November is a special month for us. As the month when gratitude is center stage, it is when we can fully express our appreciation and thankfulness.
Veterans Day, which falls on November 11th this year, honors those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. If you work with or for a veteran, don’t forget to give them a salute! If you don’t have a veteran working on your team, you and your company might be missing out. In addition to possessing great technical skills, veterans also have many sought-after competencies that we look for in job candidates. Thanks to their prior military training and career, they have polished their skills in leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving to a fine shine – not to mention their training on how to work under pressure was a bit more rigorous than many of their civilian counterparts. And that’s just a few of their many marketable strengths.
Here are a few more:
- Flexibility and adaptability:veterans have a proven ability to learn new skills quickly and efficiently, which is very helpful nowadays, when we are constantly changing software, improving processes, and evolving our best practices.
- Accountability:the military is legendary for cultivating a healthy respect of processes, systems, policies and taking responsibility. Follow-through and ownership are also vital skills in the armed forces.
- Leadership skills:as trained soldiers, veterans can calmly take charge when necessary, and then lead by example as well as through clear directives, motivation, and delegation.
- Collaboration and diversity:nothing teaches teamwork as thoroughly as the military, where the mission and goal come first, and everyone must learn to work together successfully, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age – everyone is a valued part of the team and critical to the mission’s success.
- Safety and health awareness:veterans are trained to be conscious and cautious of any dangers that can pose threats to them or those around them. They are comfortable with even stringent health and safety standards, and many are trained to remain calm when incidents, hazards, or injuries happen.
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