Originally called Armistice Day, Veterans Day fell on November 11 because that was when the Armistice that ended World War I was signed. But in 1954, the holiday was changed from “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day” to honor all veterans serving in all wars.
At GigSmart, we’d like to thank and celebrate all veterans today by honoring them for their service to our country. We believe it’s important to help all Workers, regardless of their backgrounds, find work. This rings especially true for the veteran Workers who bring a unique mix of skills and experience to civilian jobs as they transition out of service.
Veterans are Underemployed
According to Linkedin’s recent Veteran Opportunity Report, veteran Workers are underemployed, meaning they’re not making parallel or upward transitions into corporate jobs. With unique and valuable service skills that translate well to most businesses, it’s important for employers to understand the ways in which to hire and utilize veteran Workers to their fullest capability.
The same Veteran Opportunity Report aims to help businesses understand the ways in which hiring veterans can benefit an organization:
According to the LinkedIn report, “Veterans with Bachelor’s Degrees have 2.9x more work experience than nonveterans.” When evaluating veteran candidates over civilian candidates, it’s important to recognize that their time in the service likely prepared them to competently perform this job, and a myriad of other tasks, that can benefit your business.
According to the report, “Veterans are 160% more likely than nonveterans to have a graduate degree or higher.” Educated Veterans also bring their real-world military training and experience with them to your business. Think about the ways in which a more educated candidate with applicable real-world experience can help train and improve the rest of your staff.
According to the report, “Veterans stay with their initial company 8.3% longer than nonveterans.” Training and onboarding employees is expensive. It’s important to retain staff to prevent the burden that comes with finding and hiring new employees. Veterans are statistically proven to stick around longer than nonveteran employees, meaning they should be more carefully considered as part of your applicant pool.
According to the report, “Veterans are 39% more likely to be promoted earlier than non veterans.” The military trains veterans to lead by example with a focus on direction, delegation, motivation, and inspiration. Veterans enter the workforce very familiar with the leadership traits and characteristics that can help them help your company grow and succeed.
If that wasn’t enough, military.com has a convincing list of 10 reasons to hire a veteran.
Simply put, they are hard-working, motivated, and ethical Workers as a result of the skills and training they received from their time in service.
Find Your Next Veteran Hire With GigSmart
According to a 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, some of the largest sectors employing veterans are: manufacturing (11.7%), retail trade (8.4%), transportation and utilities (7.3%), and construction (6.4%). The GigSmart Get Gigs app connects Workers to available Gigs in each of these categories in 19 major metropolitan areas across the US.
To help bridge the gap between civilian job openings and veteran applicants, businesses should change the way they perceive veterans. LinkedIn encourages reviewing your hiring practices to make sure they are inclusive of veterans, providing additional training to help hiring managers understand the benefits veterans provide, and being more inclusive of veteran employees as it relates to hiring initiatives and cross-departmental projects. While these tips are helpful for full-time positions, GigSmart’s Get Workers app also helps businesses better leverage veteran hires on a temporary basis.
Businesses using GigSmart to find and hire veteran Workers can do so by easily identifying veterans from non-veterans by reviewing the Military Experience section of Worker profiles. Business Requesters can also better utilize the unique experience of veteran Workers by creating Gigs specific to their skills and background. To start, veterans have an accelerated learning curve, understand leadership and teamwork, and are familiar with performing under stress. Think about the ways in which Workers with these skills can bolster your workforce. Lastly, with GigSmart, you can create temporary Gigs where you are able to meet with and evaluate veteran Workers while deciding if they’re a good fit for your business long term.
With all of these amazing benefits, isn’t it time you tried our free Get Workers hiring app to find your next veteran hire?
In honor of Veterans Day, we’re waiving Gig fees for GigSmart Gigs completed by veteran Workers on Veterans Day.
To find and hire your next veteran Worker, download the Get Workers app in the App Store or Google Play store today.