recruitingMilitaryTalent_white paper FINAL 2.29.16

© The Kaleidoscope Group LLC. All rights reserved. No duplication without written permission of The Kaleidoscope Group LLC.
THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TODAY’S VETERANS
FACE TRANSITIONING INTO CIVILIAN JOBS
It is easy to discern a soldier from a civilian, crisp pressed uniforms, medals, name tags, polished shoes, you
get the picture. Once the soldier is out of their uniform it makes it harder, as most veterans are outwardly
identifiable of the overall community. The U.S. military is one of the most diverse organizations in terms of
representation. When you hire a veteran, you are hiring a diverse candidate who possesses skills, training and
experiences most civilians do not.
Today’s veterans face many challenges as they transition from the military to civilian culture, disproportionate to
similarly situated peers in the civilian workplace. I will discuss those challenges and list specific recommendations
that can be implemented into your organization to help veterans integrate into the workforce.
If your organization has contracts with the federal government exceeding $10,000 per contract, and totaling
$50,000+ dollars annually, then this information might be of particular interest to your talent acquisition team,
as they will be required to provide a diverse slate of candidates – which includes veterans.
In 2014, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) revised regulations that significantly
impacted individuals with disabilities and veterans. The OFCCP set a hiring benchmark for veterans of 7% per
affirmative action plan and a 7% utilization analysis that spans all EEO job groups for individuals with disabilities.
For the purposes of this article, we will focus on veterans. In subsequent articles, we will take a deeper dive into
the most pressing challenges for individuals with disabilities. However, make no mistake, the two intersect and
organizations should be mindful of this fact.
T H E K A L E I D O S C O P E G R O U P
Real People • Real Conversations • Real Issues • Real Change1
THE SOLDIER WITHOUT A UNIFORM

Real People • Real Conversations • Real Issues • Real Change
Personally, I served in the United States Navy from 1995 through 2000 as a Naval Hospital Corpsman, alongside
the Marine Corps. During my time in the military, I was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals, a Joint Forces
Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Armed Forces Service Medal, Joint Meritorious
Unit and a U.S. Coast Guard Special Ops Ribbon. While serving, I was in a military vehicle collision and
sustained serious injuries – both apparent and non-apparent. I experienced many of the challenges today’s
veterans struggle with. I have learned to live with my disabilities and transition into the civilian workforce and
entrepreneurship quite successfully.
RECRUITING AND RETAINING TOP-TIER MILITARY TALANT
The top challenges veterans are facing today
Unemployment – while the jobless rate for veterans has decreased from its peak of 12% in 2011, the most
current data suggests 7.9% of veterans are still unemployed compared to the overall civilian unemployment rate
of 4.3%.
Dan Goldenberg is the Executive Director for the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, which helps veterans
find careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market, welcomed the improvement. He
said, “More work needs to be done”, citing a 17.3% unemployment rate among male veterans in the 18-24
age groups. “Post-9/11 veterans are still unemployed at a rate almost 50% greater than their peers,” said
Goldenberg. Meaningful employment is the cornerstone of a veteran’s success yet their greatest challenge as
they transition into civilian life.
Research by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Economists in 2013 found that veterans deployed overseas for
prolonged periods, struggled to find work because of the traumas of war, as well as training that did not readily
translate into the civilian world. Among post, 9/11 military veterans, women continued to bear the brunt of
high unemployment, with an 8.5% jobless rate last year - down from 9.6% in 2013. Unemployment was highest
among the 25-44 age groups. The military is like many Fortune 500 companies, in that most Military Occupation
Codes (MOS’s) performed in the military have transferable skill sets that mirror the job requisitions your
company is looking to fill.
Side note: Marital status plays an important role the impact employment has on veterans. Veterans are more likely to
be married creating additional financial stressors and burdens to their families. Female veterans in comparison to male
veterans are less likely to be currently married (54.9 percent vs. 74.5 percent, respectively). According to the 2008-
2010 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, married females over the age of 15 represent 47.7% of the
U.S. population, while males over the age of 15 represent 51.5% of the U.S. population. Marital status of veterans
is important because it adds weight and pressure to each of the challenges described below and is disproportionately
higher than that of their civilian counterparts.
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PLACING A VALUE ON HIRING VETERANS
Today’s veterans are among the most skilled and trained our military have ever produced. To that end many
“transitioning Service Members have leadership capabilities above and beyond the typical civilian employee.
Value this characteristic and find ways to weave leadership responsibilities into the civilian position.” Veterans
are highly loyal to an organization, quickly assess their environment and can make decisions without pause.
Veterans also have a global perspective and embrace the inclusion of diverse people and thought. Their enduring
dedication to the work makes them well suited for today’s fast paced corporate environment.
www.dol.gov
TRENDS IN VETERANS WITH A SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY: FY1986 TO FY2014
3

VA BENEFITS & HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION Updated 12/23/14
Number of Veterans Receiving VA Disability Compensation (as of 09/30/14): 3.95 M
Number of Veterans Rated 100% Disabled (as of 09/30/14): 439,491
Number of Veterans Receiving VA Pension (as of 09/30/14): 304,579
Number of Veterans Compensated for PTSD (as of 09/30/14): 722,044
Number of OEF/OIF Amputeees (as of 09/30/14): 1,652 2
Source: DVA Information Technology Center; Health Services Training Report; VBA Education Service; VBA OFfice of Performance Analysis & Integrity; 1
VHA (1045); 2
DoD.
Produced by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.
THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TODAY’S VETERANS FACE TRANSITIONING
INTO CIVILIAN JOBS
Service connected disabilities – among the 4 million veterans receiving Veterans Administration (VA)
Disability compensation, approximately 25% have some type of service connected disability sustained during
their service out of those returning from the most current theaters of war, and approximately 13% have a
service connected disability. This number is anticipated to climb as the Department of Veteran Affairs is
currently backlogged with service connected claims, averaging a decision time that exceeds 368 days.
Non-apparent Injuries – not all disabilities are apparent; many veterans suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s),
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), loss of identity, and depression. According to a 2014 Department of
Veterans Affairs Utilization analysis, approximately 722,000 veterans have been diagnosed and are being treated
for PTSD under the VA Medical System. In 2015, the Department of Veteran Affairs reported that 22 veterans
were commit suicide each day.
Homelessness – unemployment is a key factor in a veteran’s ability to financially provide for themselves and
their families. Lacking financial wherewithal, despite all the support services available for veterans, homelessness
is still a challenge. In the U.S. approximately 12% of all individuals who are homeless are veterans. Roughly 40%
of veterans who are homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4%
and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population, respectively. Surprisingly, female veterans remain the fastest growing
homeless population in America totaling 7%.
Education – many of today’s veterans choose to utilize the GI Bill to further their education and compete
within the civilian workforce. Many colleges and universities have seen challenges with onboarding new student
veterans and retaining them through graduation. The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun measuring
success rates of student veterans through a newly developed tool to help veterans evaluate how the institution
serves the veteran population and compares the same metrics against other schools of consideration. Some
metrics include: number of students utilizing the GI Bill, Principles of Excellence, 8 Keys to Veteran Success,
Accreditation Type, Graduation Rates, and Yellow Ribbon Program participant.
This tool allows transparency for veterans to choose the best school that will meet their educational needs and
support them through graduation.
http://department-of-veterans-affairs.github.io/gi-bill-comparison-tool/
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1. Build a solid business case around hiring
veteran talent and tie it to the organizational
strategy
2. Find out what percentage of veterans
currently work inside the organization
2a.Partner with your HRIS and EEO teams
to find this information
3. Discover how many of those veteran’s self-id
as a “Special Disabled Veteran” (www.dol.gov)
4. Encourage the formation of a veterans
Employee Resource Group (ERG)/Business
Resource Group (BRG) or a veteran’s support
group to help with the transition to your
organizational culture
5. Have a conversation with HR, business
line leaders, hiring managers to amend job
descriptions to include language that accepts
military work experience as a substitute for
civilian experience
6. Gather and understand the organizations
HR policies that surround veterans, National
Guard leave, gap pay, work life resources
tailored to veterans, and reasonable
accommodation policies & procedures
7. Encourage managers to support veterans,
with a service connected disability, to attend
medical appointments
8. If your organization promotes corporate
volunteerism, consider volunteering at a
local veteran organization to give back to the
community
9. Speak to the department that administers the
Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC),
organizations receive Federal and state tax
credits for hiring a veteran and may be missing
tax savings
9a. Important clarification – tax incentives
should never be the only reason a veteran
is hired. If they are equally qualified and
meet all the job requirements and it is a
choice between a veteran and
non-veteran, the benefit to the
organization is greater than tax incentives.
10. Develop a military/civilian dictionary and
share with the Talent Acquisition team to
better understand military jargon, ranks,
roles, responsibilities and transferable skills
that directly impact the organization
11. Work with recruiters and hiring managers
to build awareness on how to interview
and translate military experience into civilian
experience
12. Develop a veteran partner listing and
evaluation tools to measure the success
those organizations bring by way of a diverse
veteran pipeline of talent
Starting Points and Solutions – If you are struggling with finding and retaining veterans the solutions are never
cookie-cutter and the strategy should never be its own silo. Every organization is different – job requirements,
location, compensation, executive support are all important factors in demystifying the challenges outlined
above and successfully acquiring and retaining the best veteran talent available. If your organization is struggling
to meet the OFCCP’s hiring benchmark, the conversation changes from a feel good, “I am doing my patriotic
duty” and shifts to a business imperative. To be clear, there is a distinct and measurable difference between
a company’s professing they are veteran friendly and those that have built a solid veteran strategy. Mainly, a
strategy lives and spans the entire enterprise, it is sustainable, measurable, and can be seen, felt and heard.
An assembly of partners and attendance at military jobs fairs is a good start, but not a strategy. Some
organizations have full-time employees whose only focus is veteran outreach, typically housed under HR with
strong ties to Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Acquisition. Below are a few suggestions an organization can do
to start:
5

CONTACT INFORMATION
O: 312.274.9000
E: info@kgdiversity.com
On the surface, these may seem simple and achievable; however, many organizations grapple with how to
measure success in building a sustainable and defined military outreach strategy including: where to start, how
to gain leadership buy-in, the process of developing a Veterans ERG/BRG, how to measure success, identify the
right partner mix and training hiring managers/HRBPs. If any of these are challenges for your organization, you
are not alone. Many of the challenges outlined above are interconnected; if you succeed in one area it is likely to
impact some of the other challenges veterans are facing. If you need assistance and would like to discuss areas
you would like to improve, please feel free to contact me anytime.
REFERENCES
Department of Veteran Affairs
http://www.va.gov/vetdata/
Politico.com
http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-education/2015/10/va-considers-flagging-schools-in-trouble-
fines-pile-up-in-washington-state-will-scotus-take-up-student-loans-2108622
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
http://nchv.org/
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/us-usa-economy-veterans-idUSKBN0ME28720150318
6

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