Hiring Veterans is Good For Your Team.

Many veterans are faced with negative stereotypes or unwanted adulations, which could lead to difficulties in securing employment and work environment challenges. Many advocates try to put a patriotic spin on hiring and working with veterans. While loyalty to our countries are valuable, we should not forget that we are all citizens of the same planet with shared humanity beyond borders. 

For many years, I have had the pleasure of working with many veterans. Based on my experiences, I discovered that veterans have the following qualities that can benefit your team and work environment:

1- Strong sense of teamwork: When working with project managers who were veterans, teamwork was not just a cliché for them, it was part of daily routine in making sure that projects get done and get done right. From what I saw, they understood the value of each team member and how each member can contribute according to their capacities.

2- Work well in diverse environments: Veterans have experience working with different nationalities, have been trained to deal with diverse situations, and have been exposed to other cultures. Working with so many veterans either as managers, employees, or freelancers, I've never had any problems when it came to respecting differences and diversities.

3- Commitment: When working with veterans I noticed a distinct level of commitment towards the team and even the project. That combined with strong integrity, they always added value to my projects.

4- Great communicators: "Roger that!" or simply "This is just to let you know that I got your e-mail" are common when I work with veterans. I don't need to guess whether they received my message or not, whether they've started or not, or if they are on track. If two e-mails don't get the message across, they pick up the phone and resolve the matter. They don't waste time complaining about a problem, instead they tackle the problem and then discuss how to avoid it in the future.

5- High emotional intelligence: Working with many veterans who were managers or project contributors, I've never had any drama. Neither was there any need for conflict resolution. A problem is a problem and it is seen as such. It is addressed professionally, resolved, and then we all move on. Even the most challenged veterans who were struggling with PTSD and TBI were able to maintain professional conduct and focus with much resilience and integrity during my projects.

6- Stress management: If working had no stress, they'd be calling it "vacation"! Work/job naturally comes with stressful situations. I noticed that veterans had an amazing level of command over stress that I did not observe in non-veterans. Their mindfulness can calm approach to stressful situations helped other team members to work better and more efficiently.

7- Problem solving skills: Veterans that I worked with, without any exceptions, were all able to adapt quickly to uncertain situations. They viewed problems with analytical eyes and then broke them down into solvable steps.

8- Strong work ethics: Punctual, attention to detail, "good enough" is not enough, dedication to task, and dedication to quality. Excellence and reliability have always been my experience when working with veterans.

9- Team spirit: Their team building spirit is highly contagious. Veterans have been a great resource in building or even repairing the culture of collaboration. Whether my team members were new or with the company for many years, veterans veterans demonstrated a great value in being the "glue" that brought different opinions together towards an end solution.

10- Strategic thinkers: Many veterans understand how plans can change and how to adapt without compromising strategies. From my experience, they can quickly pivot and recommend new plans within the established framework, maintaining the interests of the team, the customers, and the company.

When it comes to hiring veterans, let's look at what every hiring manager should be thinking: "is this candidate good for our organization?". From my experience, the answer has been consistently: "Yes!".

Note: initially published in 2014, updated in 2016