The newest jobs report reveals veteran unemployment rate was 2.9% last month, down from 3.6% in September. November is Military Families Month, so for this episode of the Security Clearance Careers Podcast we discuss recruiting, hiring, and workplace issues for veterans – everything from upskilling and reskilling, to how some interviewers overlook valuable assets and experiences veterans bring to the table.
Kathleen Quinn Votaw is the CEO of TalenTrust, a strategic recruiting and human capital consulting firm. Quinn Votaw is the author of two books, DARE to CARE IN THE WORKPLACE: A Guide to the New Way We Work, and Solve the People Puzzle: How High-Growth Companies Attract & Retain Top Talent.
Regarded as a key disruptor in her industry, she has helped thousands of companies across multiple industries develop purpose-based, inclusive communities that inspire employees to come to work. Veterans, like many other populations, look for certain cues that a company is going to be military friendly. When it comes to recruiting them to your organization, retaining them, and how recruiters can reach veteran talent before the next company, that requires a certain finesse, as well.
Recruiting, Hiring, and Workplace Issues for Veterans
Some recruiters may overlook valuable assets and experiences veterans bring to the table, and these aren’t the only workplace issues veterans experience. Quinn Votaw shares how listeners can ensure they retain veteran talent by improving their culture and leading with empathy in the workplace. One issue veterans experience is pivoting careers post military, in hopes of creating a livelihood that may be outside their military occupational specialty. Upskilling and reskilling for job seekers is easier said than done, and many companies aren’t willing to take a chance on candidates that don’t have as much experience. With Quinn Votaw’s background in hiring and recruitment, she shares how transitioning service members can effectively pivot careers and convince an interviewer to bring them onboard. But the real advice she has is for organizational leadership: we need to invest in upskilling and reskilling bootcamps for our employees and prospective candidates.
