Quentin Misenheimer
Chief People Officer
Garlock Flexibles
Episode 82
Veterans: The Overlooked Talent Pool Your Company Needs Now
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleAugust 4, 2025 · 13:56
Thesis
“Companies frequently overlook a valuable talent pool in military veterans, who bring essential leadership, discipline, and mission-accomplishment skills. Bridging the gap in understanding and actively supporting veteran integration through tailored programs is crucial for organizations to leverage this recurring talent source effectively.”
Show notes
Every year, roughly 600,000 veterans transition out of military service into the civilian workforce. Most companies have no idea how to recruit them — and the ones who do often make the same avoidable mistakes.
Quentin Misenheimer spent five years as a military intelligence officer at West Point before pivoting to a 27-year career in HR across consumer packaged goods, financial services, and manufacturing. That dual vantage point — having lived the military-to-civilian transition himself — gives him an unusually clear-eyed view of why companies repeatedly miss out on this talent pool. The core problem: only 5% of Americans have served in the military, which means most hiring managers have no framework for evaluating what a sergeant major or a platoon leader actually brings to the table.
Quentin lays out a practical playbook for bridging that gap — from building relationships with military transition programs and on-base career fairs, to creating buddy programs that pair new veteran hires with existing veteran employees. His most provocative point: some of the most capable leaders he's seen in the workforce are non-commissioned officers who never finished college, and companies disqualify them on a technicality while their competitors hire them and win.
- Why geographic flexibility is the single biggest factor in a veteran's job search success
- How to train civilian hiring managers to evaluate military rank structures and skills
- The case for non-college-degreed NCOs — and why they're the most overlooked leadership talent in your pipeline
- How buddy programs dramatically improve veteran retention post-hire
- Where to actually find transitioning veterans: TAP programs, Recruit Military, and on-base career fairs
This episode is brought to you by Previ — an employer network that saves employees thousands on the necessities they already pay for, at no cost to the company.
What you'll take away
- 1Actively leverage existing veteran employees to identify suitable roles and serve as peer mentors for new veteran hires.
- 2Develop and implement training programs for hiring managers to educate them on evaluating military skills and translating rank structures into civilian competencies.
- 3Strategically engage with military transition programs (TAP), on-base career fairs, and organizations like Recruit Military to access the continuous stream of transitioning service members.
- 4Establish formal onboarding support, such as 'Buddy programs' pairing new veteran hires with existing veterans, to ensure successful integration and retention.
- 5Avoid prejudging veteran candidates, especially non-college-degreed non-commissioned officers (E5-E9), who often possess exceptional leadership, organizational, and training skills.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Many companies miss out on highly capable veteran talent by prejudging non-college-degreed individuals, particularly non-commissioned officers, despite their proven leadership and organizational skills.
- •The conventional approach of expecting veterans to seamlessly translate their military experience into civilian terms without company support or education for hiring managers is ineffective and leads to missed opportunities.
In Quentin's words
“The challenge is only 5% of Americans have served in the military. So if you translate that, probably 95% of hiring managers out there haven't served in the military and they're not sure how to evaluate talent.”
This quote highlights the fundamental knowledge gap between civilian hiring managers and military talent.
“There are about 600,000 veterans that transition out of service into the private world every year. So there's a constant flow of talent that's available. You just have to know how to tap into it.”
This emphasizes the significant and recurring volume of the veteran talent pool that companies can access.
“What I have seen workers Buddy programs. So trying to partner up a veteran new hire with an existing employee who's a veteran as a kind of peer mentor and advisor to help them... That tends to work really well.”
This provides a specific, actionable strategy for effective veteran onboarding and support.
“I'll tell you, some of the most successful veterans I've seen in the workforce are noncommissioned officers or senior noncommissioned officers... those folks know how to lead teams. They're highly organized. They know how to train. They know how to get things done, but they don't— they're typically not college-degreed. And so they're prejudged.”
This quote challenges a common bias and underscores the overlooked leadership potential within the non-commissioned officer ranks.
“I just encourage you to be open to that talent and figure out a way to try to tap into it. Be open-minded and give folks opportunities. And I think what you'll find is it's a gold mine that a lot of companies really haven't taken advantage of.”
This serves as a powerful concluding appeal for companies to recognize and invest in veteran talent.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Companies struggle to translate military skills and experience into civilian job roles, leading to difficulty in identifying and placing veteran talent effectively.
- •Hiring managers often lack the training and understanding to properly evaluate military resumes and the leadership capabilities of veteran candidates.
- •Veterans face challenges in their job search, including geographical limitations and a narrow perception of suitable civilian careers, making it harder for companies to connect with them.
- •Organizations frequently fail to provide adequate post-hire support and tailored onboarding programs, risking attrition of veteran employees despite initial recruitment efforts.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Michael Davenport is the head head of HR for a flexible packaging manufacturer
How to Get Out of the Army
Quinta faced a major challenge in translating military skills to civilian job market
Transitioning Out of the Army
One company struggled to recognize the value of veteran talent
The Value of Veteran Talent
Brendan Miller offers advice to veterans facing difficulties in job search
Post-Service Job Search Advice for Veterans
Companies should identify roles that line up well with transitioning military veteran talent
Hiring Veterans: Best Practices
Spencer says companies sometimes prejudge sometimes the military talent
Steve Spencer on Military Veteran Talent
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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