10 best companies for veterans

November 10, 2019 2:34 PM

Around 225,000 service members leave the military every year, according to data from the Department of Labor and the Department of Defense. This presents a great opportunity to employers looking to attract retain disciplined and resilient talent, says Scott Gutz, CEO of the job search engine Monster.

Employers who cater their benefits and company culture to welcome veterans are well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity, Gutz says.

“There is no debate about the value those who have served bring to our economy and civilian workforce,” Gutz says. “All of the companies highlighted on this year’s list recognize and celebrate that value. We hope that this will continue to inspire and motivate other employers to follow in their footsteps with veteran-focused programs and innovative initiatives, strengthening their companies with veteran talent.”

In honor of Veterans Day, Monster partnered with Military.com to recognize the best employers for military talent. Rankings are based on nominations by veteran hiring experts. Employer-reported data on veteran employees and new hires was also taken into account.

DynCorp International

DynCorp provides infrastructure support, supply chain management and base operations for the U.S. government, military and other global enterprises.

During the onboarding process, veteran hires are assigned a mentor responsible for helping them transition to a civilian job.

Veterans currently make up 60% of DynCorp's workforce and the company plans to increase that number by 10% next year.

Intelligent Waves

Intelligent Waves is a veteran-owned small business providing IT and communications support to the U.S. government.

Intelligent Waves partners with nonprofit Warriors Ethos to provide veteran employees with career and professional development resources.

Perks for veteran employees include a company-paid computer training, IT bootcamp, lab work, mentoring and job shadowing.

American Systems

American Systems is a government services contractor. This employer provides a veteran worker resource group, where new veteran hires are paired with existing employees to help them acclimate to the company’s culture. Their HR and management teams also receive special training for veteran employment, training and retention best practices.

CACI

CACI is a technology company serving the U.S. government, namely the defense and intelligence departments.

CACI sends new veteran hires a welcome letter within their first 30 days on the job inviting them to participate in their resource group for veterans. The program pairs the new hire with a mentor to help them with the transition from military to civilian jobs.

The company has a committee that aims to improve the veteran experience at the company. One of their programs curates newsletters with job postings specifically for military spouses.

New recruiters, talent acquisition managers and hiring managers are required to attend trainings on veteran hiring best practices.

LMI

LMI is a management consulting company for government business operations.

The employer has an employee resource group for veterans that offers professional development, internal mobility and volunteer opportunities. Veteran new hires also receive mentoring and peer support, with regular check-ins.

Ninety-seven percent of last year's hires have stayed with LMI for longer than 12 months — more than any other company on the list.

PRISM

PRISM is a technology, cybersecurity and IT enterprise provider for public and private businesses.

The employer provides veteran employees and their spouses with career development tools and helps to fund higher education and industry training for veteran employees. PRISM also has a program manager tasked with educating the executive team about military-friendly work practices.

IntelliDyne

The consulting firm has a buddy program that pairs new veteran hires with existing employees who served in the same branch of the military. The new hires are invited to have breakfast with the CEO after working for a few months.

The company provides $5,000 worth of job-related training and free video training.

AbleVets

AbleVets is a veteran-owned health IT, engineering and consulting company.

In addition to having ex-military employees participate in new hire orientation, the company created a resource group that assists with veteran recruitment and plans community partnerships.

The company’s founder and CEO, chief medical officer, vice president of strategy, vice president of infrastructure operations are all veterans.