10 Keys to Military Talent Program Optimization™: Key 1 - Identify your current Military Talent

Over the course of the next 10 weeks, I will be sharing with you all the 10 Keys to Military Talent Program Optimization™, which have been developed from the work we have conducted with over 40 companies since 2013. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below and feel free to reach out with any questions you have!

Author's edit: you can access Key 2 and Key 3 here and here.

Key 1 - Identify your current Military Talent

Before you do anything else to either launch or optimize your military hiring and retention efforts, it is important that you identify the military talent that is already within your workforce.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Knowing is half the battle.”? This seemingly philosophical phrase was actually made popular by the children’s program GI Joe. Each episode ended with a PSA and the words “Now we know! And knowing is half the battle.” We are not here to educate you on pop culture but we do relate these words to identifying the Military Talent already in your workforce.

There are many important keys to optimizing Military Talent Programs but we would argue that knowing your current veterans, military spouses, and members of the Guard & Reserve is truly your starting point. This is often the single most difficult activity a company engages in. We want you to know, though, that even companies in the Top 100 Military Friendly® Employers list (published each year by GI Jobs) struggle with identifying each of their military-affiliated employees. The truth is it is often an arduous process but it will be incredibly worthwhile because these individuals will become your company’s single greatest asset for increasing the efficiency of hiring – and retaining – veterans and military spouses in your workforce.

Open communication with your employee base is critical in this endeavor. If you encounter resistance from individuals self-identifying their veteran or military status, it is likely because they lack clarity as to how you will utilize the information. We could write a book on how to communicate effectively to your veterans and military spouses; however, it is important to ensure all communications contain some of or all of the following elements:

• A statement about your company’s commitment to hiring and retaining veterans and military spouses
• A statement that all data shall remain confidential and will be used for reference purposes only
• A statement that self-identification is not mandatory but that doing so will help the company attract and retain additional veteran and military employees
• Instructions on how individuals can self-ID (whether through updating their employee profiles in your HRIS, through an email to individuals CC’d on the email, etc)

Side note: you can communicate that individuals who are interested may volunteer to review military resumes, conduct informational interviews with military candidates, or mentor newly-hired military employees. This often shows your current military/veteran employees that by identifying their military status, they will truly be helping their fellow veterans/military spouses.

It is likely that taking action to communicate more effectively (and authentically!) to your workforce will result in an immediate up-tick in self-identification.

Another action you can take is hosting a community outreach event around a military holiday such as Veterans Day, Pearl Harbor Day, or Memorial Day. The key here is to invite any and all employees who feel an affinity toward our military. They can be veterans, military spouses, members of the Guard/Reserve, children of those who have served, parents of those who serve/have served, and even employees that have no connection to the military but are supportive of our military.

When you host a community outreach event that relates to our military and you communicate effectively about the purpose of the event (the purpose may simply be to honor the men and women at your company who serve/have served), you not only are showing your commitment to the military community, but you are providing a forum for likeminded individuals to interact. This creates an opportunity for you/your team to identify employees who are connected to the military and to communicate about your commitment to hiring and retaining members of the military.

If you need ideas for community outreach events, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We would be happy to connect you directly to national and/or local Veteran Service Organizations or Non Profits who serve the military and veterans community.

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Amanda Veinott is a Military Talent Programs expert and helps companies across the United States in their efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and engage service members, veterans, and military spouses. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at www.LinkedIn.com/in/AmandaVeinott, on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/miligistix, or on the web at www.Miligistix.com.