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Women account for 15 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces, and 1.7 million veterans are women. Take a close look at your female veteran job applicants: They have unique skills and attributes that will strengthen your workforce. Veterans understand diversity. While many college graduates attended school with people with similar backgrounds, military personnel are thrust into teams of people from many regions and socio-economic origins. If deployed overseas, military personnel live, work and socialize in cultures very different from their own. Their global perspective is critical in today's business environment. Military personnel work in teams and depend upon one another. When there is a mission to be accomplished, race, gender and philosophical beliefs are irrelevant. Teamwork is not merely a management concept; it is often the means to survival. While there are always some shining stars within a company, realistically, everyone relies on a team to achieve success. Veterans have a strong work ethic and are conscientious. The military demands punctuality from its troops. Your veteran will be there when you expect her to be. Veterans are goal-oriented. Their military training encourages them to forge ahead until the mission is completed. Vets are creative and innovative. They have been expected to design different strategies and tactics to reach their objective. Military personnel are disciplined in their approach to a challenge and are accustomed to working within a structure, attributes that will translate well in the civilian work force. Lynn Daley was a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq for 10 1/2 months. "Two phrases have become a part of me because of my military training and experience: 'Mission first' and 'Adapt and overcome,'" she said. "These are basic to all military personnel and are instilled in us from day one. We will get the job done." She recalled a critical mission while in Iraq. Equipment needed to be delivered to Iraqi Security Forces in time for the historic elections of January 2005. The day before the elections, the civilian contractor hired to deliver equipment refused to run the mission, saying it was "too dangerous." "We cobbled together a convoy, including security, and delivered the equipment on time," she said. "Three of the four primary actors in that effort were women, including the convoy commander." It is ingrained in military personnel to accept accountability and take personal responsibility for their actions. Female veterans will accept that same level of accountability in your company. Additionally, your veteran applicant has learned self-control and self-confidence. She has pushed herself beyond what she originally believed possible (most male veterans have as well). The veteran who has been deployed has already proven herself to be adept at working in a stressful environment. It's hard to imagine what your company can expect of her that she can't deal with. "In hiring new people, look at your veteran applicants closely," said Tom Cray, president and chief executive of the Veterans Outreach Center. "Their skills may not be an exact match, but what they bring to the table in leadership, confidence, ability to work in a diverse team under stress and work ethic should put them at the top of your list." Lynette M. Loomis is a board member of the Veterans Outreach Center.
She may be reached at yourbestlifecoaching@rochester.rr.com |
