5 Ways to Recruit Veterans to Your Shop

Technicians are in high demand across the entire country, and veterans who have experience as military technicians offer a unique skill set that can bring a lot of value to shops.

Of course, military veterans will apply through regular job postings from time to time. But, shops that take the time to develop a targeted recruiting effort are the most effective at attracting and hiring veterans for technician positions.

Before getting into the specific strategies and tactics around recruiting military veterans, let’s talk a bit about the benefits of hiring veterans.

Benefits of Hiring Military Veterans

As employees, military veterans have a blend of skills that make them ideal candidates for technician positions:

Team players. In the military, individuals work to earn the respect of their peers and understand how to bring people together to pursue strategic, common goals.
Great problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Service-men and -women are required to react quickly and precisely—adapting to new information in dynamic, high-pressure situations. In the civilian world, this can translate into less reactive and more rational decision-making.
Value honesty and integrity. Many veterans have high-level security clearances and are trained to meet the highest standards of ethics.
High attention to detail. Military training prioritizes safety and precision, which translates nicely into technical work in civilian life.
Global perspectives. Members of the military usually have years of on-the-ground experience working with international teams of diverse individuals—a distinct advantage in our globalizing economy.

How to Attract Military Veterans to Technician Positions

1. Participate in the Statement of Support program.

This program, through the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), gives employers the opportunity to pledge their commitment to supporting veterans, reservists, and national guard members. All you need to do is fill out the form on their website, and they will add you to a list of supportive employers, which is a common resource for veteran job seekers.

2. Make your job postings and/or Top Shop page veteran-friendly.

There are some simple tweaks you can make to your job postings and/or WrenchWay Top Shop page that will help catch the attention of military veterans:

List skill requirements and job responsibilities clearly and in a way that helps military veterans translate their military experience with the skills and expectations you’re looking for.
Include phrases like “veteran-friendly” or “veterans and transitioning military encouraged to apply” in your job postings.
If you are participating in the Statement Of Support Program, add verbiage to alert veterans of your supportive environment.

3. Take advantage of special features on job boards for veterans.

Many major job boards, like Indeed and Careerbuilder, offer employers inexpensive ways to search for veterans. For example, while there is a cost for viewing profiles in the Indeed resume database, candidates who have tagged themselves as veterans are searchable and free of charge.

4. Highlight veterans on your team on social media.

Demonstrate your shop supports military veterans by spotlighting the veterans on your team. Post a photo or video including a short interview with the technician talking about their military background and why they love working at your shop.