

The Value of Veterans in Startups - USNetizen

My company brought on someone this past week to do some technical work. This person is a U.S. Army veteran, former military intelligence, trained as a translator, and graduated magna cum laude from a very respected university, receiving multiple achievement awards for academic performance. However, this person was only able to previously find work as a clerk at a local store because of the stigma associated with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).<p>The moral of this story is that there is an immense pool of talent out there just waiting to be given a chance, but which is being blatantly overlooked by corporate America (and, all too often, startups as well) because of certain stereotypes associated with military service. I personally have been discriminated against because of my background, but was able to find my way to success because of a couple people out there who took a chance on an ambitious but inexperienced vet. I utilize on a daily basis the leadership, critical thinking, and strategic planning skills gained from my military background, and so will others.<p>It shouldn&#x27;t be so hard for veterans to prove their worth by constantly battling ill-informed stereotypes after returning home. I challenge and encourage all startups to prove wrong these negative perceptions of military service by finding and hiring people like the one I have described and give them a chance to prove their worth. You will be rewarded with a team of immensely talented, innovative, creative, and driven folks whose potential has been generally underestimated by other companies. That right there is the best definition of a &quot;competitive advantage&quot; I can think of.<p>This approach has served us incredibly well, and given us some of our most loyal and productive employees to date.
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nostrademons
The places I've worked at have generally viewed military service as a positive
in hiring decisions - it indicates discipline, focus, and an ability to
stretch yourself. The problem is that the hiring market is pretty competitive
_anyway_ , and so if all you bring to the table is being a veteran, that
doesn't qualify you for a job. Folks who can demonstrate useful skills _in
addition_ to their military service usually do just fine; it's just that the
"useful skills" part trumps the military service.

