07/19/2018 // RECRUITMENT MARKETINGIf you want to establish a new veteran hiring program or boost the results of your current military recruitment efforts, you need to market your company to military candidates. It’s not enough to just put your opportunities out there—you need to convince top military talent that your company is a place where they will be happy by celebrating your military hiring initiatives with lots of great content aimed squarely at your talent pipeline.

1. Job descriptions

Every job description represents an opportunity to energize job seekers and serve as a springboard to action. Take the time to assemble a description that stands out and presents your company—and the opportunity—in the best possible (and most accurate) light. And if your company especially values the contributions of its veteran employees, say so!

2. Military skills translators

Building a military skills translator on your careers page can help veteran candidates identify opportunities based on their military occupation codes. For inspiration, check out the military skills translators for companies like UPS, Boeing, and Capital One.

3. Employee testimonials

A series of authentic, first-person testimonials from your happy veterans can go a long way toward attracting other veterans. This content can be shared in a variety of formats, including video, text and social media posts. Once you have something made, don’t be shy about using it in several places.

Hosting a veteran career fair? 

Yello’s recruitment events software can help engage candidates and streamline the process.

4. New hire announcements

You don’t need to put a press release on the wire for every military hire you make, but you should find ways to make a cheerful public announcement about your latest veteran employees in places like your blog, social media channels, and recruiting emails and text messages.

5. Promotion announcements

Nothing generates positive feelings about career prospects like a pattern of internal promotions. When you promote a former member of the military in your organization, be sure to share the news with your talent community.

6. Career fair collateral

If you’re going to attend military recruitment events, don’t just re-use your campus recruiting material—make an effort to provide a customized message to military candidates. Every aspect of your career fair presence—from your table displays and banners to your exhibitor badges to your leave-behinds—represents a chance to make a connection with your next great military hire.

7. Company events and celebrations

Posting images from company events and special occasions on social channels like Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram is a great way to showcase your culture. And do you remember that veteran resource group you established (see Three Simple Ways to Recruit and Retain Top Military Talent)? Good. Because now you’re going to let military candidates in your pipeline know all about it.

If you’re looking to boost your recruitment marketing efforts, Yello’s recruitment CRM software can help offer a personalized candidate experience through every step of the candidate journey. 

8. Thought leadership pieces

Let talent community members know whenever a veteran employee has contributed an article to a trade magazine, gets quoted in a publication, or participates as a speaker or panel member at industry events.

9. Message board comments

Yes, message board comments count as recruitment marketing content, so pay attention to places like /r/veterans on Reddit as well as military groups and forums on LinkedIn.

10. Social media

If you want to attract the attention of veterans and transitioning members of the military on social media, be sure to use military friendly hashtags in your posts. Also, don’t forget to include a relevant military hashtag whenever you promote open positions on your recruiting accounts.

9 Military Recruiting Hashtags for Social Media

#HireVeterans
#HireVets
#JobsforVets

#MilitaryFriendly
#MilitaryHiring
#VeteranEmployer

#VeteranHiring
#VeteranJob
#Veterans