While struggling to find and retain good talent a client recently asked me, “How can I attract veterans to apply for positions at my firm?” I thought what a great question! And wondered how many financial advisory firms have a military-friendly process in place to captivate the attention of our military veterans.
Veterans have a lot to offer the civilian workforce and any firm looking to improve their talent pool should consider the valuable traits and assets they can provide. They come to you with valuable skills and attributes embedded into the way they present themselves, respect others, and conduct business.
Many of their characteristics are highly desired in the workplace and position them as ideal employees. Their military experience not only taught them the importance of a moral compass; it taught them to believe it and live by it. No doubt, they have been highly trained to remain calm and level-headed in stressful situations, but possibly more importantly they embody honesty, professionalism, discipline, leadership, teamwork, commitment, and loyalty.
So, how do you attract this group of highly qualified job seekers?
Firms looking to hire veterans will need to align processes to support recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans who are seeking a meaningful career. Be sure to pay attention to resumes that include military service.
Here are four recruiting practices that will help your firm appeal to veterans:
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Create a military recruiting strategy:
Attend military installations and veteran career fairs. A great place to find career fairs in your area is military.com (monster® veteran employment center). Become familiar with the benefits and tax incentives associated with hiring service members, veterans, and wounded warriors. Check out America’s Heroes at Work website for more information.
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Employ your networks and existing team members:
Ask team members as well as personal and professional networks for veteran referrals.
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Build your company brand in the military community:
Support military events by being present and helping out. Highlight veterans that currently work in your firm or are members of your community through newsletters and social media channels.
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Post open positions on military job sites:
Many sites will let you post an open position free of charge. The Veteran Employment Leading Practices website offers multiple resources positioned to support employers with veteran-focused recruiting efforts.You should also consider posting open positions in military magazines and newspapers.Other military career sites to utilize are; USAJobs.gov, Military.com, and Hire Heroes USA.
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