
- Performance under pressure. Veterans are used to working under tight schedules and with limited resources. They have been trained to accomplish tasks on time, in spite of tremendous stress. Bottom line, they understand the critical importance of seeing a project through to its completion.
- Diversity and inclusion. Veterans have learned to work side-by-side with individuals, regardless of race, gender, geographic origin, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic status.
- Work ethic. Servicemen and women need to depend on one another to survive. They know their success depends on their teammates. As a result, the work ethic of veterans is extremely strong. They have been trained to work diligently for long hours, in non-traditional environments.
- Immediate productivity. Military personnel have a proven ability to learn new skills and concepts quickly. They are used to being challenged, thinking on their feet and quickly adapting to change. These characteristics, combined with the state-of-the-art training they have received (especially with new technologies), help veterans become valuable contributors from day one of their employment.
- Tax credits. On November 21, 2011, the President signed into law the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This new law provides an expanded work opportunity tax credit to businesses that hire eligible unemployed veterans. For the first time, this new law also makes part of the credit available to tax-exempt organizations. The credit is available for eligible unemployed veterans who begin work on or after November 22, 2011, and before January 1, 2013. For more information on claiming this credit, go to the Expanded Work Opportunity Tax Credit Available for Hiring Qualified Veterans.
Veterans have already fought for their country. Now that they’re returning home, we at A.R. Mazzotta are proud to help them with their “fight” to find a great job. We encourage other employers throughout Connecticut to do their part in creating a hero’s welcome for our veterans, by giving them due consideration for employment.