Whether you’re trying to establish your company as a military-friendly employer because you’re a veteran yourself (thank you for your service!) or you’re just hip to how valuable military talent can be, we’ll share everything we know about recruiting and retaining top military talent.
1. Go to Where the Vets Are
Approximately 250,000 US service members transition out the armed services every year. If you spread that quarter-million figure over the course of a year, you’ve got more than 20,000 highly skilled U.S. military veteran candidates pouring into the civilian job market every month—and those are just the folks making their first transition into civilian life! Millions of other veteran candidates are out in the workforce right now.
If you’re just getting started with your effort to establish a formal military recruitment program, you should plan on attending some veteran-focused recruiting events and becoming familiar with the job boards most used by vets and transitioning servicemembers. After all, those are the places where the vets are going to be.
10 Military Recruiting Job Fairs, Conferences, and Events
Dozens of military-run, public and private veteran job fairs, conferences and recruitment events are taking place around the country at any given moment. Getting face time with transitioning and retired military candidates should be as easy as arranging to set up a booth at recruiting event near you. Peruse the following organizations to identify the events and locations that would work best for you.[vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” el_class=”inline–col shadow alignwide” css=”.vc_custom_1572922048917{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″]
Lucas Group Military Hiring Conferences
MBA Veterans Career Conference and Expo
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Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Career and Education Events
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RecruitMilitary Veteran Job Fairs
Service Academy Career Conference
Veteran Recruiting Virtual and In-Person Hiring Fairs
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11 Job Boards Targeting Military Veterans
Like the military recruiting events mentioned above, this is hardly an exhaustive list, but the eleven job boards listed below should help you get a head start on targeting the job boards that focus on top veteran and transitioning candidates.[vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” el_class=”inline–col shadow alignwide” css=”.vc_custom_1572922044575{margin-top: 2em !important;margin-bottom: 2em !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″]
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2. Establish a Veteran Resource Group
According to military veteran hiring expert and Yello Conference 2018 (#yello18) speaker Wes O’Donnell, one key strategy for keeping military talent happy is establishing a veteran resource group in your company that allows veteran and non-veteran employees to build connections, initiate conversations and promote learning.
Also, while a good veteran resource group will be an excellent asset for retention purposes, you shouldn’t overlook its value as an idea machine. Veterans who already work for your organization can be an invaluable resource to your recruiting efforts. They can define the aspects of your workplace culture that could be attractive to military talent, serve as mentors for new veteran hires, translate military occupation codes into useful information you and your team, and help shape your positioning as a military friendly employer.
3. Use the Buddy System and Start Asking for Employee Referrals
Finally, don’t overlook the networking power of current employees. Your best people know other amazing people, so don’t be shy about asking them to refer you to the top military talent they know from their networks.
