Most companies and hiring experts agree that applicants with military experience make great employees. But why are so many of them having trouble getting hired?
One in six vets say it took them more than six months to land a job after coming back from service, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. One tenth said it took at least a year.
The biggest challenge is convincing employers that the skills learned in the military transfer to civilian jobs, according to 20% of the vets surveyed. Others said they’re disadvantaged because they lack a college degree and don’t have experience with civilian job interviews.
Despite those challenges, many employers and experts recommend looking at applicants with a military background. Companies surveyed by CareerBuilder said those candidates tend to possess key skills such as:
- the ability to work in a team
- organization skills and a disciplined approach to work
- respect and integrity
- leadership, and
- the ability to work under pressure.
That applicant pool could be a good source of new hires that your competition has overlooked.
