Student veterans have been on my mind quite a bit over the last few weeks. This is partially because I am moderating an employer panel at the Student Veterans of America (SVA) National Conference in Las Vegas this week, and I’ve been thinking about what questions I’d like to pose to the employers so that the audience hears the information that will be critical for them to connect successfully with companies. But it is also partially because I still see a disconnect between many companies campus recruiting efforts and military recruiting efforts.
The disconnect is that the two efforts are seen as completely separate endeavors. A significant number of veterans are taking advantage of the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and heading to college to start or complete a bachelor’s degree or pursue an advanced degree. Who is reaching out to them with your company’s internship and co-op opportunities? It is not enough to just show up on campus and hope that the student veterans attend your event. You need to make an effort to reach out to them and let them know you are coming, that you want to speak with student veterans, and the kinds of opportunities you’ll be able to discuss.
You have to remember that the typical student veteran is a non-traditional student – older, likely married, and with a minimum of 4 solid years of work experience. They are not the 17-18 year old with a helicopter parent whispering in their ear every day and nagging them to look for internships and summer jobs. Many have told me that they did not know what an internship was before someone sat them down and explained how it could be used to line up a job after graduation.
Employers looking to hire military can provide a service and create a recruiting link by establishing a relationship with student veterans groups. The SVA has over 500 chapters across the US, and are adding dozens more every year. Open up a dialog with them by making it known that you are a company that values and supports military service. Be clear that you want to hire former service members, and that you embrace the opportunity to promote your company brand to this constituency. Then do just that – come to campus for career day, or sit on a career panel, or host an “open house” just for the veterans.
Another thing to keep in mind: if your list of “preferred colleges” does not have an SVA chapter, you have to change your tactics. You have to “fish” where the “fish” are, not in the pond you prefer to frequent. For example, DeVry University has well over 10,000 veterans and military spouses across 90+ campuses and online pursuing degrees – have you connected with them?
A few ideas for you to try:
- If you are within a 3 hour drive of the campus, invite the veterans to your location for a special “welcome veterans” event. Provide a tour of your company. Arrange for a meet-and-greet with some of your veteran-employees who can share their experience with transitioning to civilian employment and who can explain how their military skills are being utilized in a corporate job.
- If your office is not near a campus, you can still send a contingent of veteran employees and a recruiter to campus for a special afternoon/evening, perhaps at a local restaurant or a catered event at a local hotel.
- An organization I follow, the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network (GPVN) is running a “Take a Vet to Work Day” program for its members. You could replicate that idea in your area, or participate in GPVA’s if you are in the Philadelphia area.
Ebony Thomas said:
Lisa,
As a director of a campus recruiting program and a huge supporter of SVA, you make it sound so easy. I will be at the conference this week and would like to engage in dialogue on some of your “easy” suggestions. Have you directed a campus strategy for a major firm? Are you, or ever been a campus recruiter? Just wondering as I really would like to meet you sometime this weekend.
Best,
Ebony
Lisa Rosser said:
Hi Ebony – thank you for adding a comment. I would definitely like to meet you in Vegas this weekend, as I am already linking up with a few of your counterparts at Prudential who are also attending (Ray, Pat and Toni – leaving out the last names).
To answer your questions: I have worked on the diversity recruiting side, not the campus recruiting side, for a large firm. I have also had many opportunities to encounter the disconnect I mention both with former employers and with the companies I currently consult. By no means is the job of campus recruiting easy, and I hope I did not imply that in my blog. I do know that when I typically describe tactics for conducting outreach to veterans, and mention tactics specifically for student veterans, I oftentimes get a “Oh, that’s a good idea. We should let our campus recruiting team know that.” When I press for details as to why diversity recruiting does not organically overlap with campus recruiting, I hear that the two efforts are separate and diversity recruiting does not “interfere” with campus recruiting and vice versa.
I’ve also had student veterans describe going to traditional military job fairs and the company recruiters attending are unable to provide any details on internships and co-ops at their company (because they are not the campus recruiters). These are companies that, for whatever reason, do not visit the campus where the veteran is, but whose diversity teams do attend the military career fairs because their company wants to improve recruitment of veterans.
So, yes, this is not any easy task, what with over 6,000 college campuses nationwide. I will be happy to share some ideas on how you can leverage technology to try tactics that will broaden your ability to reach student veterans, where ever they happen to be attending school. See you this weekend!
Roger Spangler said:
Lisa,
Our new group on LinkedIn is also on the same track, Soldier 2 Civilian. I’m going to share this article with my group and would love for you to join in as well!
Thanks!
Roger
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