Building a strong tech team is a challenge, especially with the current tech talent shortage. Making sure the team you are building is cost-effective and has the necessary skillsets is always the priority.
As organizations look for new and unique ways to accomplish this, many are seeing success in hiring veterans. Not only are they hard workers and have many of the necessary skills already, they also bring a multitude of other benefits to the table.
Veterans Are Trainable
From the first day in training to their last day of service, members of the military are put in situations that force them to adapt, learn and grow. Service members are constantly going through training to progress through the ranks.
Veterans are typically very team-oriented, driven, and self-starters. This translates to cohesiveness within teams, energy and a drive to be successful. Additionally, picking things up quickly and being able to learn on the fly is vital in all branches of the military. This means that veterans are ready to always be learning and adapting.
Veterans have transferable soft skills.
According to LinkedIn some of the top in-demand soft skills include collaboration, adaptability and emotional intelligence. It is no surprise that these skills come as second nature to most transitioning members and veterans. From the moment their training starts, service members are forced to develop these skills under austere environments and strict time constraints, meaning they are always ready to take a new challenge and see its completion.
Veterans are leaders.
Military members are expected to understand the broader picture and work as a team, which is key to being an effective leader.
Through their service years, veterans learn that they must serve before leading. They know that being a leader does not make them the most important team member but rather understand when to follow, and when to ask others to follow them.
Veterans have a clearance.
If your company needs to conduct business with a government contractor, federal agency or needs access to any type of classified information, you are going to need to hire talent with a clearance. Recruiting the right candidate can be a challenge, the demand is high, and the clearance process is lengthy.
Transitioning members and veterans are the perfect solution to this challenge because most of them already have active clearances. This not only brings costs down and reduces onboarding time, but also ensures to the talent you are hiring has a good character.
Veterans create a stronger and more diverse workforce.
Companies are realizing that their tech teams are more effective the more diverse they are. This includes people from different educational and cultural backgrounds. Upskilling people from diverse backgrounds can create a fresh team that will ultimately yield better results. Not only do veterans bring diversity to a team, but they have the qualities that help them seamlessly integrate into a new environment.
U.S. companies simply cannot source enough qualified tech talent, and a new approach is needed when building tech teams. Veterans have and continue to represent a qualified pool of talent that you cannot overlook.
If you need help building a strong tech team for your company, SkillStorm can help. We will help you identify your needs, and make sure they are met on time and budget. To get more information about SkillStorm’s services email hire@skillstorm.com.