Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Finding the right team members at the early stages of a business can be tough. The idea of an “untapped talent pool” seems like a mirage in the competitive world of early-stage ventures.
Attracting talent in the first place can be a big challenge. Money is probably tight and so odds are a startup isn’t going to “wow” anyone with their salary offerings, especially at the early stages. There is also a fear of uncertainty in the air. People are unsure if this is really going to last and whether it is worth their time.
It’s also hard. There’s lots of work to do and not always enough people to do it. Startups are trying to tackle problems and some people don’t always want to tackle problems- they just want jobs.
What about the pivot? Sooner or later a new business will likely find they need to change their whole model. Startup employees need to be flexible and adaptive in order to push in this new direction. Everyone loves to talk about a pivot, but a can only pivot as fast as those working there can adjust to a new direction. Some people just can’t bring that type of temperament to a startup. They need clear, defined roles and reliability.
What if I told you there was a segment of the population that fits incredibly well into a startup? People who are ok with uncertainty, love big problems, quickly adapt to new directions, and can handle moving across multiple roles.
Veterans.
An untapped talent pool
Businesses that hire veterans quickly see that this group brings unique attributes and experiences to the table. An angel investor recently came to visit the startup I work at and found out we have two veterans (including myself) who work there. He told our founder that he was lucky to have us- and that he tells all the entrepreneurs he works with to seek out veterans to add to their team. Simply, we just add value.
You may have a few objections already building in your mind about why you would not want a veteran on your team. I’ll go after the top objections and why I think they aren’t valid.
People from the military only follow orders and cannot think for themselves
Sometimes you need people who know how to follow a chain of command. If everyone is a boss then that can become a quick solution to not getting a whole lot done. Your team has to REALLY be in sync to be able to move forward without having followers and leaders. So from this aspect, veterans can be a benefit.
But that’s not what you were really thinking. You were thinking that veterans are automatons who only know how to exactly what they are told. That’s is an image that is for sure in popular culture- but does not truly encapsulate how veterans are taught to think.
Service members are trained to operate under 3 decision-making pathways: direct orders, training, and intent.
Direct Orders
As a service member, if you are given a direct order, you are expected to do it as long as it is legal, ethical, and moral. For a startup with a laundry list of tasks that have to be accomplished, you need people that can bring this mentality to the company. We love to romanticize startups for the idea of flatness and equality of ideas, but this type of dynamic can only propel a company so far. Not everyone can move the sails, some people just need to get on the oars and row.
If the marketing manager says they need the next month’s social media strategy done by the end of the day- then they need it done by the end of the day. A veteran sees that this is their new mission- and will work until it is accomplished.
Training
Veterans are taught to fall back on their training to decide what to do. Once you are trained to take apart, clean, and put your M4 back together- it is expected that you will always know how to do this. No one will tell you to do it, you just do it. This trained mindset works well in a startup. Once a veteran knows how to assess a potential customer, craft a marketing report, or deliver a sales pitch, you can expect them to just keep delivering. And likely they will want to keep getting better at it.
Intent
Military orders typically operate under what is called “commander’s intent.” Essentially, the officer in charge will provide a vision of what they want to see done. They may specify certain things they want to see accomplished along the way, or have specific guidance about what they do not want to do. Think of intent as the solid white lines on a highway. As long as you are moving forward and obeying traffic laws, if you stay within those white lines you are working within the intent.
Does this sound like a recipe for automatons? Of course not. This likely sounds how the directives from most businesses are given. Veterans know how to work within intent and work hard toward the endstate.
Ok, but experience on a submarine or a helicopter or in a tank doesn’t equal experience in my business
Veterans sure have a hard time translating what they did in the military into something that civilians understand. During the transition out of the military, the transition programs place a lot of emphasis on helping veterans translate their military skills into language that civilian employers can understand.
Resume wording problems aside, the veteran talent pool is a strong source for :
- Logistics
- Project management
- Operations
Aside from these hard skills, veterans have strong tendencies toward being the type of people who want to set goals, solve problems, and do not shy away from hard work. We are diligent and dedicated to purposeful work.
We have what I call a strong GSD factor. That’s a great TLA for you civilians (TLA=Three Letter Acronym).
What’s GSD?
Getting. Shit. Done.
Simply said, veterans just know how to get results. We did early mornings and late nights. We’ve stayed up through the night to see a project through completion. We’ve done the hours of work because it just had to be done.
Ok, great. But where can I find veteran talent?
According to the VA, every year over 200,000 veterans leave the military. These are people who served their country, overcame tough obstacles, and want to continue being part of great teams. So how do you find them?
Skillbridge
This is a little-known program within the Department of Defense that allows veterans to work at a regular company during the last 180 days of active duty.
Best part? The regulation states that the veteran cannot get paid. The main stipulation of the veteran-company relationship is that there has to be the potential for the veteran to get hired at the end of their unpaid experience (so when they leave active duty). If you are interested, I would encourage you to reach out to the career center at the nearest military installation, or the two organizations listed below, to find out how your company can bring in veteran talent.
General Hires
Shift is a San Francisco-based company that works to match veteran talent with companies seeking new hires. Their CEO is a former Marine and the company is staffed by a number of veterans, and they believe in the potential for veterans to bring meaningful impact to companies (especially startups). Shift works to bring veteran talent to companies via the Skillbridge program a well as traditional hiring. Their network is mostly based in the Bay Area, but are growing to other markets as well.
Veteran Capital is a small team based in Durham, NC. They offer very similar services as Shift, working both to bring veteran talent in via the Skillbridge program (more on that here), but also traditional hiring. Veteran Capital offers a few distinct advantages including their relationship with Google for Startups, location in the Raleigh/Durham market (a growing startup area), and proximity to a number of large military bases with the untapped talent pool of veterans.
Programming
In recent years, a number of organizations sprang up seeking to help provide veterans with coding ability. Contrary to what you might think, veterans can make great coders. Veterans are task-oriented, can slog through the “boring” work that has to be done, and are excellent at understanding how their piece of project fits into a large picture- important when you have teams of coders working on the same project.
Vets Who Code is a non-profit that provides a basic 4-day introduction to HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript. They look for veterans who already have some coding experience to help sharpen these skills.
Code Platoon offers a number of ways to train veterans on full-stack development. Companies looking for new tech talent can go straight to the source for this untapped talent option. Their flagship offering is a 14-week in-person course in Chicago. Code Platoon programs can also be covered by the GI bill, making this program very enticing for veterans.
Operation Code does not provide any direct training, but they serve as a network of communities for veterans working in software engineering. During your hunt for new talent, they are a great resource to link in and connect with to find your new team members.
Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Cisco all have initiatives to bring veteran talent into their organization. On some level, you can say this is just “feel good” PR news. Without a doubt that is part of the plan. But I cannot believe that is just it. These companies see that Veterans bring leadership experience, teamwork, loyalty, and problem-solving to their business. They all want to get a piece of this untapped talent pool.
And, of course, they know how to GSD.
Related:
What I learned Working at a Startup