How many military veterans has your company hired in the past five years? And how many of those hires came from actively recruiting veterans rather than simply waiting for them to apply?

I’ve spent more than 30 years helping companies find talent, and I know how easy it is to rule out good candidates when their backgrounds don’t exactly match what a hiring manager expects.

Military veterans are a good example. They’ve spent years developing practical skills, but getting employers to recognize how those skills translate to civilian jobs can be an uphill battle.

In fact, while 69% of U.S. employers report difficulty finding qualified talent, many veterans are struggling to find work that makes full use of their experience. According to Indeed and The Harris Poll, 57% of veterans surveyed felt underemployed or believed their jobs underrepresented their military responsibilities.

Some of the people you’re looking for could already have years of relevant experience, even if their résumés don’t look quite like what you’re used to seeing.

I’ve worked with plenty of employers who want to hire veterans but aren’t sure how to evaluate their military experience. A few changes to how you approach recruiting and hiring make a real difference.

Our team at Orion Talent helped place a Navy pilot in a service area manager position at a medical imaging company. On paper, he probably wasn’t the candidate you’d expect to oversee technicians who install and repair MRI and CT equipment in hospitals; he’d never worked in healthcare or managed a service business.

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