Many employers struggle to attract, hire and retain veterans. Many times, this is due to the lack of understanding by employers and veterans.

To help employers understand the needs of veterans we went to RallyPoint, where nearly 2 million current and former military members gather to discuss a variety of topics and share information.  These members have shared over 6.4 million posts about military and veteran life.

Below are some topics that RallyPoint covered on their site regarding hiring and retaining veterans. We have paraphrased the veteran responses to make it easier for you to consume.

What Do You Wish Employers Understood About Veterans?

• We all know teamwork, discipline, integrity, hard work, loyalty, and we want to win.
• If a veteran has PTSD this does not mean they cannot perform the job.
• Our military occupation does not always correlate to what we want to do in civilian sector.
• Always setting the example, even when the boss or co-workers are not around is extremely important us.

How Do You Know if an Organization is Truly “Veteran Friendly”?

• They attend veteran events and have partnerships with veteran organizations.
• They have a history of hiring veterans.
• They have a budget for veteran advertising and veteran programs.
• They have a veteran’s careers page with additional information about their organization, how they support their veteran employees and veteran testimonials.
• They make a commitment by hiring veterans to their board of directors and in key executive positions.

Advice for Employers Trying to Hire Veterans.

• Ask for referrals from your current veteran employees.
• Have one of your veteran employees involved in the interview process if considering a veteran for an open position.
• Create a veteran employee resource group and have that group engage with veteran organizations to hire more veterans.
• Let it be known your organization wants to hire veterans. This can be done through advertising, events, sponsorships, etc.
• Have Recruiters research military branches, ranks and military occupations. This will help them when interviewing a veteran for an open position.

How Can Employers Retain Veterans?

• Create a veteran employee resource/support group that teams up more senior veteran employees with junior veteran employees.
• Take special consideration when onboarding veterans that have just left the military and this is their first civilian job. A veteran buddy system may work well for these new employees.
• Get regular feedback from your veteran employees and adjust onboarding, training, communication, etc. based on this feedback.
• Get candid feedback from veterans leaving your organization. This can give you some good insight on where your organization needs to improve.
• Recognize veteran employees for their service during certain military holidays.

Attracting, hiring, and retaining veterans takes a true commitment by the employer and open communication between both parties to foster understanding. Veterans’ commitment, leadership, and ability to solve problems can be a true asset to your organization. Partner with JobTarget to help you connect with veterans.