10 Reasons to Hire a Veteran
Thursday, November 11, is Veterans Day. It’s a day we salute all those veterans who have served the United States in war and during peacetime.
In 2021, there are an estimated 19 million U.S. veterans, who represent more than 7% of the population. Veterans possess unique skills that are suited for today’s workforce. There are also many programs that provide incentives to employers for hiring veterans.
When employers are hiring, here are 10 reasons to consider candidates who are Arizona military veterans.
1. Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit your business can receive for hiring qualified veterans. It’s equal to 40% of up to $6,000 of wages paid to, or incurred on behalf of, a qualified veteran who’s in their first year of employment and performs at least 400 hours of service. Individuals who perform at least 120 hours of service but fewer than 400 hours qualify your business for a 25% rate.
2. Salary Subsidies
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program matches veterans with employers. One of the benefits of the program is that VR&E subsidizes veterans’ salaries through the on-the-job training program. This means employers can pay an apprentice-level wage as veterans train for their career. Once the training program is completed, the employer pays the full salary. But before that, you can save money as the veteran gets essential training that benefits your company.
3. Trained to Handle Pressure
Veterans train and work in unique high-pressure environments. The ability to stay calm under pressure benefits professionals in the workforce. According to the American Institute of Stress, only 6% of workers report not feeling stressed at work. Veterans who have served in stressful environments are prepared to handle stress at any job.
4. Collaboration Skills
Serving in the military is rarely a solo job. Veterans have immense teamwork experience, since they’ve had to collaborate with peers to carry out missions efficiently. Those collaboration skills help veterans develop communication, listening and relationship building abilities. According to Indeed’s 2021 analysis of the most in-demand skills today, collaboration ranked in the top 20.
5. Time Management
Another one of today’s most in-demand skills is time management. Veterans must wake up at certain times, attend drills and meetings on the dot, and experience consequences for being tardy. Regimented schedules help veterans develop time management skills that can translate to other work environments.
6. Assistive Technology
Another aspect to the VR&E program is that the program provides assistive technology to veterans. VR&E can provide eligible veterans with specialized equipment, tools and workplace modifications so they can carry out their work duties. Employers don’t have to worry about covering costs for this assistive technology.
7. Leadership
The organizations veterans have worked for are instilled with leadership tracts and rankings. Veterans have experience respecting authority and following orders. They also develop their own leadership skills as they move up the ranks. Veterans who have managed others in their ranks are particularly suited for people management duties, another in-demand skill in today’s workforce. Regardless of what rank a veteran has had, all veterans are taught to exemplify leadership qualities in their interactions with others.
8. Special Employer Incentive (SEI) Program
The VR&E program presents the SEI program, which provides training and experience to eligible veterans. Once the veterans are approved for the SEI program, a participating employer hires the veteran. Employers who hire veterans through the SEI program receive reimbursement for up to 50% of the veteran’s salary throughout the program, which covers instruction costs, loss of production due to training and equipment and supplies for training. The SEI program lasts up to 6 months and results in a trained and work-ready employee for the employer.
9. Attention to Detail
The work environments veterans have been in require precision, focus and a strong attention to detail. Mistakes can derail operations or put people in danger. That hyper-awareness to detail can benefit veterans in other work environments and help your business produce better results.
10. Non-Paid Work Experience
The VA has a Non-Paid Work Experience (NPWE) program, which provides eligible veterans with practical job experience and training, just like an apprenticeship program. Throughout the NPWE program, employers can identify specific job objectives for the veteran to accomplish and how long each objective should take. Employers can choose to hire the veteran during any point of their NPWE program experience.
Veterans Offer Diverse & Valuable Experience
Veterans are a diverse group. Some have traveled the world. Others have led teams in high-stakes environments. All have been motivated to serve big causes that impact the entire country.
Veterans are adept at decision-making, taking initiative, respecting coworkers and achieving goals. If those sound like qualities you want for your workforce, consider hiring a veteran.
Whether you’re interested in hiring veterans for your business, or you’re a veteran looking for work in Arizona, Pipeline AZ can help. Post available jobs or find jobs in Arizona. Visit Vets.PipelineAZ.com for more information.
