How Can We Recruit Veterans to Government Service?

This morning I was able to attend an event sponsored by FedInsider News: To Honor and to Serve: Recruiting Veterans to Government Service. The event provided an overview of President Obama’s Executive Order to improve how the federal government hires veterans and assists during the transition from military to civilian life. The event specifically focused on how government can recruit and retain highly skilled veterans to help agencies meet their staffing needs.

Here are 10 Lessons Learned from the event:

1. Vets bring needed STEM skills to the federal government
2. Vets bring enormous leadership experience to an agency
3. Vets are driven, motivated and have high values – selfless, perform duties and mission oriented
4. There is an enormous network of resources for vets returning home, and the resources need to be made available to vets before they leave service
5. More training is needed for managers of returning vets
6. Vets need to be empowered and provided direction to help them find a job and transition into civilian life
7. Need to take a holistic approach to vets when they enter workforce, considerations of physical and mental health, family, education, child care, anything that will help guide them towards a successful transition
8. Importance of mentorship programs for veterans
9. Using technology to assist veterans – social media resources to push jobs, online job boards, resume services
10. Taking a targeted approach, each vet is unique and has special needs to assist with the transition. For instance, a vet who has earned a high school diploma will have different needs than a veteran married with children.

Some resources that where mentioned during the event were:

VA for Vets

Executive Order 13581

Overall, I thought the briefing was an important discussion on how the government can improve how they assist with the transition into civilian life. In a time when more vets are going to be returning home from service, it is important that there is a support network waiting for them to assist with the transition. With the economy slowly recovering, it is critical that services are ready-to-go for vets to help them transition and find employment.

I’d be interested to hear: What are some other resources or ideas that you have used to help recruit veterans to work in the federal government?

Photo from Event