Today is Veterans Day. Yesterday, CareerBuilder.com released the results from its annual Veterans Day survey, wherein nearly one in five U.S. Veterans say it took them six months or longer to find a job after getting out of military service. 

Considering all the reasons to hire veterans, including their extensive training and work ethic,  this news is disappointing.  But then, about 20 percent of the 6,842 U.S. workers surveyed believe the biggest obstacle to getting hired for a civilian position is employers’ inability to understand how military skills can fulfill qualifications for civilian positions.

While nearly 20 percent of the employers CareerBuilder.com spoke with reported plans to actively recruit veterans over the next year, what’re the other 80 percent doing?  Certainly, the lack of a college degree is yet another challenge for veterans, but it’s no accident that companies like GE, Johnson Controls, USAA and Home Depot actively recruit military veterans.  They recognize that hiring these workers isn’t so much about good will as it is about good business. 

Not only do these workers bring with them valuable qualities like integrity, loyalty, discipline, teamwork, and leadership, but according to the US Chamber of Commerce, over 90 percent of military personnel have had background checks for various levels of security clearances.  Additionally, veterans are trained to work with cutting-edge technology (roughly 60 percent of veterans can speak in one computer code, compared to 2 percent of the rest of the population).  Oh, and then there’s this: companies who hire veterans may benefit from a federal government tax credit as high as $2,400 per veteran hired.  That doesn’t suck, right?  For more advice or information on hiring veterans, try the Department of Veterans Affairs or HireVetsFirst. 

What about you?  What are your experiences with working with veterans? Are you doing anything in honor of Veterans Day today?  Tell us!