Unconscious Biases, Myths and Misconceptions to Dispel When Hiring and Retaining Military Veterans

The year is 2020 and between the COVID-19 pandemic, social uprisings, widespread unemployment and economic turmoil across the United States, businesses and public sector organizations are taking a hard look at how they represent and meet the needs of a diverse staff. One group of workers gaining more attention from employers is the men and women who served in the U.S. military.

Civilian human resource leaders often admit to misconceptions and unconscious biases when it comes to sourcing, hiring, onboarding and retaining military talent. Those misunderstandings and blind spots can negatively impact their ability to ensure their organizations benefit fully from employing veterans. Today, more than ever, employers looking to grow and thrive should consider the values and contributions of military veterans.

Allow me here to debunk some of the myths that do not get talked about frequently but do hold back veterans, businesses and public sector organizations.

Myth: All veterans have hot tempers. It’s best to employ them in physical jobs where they can get their aggression out.

Truth: Assuming that veterans should only be offered jobs that involve physical labor denies them the opportunity to make full use of their talents, skills, virtues and abilities in the workplace. This misperception likely stems from beliefs that there is tremendous stress in military life and that all veterans served in frontline combat. Those experiences, the thinking goes, conditioned veterans to be highly reactive.

While military duty is certainly stressful, not all veterans served directly in combat. Also, each person processes extreme stress in different ways and, certainly, not all veterans have anger issues.

Research summarized by the National Center for PTSD at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs shows that 11-20 percent of veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, the first Gulf War (Desert Storm) and the Vietnam War report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health problems. Veterans advocacy group Make the Connection presents other evidence that the number of men and women who returned from those conflicts with challenges around rage control is small. As the group’s website explains, “For most veterans, anger and irritability do not interfere with day-to-day life.”

Myth: Women don’t really serve in the military. And if they do, they held desk jobs or served as nurses.

Truth: While it is true that women account for fewer than 17 percent of active duty members of the U.S. military, their numbers are growing. Additionally, roles for women in all five branches continue to expand.

For example:

• The U.S. Army graduated its first female Green Beret from Special Forces training in July 2020.
• In 2017, a female soldier earned her place in the Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment, and more than 40 others have now completed Ranger School, which is widely considered to be among the best leadership courses in the U.S. Armed Forces. One of those women, Capt. Kristen M. Griest, became the Army’s first female infantry officer in 2016.
• Sgt. Nicole Havlovic and Sgt. Danielle Martin, who serve in the Nebraska Army National Guard, are two of only a few women who have earned the title of “cavalry scout” and successfully graduated from the Army’s tough combat arms school.
• As of October 2019, the Army reported that 1,055 women had accessed into combat specialties and that 653 women were serving in combat roles.
• As of December 2019, 19 U.S. Navy submarine crews were integrated with female officers and enlisted sailors.
• During that same month, a total of 613 female Marines and sailors were serving in combat arms units. Female officers were best represented in artillery and combat engineering, and enlisted women were serving at higher rates in infantry, amphibious assault and artillery units.

Myth: People only join the U.S. military to get college paid for or to avoid jail.

Truth: Yes, some people join the military to obtain educational benefits. Others do, in fact, see military service as a way to move beyond bad behavior as juveniles.

For the most part, however, modern-day veterans joined the military for different reasons. Immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, for instance, many men and women saw military service as a way to protect the nation. More people joined the military in the 12 months following 9/11 than had during the previous 16 years.

Myth: Someone who serves in the National Guard or military reserves will ask for a lot of vacation time from their civilian job.

Truth: Active Guard members and reservists typically commit to doing one weekend of military service per month and two weeks of training per year. With the average Guard or Reserve enlistment contract extending for six years, a member can also expect to spend two years on full-time active duty.

Most active duty Guard members and reservists are versed in ensuring their work is maintained and their employer is comfortable with any absences they endure. Additionally, while time away from work can be problematic in certain circumstances, a savvy employer recognizes the value of an employee’s military service and accommodates their absences. Supporting Guard members and reservists can also bring employers positive public recognition and awards from an organization such as the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves.

Myth: Veterans get preferential treatment when seeking civilian jobs. Everyone wants to hire a veteran!

Truth: It is true that many employers want to hire former members of the military because they recognize the hard and soft skills veterans bring to the workplace and they respect military commitment. As VA.org reported from a recruiting event in California, “The first thing that was visible among all the employers was that they actually wanted to hire veterans. HRs from some companies had generations of people in their families who’ve worked in the military and they did understand the importance of them in their life. While other recruiters talked about the veterans that they’ve already hired and how important they’re to the company.”

At the same time, many other employers refrain from hiring veterans because of misconceptions, a lack of understanding or fear—even just the fear that a veteran may be deployed again. So, challenges for sourcing, hiring and onboarding veterans remain. The trend will change as more employers gain knowledge of and exposure to prior military talent, as well as firsthand experience hiring veterans who grow into significant leadership positions. And as veterans learn to enter the civilian job market with a better understanding of what makes them valuable candidates, they will position themselves more confidently for success in their postmilitary careers.