{"id":9766,"date":"2021-11-22T01:46:09","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T01:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.findadistributor.com\/news\/?p=9766"},"modified":"2021-11-08T14:51:37","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T14:51:37","slug":"hiring-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.findadistributor.com\/news\/hiring-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Military vets could be the answer to construction staffing challenges, reports trade event CONEXPO-CON\/AGG<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As construction companies struggle with finding skilled\u00a0labor, military veterans are a segment of the labor force that deserves attention. Vets currently make up about 7% of the construction workforce and each year approximately 200,000 vets transition out of the military.<\/p>\n

Those construction firms that have been successful in recruiting and retaining veterans say their hard and soft skills as well as attitudinal characteristics make them great new hires. In addition, several programs are in place that makes it advantageous and cost-effective to train and hire vets. CONEXPO-CON\/AGG<\/a> is sharing the key benefits vets offer, how to recruit, and how to help vets transition from military to civilian employment.<\/p>\n

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The next CONEXPO-CON\/AGG will be held March 14-18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p><\/div>\n

Five traits that make veterans a great hire<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Assume high levels of trust\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 Veterans are highly trustworthy. \u201cVets know how to take orders and show up for work in the morning,\u201d says Bob Nilsson, a retired veteran and former president of Turner International, which has a long history of hiring vets. Nilsson is currently president and founder of\u00a0100 Entrepreneurs Foundation, a resource for vets who are interested in entrepreneurship.<\/li>\n
  2. Know the importance of discipline and teamwork<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cBecause of their military training and experience, veterans tend to have a strong sense of discipline, focus, team-orientation, and leadership\u201c says Erica Gilliland, director of Craft Recruiting for\u00a0McCarthy Building Companies. According to Gilliland approximately 10% of employees are veterans. \u201cWe know that we can teach technical skills, but it\u2019s more complicated to teach\u00a0those types of soft\u00a0skills that are so important on our project teams.\u201d<\/li>\n
  3. Adept at skill transfer<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Military personnel are often trained in one area and moved to another. They have to quickly embrace change, train, learn and adapt. At the same time, they learn how to leverage their existing training, skills and knowledge in new roles.<\/li>\n
  4. Comfortable in discontinuous environments<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cA military member could be sitting in an office one day, and the next day they could be deployed to a disaster area or war zone, \u201csays Julie Davis, AEM Director of\u00a0Workforce Development. This translates well to the construction industry where employees move from project to project as needed.\u201d Gilliland concurs. \u201cMany veterans are willing to travel to projects in different states around the country, and that is a big benefit.\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. Advanced technical training<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cThe military is always on the leading edge of technology,\u201d says Davis. \u201cMilitary veterans have been conditioned to be very technology-minded, always thinking about how innovation could advance their mission.\u201d McCarthy has veterans succeeding in areas such as logistics, safety, quality control and operations as well as in hands-on craft positions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Where to post your construction jobs to attract vets<\/strong><\/p>\n

    These websites focus specifically on jobs for vets:<\/p>\n