When sifting through resumes, or actively seeking highly qualified candidates, you might find yourself pausing over the profile of an Australian Defence Force veteran. For those in the private sector, the term veteran alone may conjure a lot of different assumptions, many of them not quite correct to the realities of modern day defence force experiences. Do you expect a cigar chewing stereotype from the movies? Or perhaps someone who offers their input with a drilled, cold and automated approach. We’re here to move past those stereotypes and expand on the incredible value an ex-serviceman or woman can bring to your business.
Many are highly qualified and educated candidates
The Australian Defence Force takes pride in the ongoing and quality education of their highly diverse community. With the continuous opportunity to upskill, many veterans who have moved away from the defence force come with enviable skills and unique experiences in which they have applied them.
Ongoing training in a variety of areas is essential to the success of servicemen and women, and met with rigour and direction that is hard to find in civilian education. These skills are often highly transferable to the private sector, ranging from engineering to management, logistics to education.
Beyond formal education, leadership, communication and critical thinking skills are often found in our pool of high quality former defence force candidates
Experience in a culture based on teamwork
Teamwork is listed as an explicit value of the Australian Defence force, quoted as “working together with respect, trust and a sense of collective purpose”. Due to the very nature of working within the ADF, many veterans have been required to learn how to work with teams that change in size, structure and individuals with minimal interruption. You’ll potentially find as a result many veterans have a willing integration into teams, and can offer your existing team new life when it comes to defining objectives and streamlining processes.
A diverse perspective
We’ve touched on the “hard” skills above, but like all considered resource strategies, we need to look to the “soft” as well. The experience of a career serviceman or woman brings with it a background like no other. For example, an ADF carpenter may have on paper a similar experience to that of a civilian based and experienced one, but bring with them a highly unique perspective that can add essential value to not only the functioning of your business, but the culture as well. A strategically placed member of your team can make an impact across your entire company, so your mindful inclusion of a former defence force member has the potential to inspire, open new avenues, and create value in your company not previously seen.
Interested in hiring an Australian veteran? Let’s have a confidential discussion about our pool of security cleared, highly qualified candidates, including a range of veterans across cyber, engineering and security that meets your needs and goes beyond your expectations.