If you are not hiring veterans, you should be
Hiring today is a gamble. Businesses wade through résumés searching for people who can show up on time, meet deadlines, and actually perform when it counts. Too often, they settle for candidates with degrees that prove little more than their ability to navigate a college curriculum or, more recently, ChatGPT.
Meanwhile, there is a workforce that has already been vetted, trained, and tested under real-world pressure. Veterans.
These men and women are not an unknown quantity. They are the safest bet in hiring today. They bring discipline, adaptability, leadership, and a results driven mindset that businesses claim they want but rarely find.
If your company is not prioritizing veteran hires, you are not just missing out. You are falling behind.
4 Years of Military Service > 4 Years in a Class Room. What Actually Prepares Someone for the Job
For decades businesses have treated college degrees as the gold standard for hiring. But in today’s world, what does a degree really prove?
That someone can attend lectures. Complete coursework. Use ChatGPT to write essays.
Universities do not measure discipline, adaptability, or leadership under pressure. They do not train people to execute on a deadline with no room for failure. They do not instill a sense of responsibility for something greater than oneself.
A four year degree gives you theory. A four year military career gives you:
- Deadline execution. No extensions, no excuses. Just results.
- The ability to perform under pressure. Stress does not break veterans, it sharpens them.
- Problem solving and adaptability. No veteran gets to say, “That is not my job.” They figure it out.
- Leadership and accountability. They take ownership, whether leading a team or supporting one.
- Unmatched work ethic. If you say the job starts at 0800, they are there at 0745, ready to go.
Veterans do not just bring experience. They bring execution. That is what businesses need now more than ever.
The Most Vetted Workforce in America
There is a misconception that veterans are an unknown variable in hiring. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The military’s selection process is more rigorous than any corporate background check. By the time a veteran leaves service, they have already proven their discipline, work ethic, and ability to execute in high-stakes environments.
Meanwhile, a college degree, especially in today’s AI-assisted academic world, offers no such a guarantee. When hiring a veteran, you are not rolling the dice. You are making the most reliable choice available.
Helping Veterans Bridge the Hiring Gap
Despite their value, many veterans struggle to transition into the civilian workforce. Not because they lack skills, but because they do not always know how to frame them in business terms.
For veterans looking to land the right job, the key is translation:
- Swap military jargon for business language. Mission execution is project management. Logistics coordination is supply chain management. Speak the hiring manager’s language.
- Focus on results. Employers do not just want to hear what you did, they want to know how it made a difference.
- Own your leadership experience. If you led a squad, you managed people. If you coordinated resources in the field, you handled operations. That matters.
- Emphasize adaptability and deadline-driven performance. Businesses need employees who can pivot fast and still deliver. Veterans have been doing that for years.
Veterans who master this transition not only land great jobs, but they also raise the perception of military service in the business world.
Why Veterans Deserve Higher Pay and Why It Benefits Employers
If companies truly value performance, they should be paying veterans more. The skills they bring to the workforce are superior to those of many civilian hires, yet too often they are offered the same entry-level salaries as fresh graduates with no real-world experience. That is not just unfair, it is bad business.
Here is why smart companies are increasing pay for veteran hires
- They deliver value immediately. Unlike new grads, veterans do not need onboarding time to figure out how to show up and execute.
- They improve retention and cut hiring costs. Veterans commit. They do not job hop at the first inconvenience, saving companies tens of thousands in recruitment and training costs.
- They bring leadership to every level. Even in non-management roles, veterans elevate those around them.
- They drive results. Whether it is hitting deadlines, optimizing processes, or taking initiative, they perform better than their civilian counterparts.
Smart companies do not just hire veterans. They invest in them. And they see the returns almost immediately.
The Bottom Line. The Best Talent Is Right in Front of You
Hiring veterans is not about charity. It is about strategy.
Veterans bring discipline, problem solving, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to results. They do not miss deadlines. They do not make excuses. They perform. Businesses that understand this will dominate their industries.
If you are a hiring manager looking for people who show up, work hard, and deliver, the choice is obvious.
Veterans will make your business stronger. Pay them accordingly. Treat them like the asset they are. Or keep rolling the dice on candidates who spent four years learning how to cut corners and watch your competitors pull ahead.
The best talent is right in front of you. Hire them. Pay them. Watch your business thrive.
Final Thought - For Veterans Making the Transition
To my fellow veterans. The private sector needs you more than it knows. You do have a competitive edge. The key is communicating it in terms the business world understands.
Once you do that, you will not just get hired, you will be leading.
And as you navigate this world beyond service, remember that every interaction you have, every job you take, and every impression you leave sets the tone for the veterans who come after you. We are not just individuals looking for work, we are representatives of a community.
Let us together elevate the public perception of what it means to be a veteran.
A Stronger, More Competitive Future
Businesses thrive when they hire veterans. Veterans thrive when they learn to communicate their value. Everyone wins when we bridge the gap.
Let’s make it happen.
Read more
Your Next Mission – Redefining Success Beyond the Uniform
Leaving the military is like being ejected from a speeding vehicle. One minute, you are part of a highly disciplined, purpose-driven machine, and the next, you are standing in a civilian world where nobody cares what time colors is, nobody takes accountability, and “hard work” sometimes means mastering the art of looking busy. The loss of structure and purpose hits hard. It is one of the biggest reasons veterans struggle with mental health, relationships, and career satisfaction. You go from knowing exactly where you fit and what is expected of you to suddenly wondering, “What now”? The good news is that purpose is still out there, but you have to go after it. And when you do, you will find that your time in uniform prepared you for far more than you think.
Your Worst Enemy Might Be Your Own Nervous System—Here’s How to Take Control
If you served in the military, you already know stress is part of the job. Your body learned to run on adrenaline, your mind adapted to high-pressure decision-making, and survival became second nature. But what happens when the mission is over and your nervous system does not get the memo?
The Art of Boundaries – Breaking Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs
Boundaries are not just about saying no to toxic people or refusing to take on extra work. They are about protecting your time, your energy, and your identity. They are about deciding what you will and will not allow into your life, including your own thoughts and beliefs. But here is the catch. Many of the things we allow into our lives are not conscious decisions.
