Benefits to hiring veterans
The benefits to hiring veterans that businesses can look forward to include:
- Tax savings – Veterans fall under the groups eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The more veterans you employ, the greater your tax savings will be. In 2022, the average WOTC credit employers receive is $2,400 per employee. The federal government even offers employers an additional hiring disabled veterans tax credit under this program.
- Salary subsidies – The Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program offers salary subsidies for veteran hires during their training. The subsidy will decrease as a veteran employee gains experience throughout their career. This program aims to allow employers to pay veterans a competitive entry-level wage and offset their onboarding costs.
- Free help – The Non-Paid Work Experience (NWPE) program matches veterans who want a specific type of career with the appropriate businesses. Veterans receive compensation via a monthly stipend for their participation in the program. All employers have to provide is free on-the-job work experience. The program lasts for 6 to 12 months, with the goal of giving employers an enthusiastic permanent hire when training is done.
- More accessibility – Businesses that hire disabled veterans may be entitled to resources to make accessibility improvements to their facilities. But the assistance doesn’t stop at building remodels. Employers can also gain access to assistive tools and technology. These resources are available through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and may help not only your latest veteran hires but current employees as well.
- Organization skills – Veterans come from the structure and organization of living a life in the military. The habits and schedule they maintain during their service equip them to handle anything they may face in the work environment.
- Work ethic – Hard work and determination are two core skills veterans learn during their military service.
- Leadership qualities – Life in the military has a natural hierarchy. Once they enter the corporate world, veterans are no strangers to taking on extra work to help the team or taking charge of employees or projects.
- Accountability – There’s nowhere where mistakes are more costly than in the military. In light of this, veterans tend to have an extreme sense of responsibility for their actions. They take pride in their work and can even encourage others to bring more productivity and dedication to their projects.
- Salary reimbursement – Veteran employees who meet a particular set of requirements may be eligible for salary reimbursement through the Special Employer Incentive (SEI) program. Employers can receive reimbursement for up to 50% of the employee’s salary for up to 6 months for the hiring of veterans. Your business can also receive reimbursement for necessary training or loss of productivity you experience during the training period.
Why you should be hiring veterans: tips from veterans and hiring managers
Companies that aren’t hiring veterans are missing out on a stellar talent pool of employees who could transform their businesses. That’s why we’ve pulled together our favorite tips from past and present veterans and hiring managers to share some of the reasons you should interview—and hire—a veteran.
Matt Lisowski, Navy Veteran and Vice President of Product Management at Intuit
“Veteran’s bring a growth mindset, have the ability to get things done, and can operate in a high pressure environment. To be successful in the military you must be able to learn, adapt, and overcome while delivering for your team when lives are on the line. This mindset translates into the business world and gives you a leader and a team player that will learn anything needed to do the job while having a high say-do on delivery and a great attitude along the way.”
Matt Lisowski, Navy veteran
Intuit Military Network Executive Sponsor
General Manager, Canada Consumer Group
Karen Brasch, Navy Veteran
“From Day 1, all military personnel are trained in skills that require fortitude, resilience, and grit. If you make it through basic training, one of the first lessons you have already learned is not to quit. The ability to sacrifice, learn, adapt and lead are just small examples of the experience that veterans bring to an organization. Why hire veterans? Because we are trained to work together under the harshest of conditions to achieve a goal. Our resiliency fuels success.”
Karen Brasch, Navy veteran
Intuit Military Network Global Leader
Program Manager
Tony Lloyd, Air Force Veteran and Vice President of Business Operations and Technical Program Management at Intuit
“Veterans bring a mission first mindset. Military service conditions veterans to anticipate ambiguity and to maneuver through adversity and challenges. Today’s military service members are becoming more sophisticated and principles for being successful in the military builds a learning agility and resiliency muscle that is unmatched in most private sectors.”
Tony Lloyd, Air Force veteran
Program Manager
Jack Rubin, Intuit Military and Veteran Initiative Executive Sponsor
“I’ve seen unparalleled integrity, selflessness, and discipline from military veterans in the corporate world. They’re not only skilled at their business craft, but they have an amazing toolkit for breaking down barriers and building up camaraderie within both teams and organizations.”
Jack Rubin
Intuit Military and Veteran Initiative Executive Sponsor
Vice President, Consumer Group
Jay Mansavage, Director of Talent Acquisition
“Veterans bring many skills to an organization. They are creative thinkers, critical decision makers, team-focused, responsible, and life-long learners. Many active duty military have had opportunities to lead large teams with significant responsibility that can result in life or death decisions, including enlisted service members as young as 18 years old. They often have a strong sense of commitment, dedication, and invaluable skills that can be translated to any organization.”
Jay Mansavage
Director, Talent Acquisition
Veterans bring valuable skills to any organization
Did you know that more than 200,000 veterans move to civilian life each year? That translates to a tremendous number of talented individuals entering the workforce, and veterans bring a wide range of life experiences and expertise to any company.
Part of building an effective team means that you have people who have been through different life experiences and come from various backgrounds. Everyone brings a unique perspective to the table and companies are often stronger and more successful with diverse talent.
“To make the best decisions as an organization, it’s important that a diversity of voices are heard,” says our CEO, Sasan Goodarzi.
At Intuit, maker of TurboTax and QuickBooks, our mission is to power prosperity around the world. Delivering on our mission is one of the reasons we have our veterans hiring program, the Intuit Military and Veteran Initiative. We’re focused on doing our part to help transform the lives of military families and veterans through community, jobs and financial empowerment.
One of our goals is to help veterans and military families build civilian careers. Not only are we offering virtual job positions through our Prosperity Hubs, but we employ hundreds of military veterans and their family members within our company. A large challenge transitioning veterans face is the ability to translate their skill set, which is why we’re also continuing to put an emphasis on training our hiring managers and recruiters so they don’t miss out on top talent.
To learn more about the work we’re doing to positively impact the lives of veterans and military families through community, jobs and financial empowerment, visit our website.
FAQs
1. What are the benefits of hiring veterans for your business?
Hiring veterans for your business provides a number of benefits, as common veteran character traits include qualities like organization, accountability, and leadership. Employers can also receive various subsidies and tax credits through federal government programs.
2. What is the hiring process for veterans?
For the most part, the hiring process is the same for veterans as it is for civilian employees. Veterans have to submit additional paperwork to prove their discharge status from the military. The process may be more involved if veterans choose a position with the VA or other government agency.
3. What are the different hiring programs available for veterans?
Some of the most popular veterans hiring programs are the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service resource guide provided by the Department of Labor, CareerOneStop’s Veteran and Military Transition Center, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program.
4. What is the tax credit available for hiring disabled veterans?
The tax credit available for veterans is the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The program gives employers an average credit of $2,400 per employee during 2022.
5. How can you create a successful veteran hiring program?
Here are a few things you can do to implement a successful veteran hiring program:
- Partner with military family and veteran organizations.
- Offer flexible a paid time off structure for military reservists and National Guard members.
- Establish employee resource groups (ERGs) for members of the military and their families.
- Launch a veteran mentorship program.
- Examine veterans’ transferrable skills and see where they fit in your organization.
- Learn the language, culture, and core values of the military.