After their time of service, military veterans are onto their next mission: find a job. Veterans are often hard workers, highly trained, and committed to their work. They’ve gone through extensive training to serve our country, so they know what true dedication is.

At the 2019 ICCFA convention, a group of funeral professionals and the Panel Moderator Gino Merendino discussed the importance of hiring veterans in this profession in their panel discussion Recruit, Train & Retrain Veterans.

Since July 25 is National Hire a Veteran Day, we are sharing some of their reasons why your funeral home should hire a veteran below.

Their Competitive Traits

When you hire a veteran, you can be sure they will complete any “mission” you send their way. They tend to be very goal oriented due to their time in the military.

In the military, nothing is sugar coated. If someone is doing their job incorrectly, they will be sternly corrected. There is no nonsense allowed. This translates well into the funeral profession because you all have a very tedious and serious job to do. If they aren’t doing something correctly at first, they will listen to your feedback and do it correctly the next time.

Like the funeral profession, the military isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes hard work and dedication to become military personnel, which is why the military isn’t for everyone. When you hire a veteran, you’re hiring someone who is used to paying their dues and will be a diligent worker.

Many Are Educated

Thanks to the Montgomery GI Bill and other programs, many military veterans get help paying for their higher education. That means that now more than ever, many military personnel have received higher education.

They Have a Deep Respect for Life

Unfortunately, death is a very real part of joining the military. Many veterans will experience the death of a close friend they served with. Or, they may have that fear in the back of their mind. Due to this, they learn to appreciate life and know the importance of properly honoring a life. They will always be respectful to the deceased and help give them the funeral they deserve.

Things to Keep in Mind

When hiring a veteran, it’s important to keep a few things in mind to ensure they have a comfortable working environment. Foremost, when they begin, provide guidance. They are used to following orders, so it may take them a little while to adjust to a more open-ended work environment.

Also, some veterans may be dealing with PTSD, so it’s important for you to be understanding of their situation. By providing different resources for them or directly speaking to the VA, you are showing their best interest.

It may take them a little time to adjust to this new chapter in their life, but you can be sure veterans are some of the best employees out there.