How military veterans can fix your hiring (and retention) woes immediately

If you’re like most HR professionals, you have hiring woes. And military veterans may be the cure.

On the heels of Veteran’s Day, it could be the best time ever to increase efforts to find, recruit and retain vets to your organization. Use it as a catalyst to hire and retain more veterans for years to come.

And you’ll need to up hiring. The voluntary quit rate is 25% higher than it was pre-pandemic, according to research from McKinsey. But companies are generally hiring the same way they always have – and it’s not working to keep pace with the churn, the researchers found.

“There is no better community than the military to help employers create a more resilient and supportive place to work,” says James Boscia, National Director of Military Affairs at Power Home Remodeling. “Military service members are asked at a young age to not just learn very specific, highly technical skills, but are asked to lead other young men and women through stressful situations – applicable skills for any industry. In the military when you face such stress and adversity, quitting isn’t an option. Veterans come equipped with a strong sense of resilience and leadership that can’t be taught in a classroom.”

Military veterans aren’t just a good hire. They’re likely to bring skills and loyalty to a business almost immediately.

“Simply put, hiring veterans isn’t charity or good PR. It’s good for business,” Boscia says. “Service members are trained to commit to systems that reduce errors and improve cohesion. They’re prepared for rapidly changing scenarios, and accustomed to executing plans to reach a common goal. That mindset and level of efficiency is a valuable asset to any business.”