Ask any federal contractor if they are interested in hiring a veteran and they’ll say, “Yes!” But ask them how their recruitment efforts are going, or how many veterans they have been able to onboard, and the answer may be less certain. For many hiring organizations, connecting with veterans who are transitioning from military to civilian life and matching their past experience in the field to an office job can be challenging.

We went out in search of success stories: companies that prioritized veteran hiring and made it work. We found a company in Virginia, ARServices, that has successfully recruited, hired and retained veterans in diverse roles across the organization. In fact, more than one-third of their employees are veterans. We had the opportunity to hear from Mr. Jay McCargo, President and CEO of ARServices, about how he and his leadership team honor, recruit and retain veterans.

“We honor veterans first and foremost by the work that we do, “said McCargo, referring to ARServices’ contracts focused on support of the military. He also shared that his company dedicates time and resources to many local and national charitable organizations that serve the military and their families. Inside the company, his team systematically connects with transitioning veterans in order to match qualified candidates with available positions.

“I look at the attributes that veterans bring to our workforce,” said McCargo. “For a person to have chosen to serve in any branch of the military, regardless of their rank, they’ve chosen to be a leader.”  Leadership, along with accountability and honesty, are the qualities that veterans consistently bring to the organization.  “They will tell you the straight truth, and they will tell it to you accurately,” said McCargo.

Listen to the podcast below to learn more about how to connect with transitioning veterans, and what veterans can add to your organization.