The Science of Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Veterans for the Civilian Workforce Lorin Mueller Dan J. Putka Kristin N. Saboe Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Applying I-O Science to Support the Transitioning of Veterans to Civilian Work Dan J. Putka Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Putting the value of I-O in context Transitioning veterans to civilian work Takeaways Overview

The goal of any organization is to achieve its mission – its purpose Missions are achieved through people People aim to find work that is satisfying and meets their needs People are Critical

Effective human capital management (HCM) policies, procedures, and systems are required These processes allow organizations to retain a high performing, satisfied workforce Successful Organizations

For nearly a century, I-O psychologists have been conducting research on how best to recruit, hire, train, manage, and retain a workforce I-O provides the science behind these processes I-O Scientific Expertise

I-O psychologists also help design, implement, and improve these processes in practice I-O psychologists can be found in in most large private-sector organizations, and large civilian and military agencies I-O Expertise in Practice

Labor Sources Civilian “On-Boarding” Schools Civilian Jobs Veterans Transitioning of Veterans

1. Difficulty in understanding how military skills and experience translate to civilian jobs Issue for veterans and organizations Hundreds of military specialties, of civilian occupations Lack of direct analogues for several high density military specialties (e.g., 11B - Infantry) Challenge

1. Difficulty in understanding how military skills and experience translate to civilian jobs How can I-O help? Expertise on how jobs differ and their requirements Well-established methods for linking skills – tasks – jobs Ability to offer a common “job” language grounded in science How can I-O help?

2. Measuring characteristics of veterans and jobs, and evaluating their “fit” requires specialized expertise What is best to measure? How best to measure it? How best to evaluate fit? Challenge

2. Measuring characteristics of veterans and jobs, and evaluating their “fit” requires specialized expertise How can I-O help? I-Os have been studying “person-job fit" for decades Well-established frameworks and standards for describing and validly measuring people and jobs Expertise with measuring all major influencers of fit, such as aptitudes – knowledge/skills – work values – interests How can I-O help?

3. Veterans can face difficulty transitioning because their skills and experience may not be immediately transferable to civilian jobs Misfit and gaps happen How best to deal with those gaps and “re-tool”? Challenge

3. Veterans can face difficulty transitioning because their skills and experience may not be immediately transferable to civilian jobs How can I-O help? Deep understanding of “malleability” of individual differences Expertise in best closure of gaps (e.g., hiring vs. training issue) Expertise on design and evaluation of training interventions Expertise on classification of personnel across jobs How can I-O help?

I-O psychology offers foundational, scientific and practical expertise in areas critical to the transitioning of veterans: Helping organizations recruit, hire, train, manage, and retain a high performing, satisfied workforce Helping veterans identify satisfying work that meets their needs Translating military skills and experience to civilian work Validly and reliably measuring veterans, jobs, and their match Helping veterans “re-tool” for civilian work Takeaways

I-O Science in Practice: Programs and Policies to Support Veterans’ Transitioning to Civilian Work Kristin N. Saboe Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Veteran’s Transition Initiative: Pilot Program Program Assessment & After Action Review I-O as a multi-purpose tool Overview

Pilot Program began in 2011 Mission: SIOP volunteers provide vocational coaching to transitioning veterans Coaching and training focused on - Cultural transition - Career exploration - Translating military experience into civilian verbiage SIOP’s Veterans Transition Initiative

Veterans are skeptical of assistance - Crowded marketplace - Military cultural disconnect Culturally, transitioning to the civilian workforce is akin to working in a foreign country – translators needed Military timeline for separation does not parallel hiring in a civilian job market After Action Review

Services for Veterans - Modeled after pilot coaching program - Focused on translating skills & interests Consult universities and corporations on veteran transition issues and hiring Serve as SME’s on panels and committees Engage in public relations efforts - SIOP’s Veterans Transition Initiative 2.0

1. Veterans need assistance with translating unique experiences into civilian applications and timely assistance that coincides with their motivation. How can I-O help? Expertise in conducting job analyses and identifying KSAOs Serving as inter-organizational translators Appreciation for the benefits of individual differences Organizational & Policy Insights

2. The cultural transition is akin to starting a new job on foreign soil How can I-O help? Consultants on cultural change and employee transition Authors of employee onboarding programs Experts in cultural and organizational culture and fit Organizational & Policy Insights

3. The military assigns jobs; the civilian job market requires job seeking and proactivity How can I-O help? “Insider knowledge” of hiring practices and procedures Experts in employee motivation Authors of the largest occupational database, O*NET, amongst other job aptitude assessments and benchmarking tools Organizational & Policy Insights

How do we know policy and programs are effective? - I-Os are experts in measurement and psychometrics I-Os serve as an internal audit mechanism that seeks to promote employee’s health, well-being, and productivity Organizational & Policy Insights

Lorin Mueller - Dan J. Putka - Kristin N. Saboe - Questions?