Last spring, Monster and Military.com surveyed military professionals, human resources professionals and hiring managers throughout the nation for insightful perspectives from both job seeker and employer viewpoints. The Veterans Talent Index results revealed stability and improvement among veteran job seekers and employers alike. In addition, career confidence and job seeker activity are improving compared with survey results from last year.
Here are 10 take-aways from the survey to help veterans and employers connect:
1. Employers value veterans’ skills. Eighty-eight percent of surveyed employers indicated that veteran skills are relevant to civilian careers. Here’s why: Employers value “soft” skills such as dedication, discipline, teamwork, leadership, attention to detail, remaining calm under stress, communication skills, decision making, respect, confidence and the readiness to accept a challenge.
2. Money matters for women. Female veterans earn a national median income of $35,264, which is 17 percent higher than their nonveteran colleagues at $30,226.
3. Education is a key factor in veteran confidence. That is, 63 percent of veterans with a master’s degree or higher indicated they’re “extremely and very confident” about finding a new job. In contrast, 36 percent of veterans with a high school degree are confident they’ll find a position.
4. Job searching methods are expanding. Veterans are tapping into a variety of resources, such as personal networks, online job boards, social networking sites, in-person job fairs and government/ military transition programs. At least three-quarters of veterans referred to these methods as somewhat to very useful.
Also, approximately half of employers revealed that online job boards and personal networks are the most effective recruiting channels to find veterans, followed by in-person veteran job fairs.
5. Most veterans are interested in furthering their skills in the civilian world. This encompasses business, technology, foreign language, finance and personal (time management, stress management and more). Furthermore, nearly one-third of the 93 percent of veterans interested in expanding their skills plan to rely on on-the-job training. Others will enroll in an education program to earn an advanced degree, and the remainder will teach themselves.
6. The West and Northeast report strong career confidence compared with other regions. According to the Career Confidence Index measuring transitioning veteran confidence in finding a job, the score is the highest it’s been in its three-and-a-half-year history at 58. The West and Northwest revealed stronger career confidence due to increased responses of veterans feeling prepared for their transition out of the military and feeling their military skills are relevant to their new civilian careers.
7. Job performance optimism is high for men and lower for women. Nearly 70 percent are extremely and very confident that they will perform well in a nonmilitary job. In contrast, female veterans, as similarly demonstrated in past surveys, revealed a lack of confidence. Only 61 percent feel extremely and very confident about their success in a civilian job.
8. There is a need for a translation of military skills to civilian hiring skills. For example, combat and operations in the military profession may translate to administrative support and personnel in the civilian work world.
9. The majority of veterans surveyed feel prepared for their transition out of the military. Sixty-seven percent of veterans feel ready, compared with an average of 56 since 2011. In addition, the number of veterans who think they should receive preferential job opportunities based on their veteran status is dropping. Plus, 56 percent said corporate recruiters will respect them for their time in the military; this is compared to an average of 48 percent from the past few years.
10. Veterans said they face fewer challenges while searching for a new job. During the past eight surveys, “Finding a job that matches what I want” has been the top obstacle for veterans. Good news: That challenge is decreasing as evidenced by the numbers: Forty-six percent felt that challenge in this survey compared to the survey average of 57 percent. This encouraging statistic demonstrates veterans’ optimism in not only finding a job, but finding a job they actually want.
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10 Things to Know About Job Searching as a Veteran originally appeared on usnews.com