Five Tips to Implement a Vets Hiring Program

There are many benefits to hiring honorably discharged military veterans, including enhanced workforce skills and discipline. Since November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, here are five ways — as suggested by the U.S. Department of Commerce — to hire more veterans:

1. Get executive management buy-in.

2. Do more to reach out. (Example: Send recruiters and hiring managers to job fairs aimed at veterans.)

3. Translate open jobs into military occupation codes. (One tool that can help is mynextmove.org.)

4. Support the transition from military to civilian life.

5. Post job openings at veteran job boards. (Examples include RecruitMilitary.com and VetJobs.com. Also, when creating a profile at OhioMeansJobs.com, identify your business as “military friendly.”)

For further guidance, see the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Hire a Veteran” page. It includes information on how eligible veterans in your apprenticeship program can receive GI Bill benefits. Also, separate webinars (this one by the OMA and this one by The Manufacturing Institute) have recently been conducted to address what manufacturers can do to attract and retain talented veterans. 11/16/2020