Why veterans thrive in logistics
Strategic planning, organization, and distribution of far-flung supplies; resourcefulness and teamwork. These are all qualities of a successful logistics operation. They’re also skills one can acquire in the course of military service. So, it should come as no surprise that veterans tend to excel in logistics, supply chain, and manufacturing jobs that require such skills. Connecting them with employers has proved the biggest challenge, but that’s beginning to change.
Strong Suits
Veterans have specialized training in critical fields, skills which are highly transferable and in high demand, Mission Roll Call CEO Jim Whaley and Hire Heroes USA CEO Ross Dickman point out.
“Veterans are among the most disciplined, resourceful, and dedicated professionals in the job market,” they wrote in Stars and Stripes. “Their military service has equipped them with a range of valuable leadership and technical skills, including problem-solving, learning agility, resiliency, and teamwork.”
Both agencies work to help veterans transition to civilian careers. Veterans often report being underemployed years after service has ended, frequently because of mismatches between the jobs they performed in the military and what civilian employers are looking for. But when it comes to logistics, veterans are uniquely suited to perform well.
“In every branch of service, logistics, warehousing, and transportation are wide-reaching fields that give veterans exposure to multiple career paths and make them highly-sought after to bring order and accountability to an organization’s bottom line,” RecruitMilitary argues.
The staffing agency notes that veterans have often used advanced logistics software in their military careers and often have experience working with large budgets that need to be accounted for in great detail. They’re punctual, they look for places to improve, and they emphasize efficiency.
“If you look at safety, maintenance, communications, logistics, I mean, these are all experts coming out of the military with these qualifications that they learned in the military,” Amy Thomas, national director of military and veterans initiatives of the Manufacturing Institute’s “Heroes MAKE America” program, told Manufacturing Dive.
Standout Employers
As employment agencies strive to find veterans work with any company that has a need for their skills, some businesses have made a point of hiring among the 200,000 veterans that separate from the military each year.
Veterans make up about 20% of the workforce at freight shipping and logistics management leader Werner Enterprises. Werner does targeted hiring of veterans and pairs them with mentors who provide guidance to complement the company’s training and development programs. Last month, Werner won the National Award for Outstanding Large Employer of Veterans offered by the American Legion.
“Our commitment to the military community is unwavering. We’re proud of our team’s work to support our nation’s heroes,” said Nathan Meisgeier, president and chief legal officer for Werner. “These awards reflect our dedication to creating a thriving environment for veterans and their families.”
Hino Motors Manufacturing USA, a subsidiary of and supplier for Toyota, has worked with RecruitMilitary to find qualified military members looking for civilian work upon separation. One such case was that of Army veteran Jakob Lejman, who landed a role as assistant manager of production control at Hino’s Arkansas production plant.
“When Hino took a chance on me, they had somebody who had zero experience inside of a manufacturing facility,” Lejman told Manufacturing Dive. “And they were taking a chance on me as a leader and saying, ‘We can give you the knowledge and skill set to lead in manufacturing, but you have to be a leader first.’”
For manufacturing and logistics industries, the military really functions as the “leading trade school,” Marine veteran and RecuitMilitary SVP of sales Justin Henderson told Manufacturing Dive.
They know how to solve problems, they know how to work as part of a team, they’re disciplined and dedicated. All they need is a chance.