As you strengthen your talent pool, there’s a gold mine of opportunity in hiring veterans, military spouses, and reservists. It’s a great way to round out your diverse workforce and tap into valuable skillsets and strengths.
Did you know that:
- More than 200,000 veterans enter the workforce each year.
- Twenty-five percent of military wives are unemployed.
- There are almost 600,000 active-duty spouses and more than 300,000 National Guard and Reserve spouses.
With Memorial Day upon us, what better time to promote your patriotic workplace through your job advertising and other recruitment tactics?
Tailor Your Advertising
Members of the military have a wide range of valuable transferable skills, from decision-making, discipline, and resiliency to accountability, team leadership, and tech aptitude. Plus, the more veterans, spouses and reservists you hire, the easier it will be to attract more as the military is a strong network that naturally looks out for one another.
Build the American spirit and patriotism into your job advertising by:
- Defining the “must-haves.” Don’t lose candidates because of skills that can’t be taught on the job or certificates that can still be attained. Consider using terms like “or relevant experience” and demonstrating your openness and commitment to career development.
- Including keywords for a military audience. Emphasize those transferable skills and include motivational wording like “service” “honor” and “integrity” when appropriate.
- Using appealing language: For instance, if you’re recruiting military spouses, your messaging should show your understanding of the unique challenges they tend to face, such as frequent moves and deployments. On a related note, describe benefits that will resonate with your desired audience; namely, flexible scheduling, remote work options, and relocation assistance.
- Tailoring the look of your ads: When it comes to ad design, consider a patriotic visual identity. Incorporate red, white and blue into your web pages, social media posts, and collateral advertising materials. Use American landmarks, flags, and symbols as images.
Showcase Your Culture
Recent research shows that only 46 percent of veterans feel accepted when they first join a new company. Be sure to create and communicate a company culture that values service and sacrifice. Create a welcoming environment that not only attracts veterans, spouses, and reservists, but also empowers others to embrace the value of the military.
There are many aspects to fostering such a culture; among them, are partnerships with veteran and military family organizations, employee resource groups, and mentorship programs.
Benefit from Available Resources
Among the resources available to you as you recruit and retain military members are:
- The White House Joining Forces Initiative and Military Spouse Hiring Toolkit.
- The Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP).
- The Wounded Warrior Project.
- Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
- Hiring Our Heroes.
- Veteran Jobs Mission.
To maximize ROI when it comes to job advertising by scoring hits with all your target candidates, partner with the Haley Marketing team – the largest content, social, and website development team serving the staffing and recruiting industries. Let us set up a free, 30-minute introductory call.
