We usually select insightful quotes for Friday’s blog. But today is Veterans’ Day and I want to dedicate this post to our Veterans.
As we sit safely moaning about the hardships of today’s economic and political environment, the men and women of our military stand on the wall taking bullets for us – literally – to give us that privilege. “We want them on that wall; we need them on that wall.” Yet, we – our economy and business culture – fail them by not giving them opportunities to re-integrate into the job market when they return.
A couple weeks ago I blogged about hiring Aptitude over Experience – I have always had strong opinions about this subject. Through reader contact and my own research, I have since discovered just how critical this issue is to our Veterans.
Incredibly, when veterans return from service and try to enter or re-enter the job market, the first challenge they face is LACK OF EXPERIENCE. They have performed various roles in the military and those roles may not qualify directly as “required experience” for employment. Yet their experiences have instilled them with unique aptitude and attitude; invaluable assets to any American enterprise.
I repeat my case for aptitude: Give me two individuals, one with more experience and one with more aptitude, and I will go for the one with aptitude. Within 6 months they will both have the same experience at my business, but within a year, the one with greater aptitude will pull away and offer more growth, adaptability and productivity for years to come.
Our business culture continues its dazed, Huxleyan march to automation, systems and standardized processes, including for the most human process of all, hiring employees. The result is more qualified candidates (including Veterans as a group) are ignored because they are a poor match based on our delusional reliance on experience. The sluggish economy is making this practice even more harmful to Veterans.
We owe it to our Veterans to make the system work for them. Give aptitude a chance.
Learn more about the Government’s efforts to help Veterans get jobs.
Also, take a minute to view this information from Civi-Side, Inc. This company works to bring veterans into the workplace by advocating them for aptitude based hiring. (Ken Seville with Civi-Side is one of the readers who contacted us after reading our blog on aptitude based hiring. Civi-Side is a commercial enterprise in which Bizzness, LLC has no financial interest whatsoever).
Great post. Veterans are an awesome pool of candidates to recruit from when looking for aptitude. Their formative training is based on hard work and adaptability, key considerations when choosing who to hire. If you are an employer that recruits for aptitude so that you can train for skills, you will not find a more concentrated pool to recruit from.