What DO you get when you hire a veteran?
It’s hard to know if your new hire is going to stay around for 6 months, 12 months, or 10 years. Companies invest millions of dollars annually towards their hiring process. These dollars are distributed many ways in the quest to secure top talent and include internal or external recruiters, job boards, job fairs, interviews with hiring managers, and much more. Yet, there are no guarantees for this investment and organizations do not know if the hire will or should stick. The U.S. Department of Labor indicates that the cost of a bad hire is at least 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings, and an even greater cost to the business, profits, and employer brand.
But imagine what would happen if you had a reasonable amount of assurance the person you JUST HIRED, for a very important role, in say, cybersecurity, has already demonstrated leadership, commitment, and determination. Imagine if you could be reasonably sure the person you are hiring is going to be technically savvy, a good culture fit, and have the discipline to stick with you?
This is what you get when you hire a veteran:
- Veterans know how to accomplish a mission—they are goal-oriented.
- Veterans understand leadership—they know how to make decisions and how to take direction.
- Veterans take responsibility seriously—they have a great work ethic and are accountable.
- Veterans can help you organize—they know how to prioritize and complete missions.
- Veterans understand the value of teamwork—they are inclusive and leave no one behind.
- Veterans already know technology—they were trained by the best in the world.
- Veterans already know technology—they were trained by the best in the world.
- Veterans understand a global platform—they’ve been everywhere.
- Veterans are calm under pressure—they’ve trained for life-or-death situations.
Each year, an estimated 200,000 servicemen return to civilian life. While there is excitement surrounding a new chapter in their lives, this time also brings a degree of uncertainty about the future. Finding gainful, meaningful employment is just one of the topics weighing on the minds of service members and it’s not without cause. Compounded by the effects of the pandemic, more than 1 million veterans filed for unemployment benefits in May 2020 (source). Veteran unemployment and underemployment are something that can be changed. We wanted to change these numbers and lessen the uncertainty. We know through the power of partnerships; we can do so. There’s an opportunity to create a pathway for transitioning service members and veterans already at work in civilian jobs.
As a firm, we took action and built a partnership with veteran-owned, cybersecurity firm, Jün Cyber, to create the Cyber Ohana Project. Using the personal experiences and challenges faced by a retired military officer, Cyber Ohana Project was designed as an end-to-end community to assist those transitioning from military to civilian life by exploring opportunities in cybersecurity through education, career training, and certifications. In addition to the tactical training program, participants gain valuable career readiness training in the form of interview preparation, corporate culture navigation, and adapting soft skills developed in the military to ready them for the civilian workplace. Like the military, the candidates produced through the Cyber Ohana Project are highly trained and ready for action.
We are looking for forward-thinking employers who seek reliable, prepared, and capable candidates and those who want to share in helping the men and women who have served our country. We will use our expertise in the recruitment space to assist companies interested in evaluating these mission-ready candidates who will continue to serve and protect us here at home.
Let’s schedule 15 minutes to explore this possibility for your organization.
