The Hidden Advantage: Why Veterans Are Your Best Hiring Decision in 2025

By Justin Henderson, CEO of Veteran Hiring Solutions

I'm going to be straight with you.

The headlines are painting a pretty grim picture right now. For the first time since 2021, there are more people looking for work than there are jobs available. As a hiring manager, you're probably bracing yourself for the flood of resumes and the headache of sorting through endless applications.

But here's something most people are missing: while everyone else is panicking about the job market, there's one group of candidates that's still getting hired at a higher rate than everyone else.

Let Me Show You the Numbers

The national unemployment rate is sitting at 4.3%. But for veterans? It's only 3.1%.

That gap isn't an accident. I've been in this space long enough to know that when employers have a choice, they keep choosing veterans. And after placing thousands of them over the years, I can tell you exactly why.

Here's What I See Every Day

While civilian job seekers are flooding into oversaturated areas like marketing, HR, and general office work, veterans are walking into jobs that companies desperately need to fill:

The trades: These aren't your average mechanics or electricians. I'm talking about people who kept million-dollar equipment running in the middle of nowhere, with limited resources and zero room for error. When your production line goes down at midnight, you want someone who's fixed helicopters in a desert.

Healthcare: Military medics have seen more in one deployment than most civilian healthcare workers see in years. They're not just trained—they're battle-tested. In an industry struggling with burnout and high turnover, veterans bring both the skills and the mental toughness to stick around.

Cybersecurity: While everyone else is scrambling to hire cybersecurity talent, I'm placing former military cyber specialists who already have their Security+ and CISSP certifications. More importantly, they've actually defended real networks against real attacks, not just theoretical ones.

Logistics and operations: Supply chain headaches? Transportation delays? Veterans have managed logistics where people's lives depended on getting it right. Your operational challenges are real, but they're not life-or-death real.

What You Can't Teach (But Veterans Already Have)

After years of doing this, I've learned something: you can train someone on your systems, but you can't train character. You can teach processes, but you can't teach someone how to think clearly when everything's falling apart.

Veterans already know how to do this. They've been tested in ways most people never will be. When your project is behind schedule and your client is breathing down your neck, that's just another Tuesday for them.

Why This Matters to You Right Now

While your competitors are drowning in similar-looking resumes from the same talent pools, you have access to people who are already vetted, already disciplined, and already proven under pressure.

I see it happen all the time: companies hire a veteran for one role, and within six months, that person is leading initiatives, solving problems others couldn't crack, and becoming the person everyone goes to when things get tough.

The Mistake Most Companies Make

Here's where most hiring managers get it wrong: they expect veterans to somehow translate their military experience into corporate speak. That's backwards thinking.

Instead of waiting for a former Army logistics sergeant to explain how their experience relates to supply chain management, recognize that someone who managed combat resupply operations can absolutely handle your inventory challenges—probably better than most.

My Challenge to You

The market has already spoken. Veterans are getting hired at higher rates because smart employers recognize their value. The veteran unemployment rate of 3.1% tells the whole story.

The question isn't whether veterans can do the job. The question is: while everyone else is fighting over the same pool of candidates, are you smart enough to tap into the talent everyone else is overlooking?