As July 4 approaches, many employers are anxious to declare a holiday so their employees can enjoy the nation’s birthday festivities. But when the fireworks are over, they may be looking to hire the kind of talent so often celebrated on Independence Day—veterans and military spouses. 
Many employers have come to appreciate the diversity of experience that people with military ties can bring to a business. And first lady Michelle Obama, along with Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, hope their Joining Forces initiative helps even more employers bring on veterans and military spouses.
In May, Obama and Biden teamed up to celebrate the success Joining Forces has seen since its inception in 2011 and build on it. The two announced on May 5 that since the launch of Joining Forces, more than 1.2 million veterans and military spouses have been hired or trained. At the event celebrating the five-year anniversary, 40 companies announced that they have pledged to hire more than 110,000 veterans and spouses over the next five years.
The Joining Forces leaders even turned to popular television shows as a way to boost their program. On May 3, Obama made an appearance on the CBS military-themed crime drama NCIS. The plot of the episode saw the show’s lead character, NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, helping a Marine’s wife work through employment difficulties. The two end up being invited to the White House for a Joining Forces event, where they talked to the first lady. Extras in the cast, which was filmed at the White House, were actual military spouses, according to an announcement from CBS.
On May 2, Obama and Biden celebrated the Joining Forces anniversary by appearing on NBC’s singing competition show The Voice, which featured a studio audience of 800 active-duty and veteran service members and their families.
The anniversary observations also included an op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal in which they urged employers looking for tech talent to consider military veterans. The editorial pointed to the technology challenges service members face—tasks such as “establishing wireless networks in Baghdad, repairing communications equipment in the mountains of Afghanistan, or maintaining data-storage units on 100,000-ton aircraft carriers in the South China Sea.”
“Given this experience, chances are that these men and women can handle whatever comes their way in an office building in Silicon Valley,” the editorial states.
How and why to hire
In promoting veteran and military spouse hiring efforts, the first lady says it’s not just the patriotic thing to do, it’s also good for business. The U.S. Department of Labor offers a toolkit for employers looking to recruit, hire, and retain veterans. Just a few of the tips included are:
- Know what to ask (and what not to ask) in an interview. The toolkit says interviewing veterans and wounded warriors shouldn’t be any different than interviewing other candidates. Employers should ask all candidates the same questions, including if the candidate has read the job description and whether he or she can perform the job’s essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation. Those questions don’t ask the candidate to disclose a disability. Some questions to avoid include, “Did you see any action over there?” and “Have you seen a psychiatrist since you’ve been back?” Such questions, the toolkit says, can be seen as violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Explain fit. The toolkit urges employers to explain to veterans how their work will fit into the company’s plans and how the veteran will be trained to handle new duties. Showing the veteran an organizational chart and explaining how to access professional development opportunities, performance evaluations, and the path to promotions also can help.
- Check in frequently. Checking in on a new hire during the first weeks, months, and beyond can help veterans adjust to civilian careers and gives them a chance to let the employer know if they don’t have enough to do before they get bored and disillusioned.
- Disclose accommodations process. The kit urges employers to provide written information on how to discuss and request job accommodations. It says not all wounded warriors will require or request accommodations or assistive technology, and most probably won’t choose to disclose an invisible disability such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, so a written process explaining how to ask for assistance is helpful.