The Veteran Hiring Opportunity: Getting Beyond the Hype and Realizing the Potential

1. The Veteran Hiring Opportunity: Getting Beyond the Hype and Realizing the Potential Texas Municipal Human Resources Association Peter A. Gudmundsson CEO, RecruitMilitary LLC May 4, 2017 Peter A. Gudmundsson CEO, RecruitMilitary LLC

2. Peter Gudmundsson, RM CEO

3. Agenda • Dispelling the hype regarding veteran hiring • The potential upside of veteran hiring • Getting started • Avoiding the pitfalls • Q&A

4. The Veteran Hiring Hype • Veterans are a victim group that require special consideration • Veteran unemployment realities • PTS/TBI • Skills translation is an insurmountable challenge • Bias is real – and goes both ways • Check your bias • Culture fit fear • Entitlement • Veterans can solve all your talent needs • “Dependable, cheap and desperate”

5. Veteran vs. National Unemployment Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 2017

6. Check Your Bias and Knowledge • PTS / TBI • Culture Fit Fear • Entitlement • Not “cheap and desperate”

7. The Upside of Veteran Hiring • Diversity “One Stop Shopping” • Reflective of America (although only 16% female) • Better educated • Disabilities (18%) • Screening and training • Intangible and intangible skills • Attributes • Benefits to your brand • Compliance

8. Selection and Screening They volunteered, qualified and passed

9. Skills Directly and indirectly applicable

10. Attributes Character, Discipline, Resiliency, Teamwork

11. Brand Benefits • Your products and services • Employment brand • Community standing – association with a trusted institution

12. Getting Started With Veteran Hiring • Goal Setting and Corporate Support • Employer Branding / Offer • Sourcing / Engagement • Measurement • Retention

13. Building Corporate Support: Motivation, Celebration and Measurement • Understand and articulate goals of program • What does success look like? • What is the motivation? • Quality talent, compliance, service • Harness the support of veterans on staff • Highlight their successes • Set up employee resource group • Use them to “translate” and interpret military resumes • Identify, agree upon and publish metrics • Cost per quality hire • Educate executive and hiring managers • Address bias and prejudice directly

14. Why Should Veterans Work for You? • Mission • Money • Mentorship • Momentum Are you really an attractive place to work?

15. Engagement and Sourcing Veterans • Live events (Career Fairs) • All producers are not the same • Free vs. paid • Insist on historical data • Base vs. destination cities • Judged by the company you keep • Digital solutions • Dedicated veteran job boards • Targeted email campaigns • Enewsletters • Media brand building • Print and electronic

16. Avoiding the Pitfalls • Under-resourcing • Thinking it should be free • Ignoring retention • Failing to address biases directly • Lack of C-Suite support (beyond lip service) • Unrealistic expectations • Not measuring

17. Summary • Act – attack! • Educate • Know facts • Leverage insiders • Address bias directly • Clear goals • Engage & Source • Invest • Seek to understand • Retain • Veterans are first and foremost like anyone else (only better!)

18. Questions? Peter A. Gudmundsson CEO/President peter@recruitmilitary.com 214.415.2331