Recruit Veterans: Redefining Job Descriptions for Military Skillsets

Small businesses stand to gain immensely when they recruit veterans, tapping into a pool of individuals renowned for their discipline, leadership and adaptability. Veterans bring a wealth of diverse skills and experiences that can invigorate and strengthen a small business environment.

Understanding the value they offer is the first step. The key to attracting these talented individuals lies in how you present opportunities. In this post, we'll discuss the pivotal role that job descriptions play in recruiting veterans, focusing on five strategic ways to refine them to appeal specifically to veteran candidates.

5 Tips for Writing Job Descriptions That Appeal to Veterans

Veterans have a wealth of unique skills acquired during their time in the service. However, many of them often feel that their skills aren’t transferable or that they may not fit into the civilian workforce.

As a potential employer of former military members, you have the power to show them their skills are not just valuable, they’re exactly what you’re looking for. Much of your messaging to recruit veterans can come across in a simple tool you use in every hiring scenario: the job description. 

Shift the Focus From Years of Experience to Competency 

The Combat Veterans to Careers Organization reports that many veterans struggle to translate their broad military skills and experiences into civilian language — from leading troops under pressure to managing complex logistics or equipment. To attract veteran candidates, employers should follow the guidance of the U.S. Department of Labor’s veteran-employment resources by shifting job descriptions from requiring a set number of years of experience to focusing on competencies and transferable skills. Under this approach, candidates with military backgrounds aren’t automatically screened out due to lack of conventional civilian experience. Highlighting the core abilities you need — such as leadership, project management, discipline, or operational readiness — opens the door for many qualified veterans who are otherwise overlooked.(Sources: U.S. Department of Labor VETS “Hire a Veteran” employer guide; veteran-hiring best-practice guides — 2025)

For example, a job description requiring a minimum of 2-to-3 years of outside sales experience would immediately disqualify many transitioning service members. However, language that gets to the heart of what makes a good salesperson would attract the right candidate.

Although a military veteran recruit who is new to the industry may need some training to succeed in a position, employers know that the right hire is always coachable. 

Highlight Transferable Skills 

To successfully recruit veterans, it comes down in part to understanding how to write attractive job descriptions. Here are some common transferable veteran proficiencies and aptitudes you can include in your job descriptions: 

• Leadership
• Achievement-oriented 
• Flexibility 
• Accountability 
• Communication
• Technical skills 
• Mission-focused 
• Ability to work with diverse groups 
• Strategic problem solving 
• Critical thinking
• Integrity 
• Resilience
• Adaptability 

Don’t forget the power of a simple, well-placed sentence in your job description letting veterans know they are encouraged to apply. Language to this effect can be as simple as you’d like. 

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Highlight Opportunities for Advancement 

Recent research shows that veterans entering the civilian workforce are motivated by long-term growth and meaningful work. According to the recent sources, veterans rank career advancement, job stability, and mission-driven work among their top priorities. In the same study, 63% of veterans said a clear path for advancement is a major factor in choosing an employer, and 51% emphasized the importance of managers who actively support their development. As an employer, highlighting your commitment to training, skill development and structured career pathways can make your organization significantly more attractive to veteran talent. (Source: ZipRecruiter & Call of Duty Endowment (2024). Underemployment Remains an Issue for America’s Veterans.)

As an employer, you can demonstrate this commitment by clearly outlining the training, upskilling and advancement opportunities available within your organization. Veterans value structure and predictable progression, so offering a transparent view of how roles develop—and how you support employees at each stage—can be a powerful differentiator. If your company does not yet have formal development paths in place, now is the ideal time to partner with training and development experts to build a framework that helps veterans translate their military experience into sustainable civilian career growth.

Training and development not only empower veterans but also strengthen your organization. A well-designed program ensures employees build the skills needed to meet business goals, while also creating a clear path for advancement that aligns with what veteran employees are seeking. During the interview process, discuss long-term goals with candidates and show how your company’s development pathways support them. This reinforces your commitment to their growth and helps veterans visualize a future within your organization.

RELATED: A Professional Development Plan May Be What You're Missing >> 

Showcase a Supportive Environment for Military Veterans

According to the Military.com job network, veterans on average report feeling “less optimistic about relationships with co-workers and superiors than non-veterans.” As a small business, you can help to ease this transition speed bump in several ways. 

First, if you have the workplace population to support it, you may consider forming a veteran employee resource or affinity group. This is an employer-funded and employee-led group that, while open to all employees, carries out the goal of supporting veterans in the workplace. 

Even if you’re making your very first veteran hire, you can create a veteran mentorship initiative. The mentor to your former servicemember doesn’t have to be a veteran—they just need to have the desire to help the new employee transition into their new role and succeed during their tenure. A mentorship relationship allows new employees to adjust to your workplace culture and sets them up for long-term success while they’re with your organization. 

RELATED: The Employee Learning Curve: Achieving Employee Development Success >>  

Lean on Experts Experienced in Recruiting Veterans

Are you looking to hire and onboard America’s best talent—former military veterans? When you partner with Axcet HR Solutions, you’ll gain access to all of the tools that you need to help locate, interview, and hire these valuable candidates. 

With Axcet, you’ll be able to tap into our state-of-the-art applicant tracking system and expert recruiting abilities. You'll also get expert guidance on developing hiring and retention strategies, job descriptions and so much more.

Plus, our training and development specialists can help you design a plan to ramp up your new hires and create a fulfilling, rewarding work experience that also drives business revenue. 

Recruitment and retention are just the beginning of what we bring to the table at Axcet. To learn more, schedule a quick consultation with our HR Experts.