From military service to professional services: why we proudly hire veterans in the US

By Karyn Twaronite, Global Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer at EY, and Kenneth Bouyer, Americas Director of Inclusiveness Recruiting at EY

After his final combat deployment in 2014, U.S. Army veteran Diego Rubio experienced culture shock and uncertainty as he transitioned to civilian life and to life at Ernst & Young LLP (EY). He found it hard to translate the skills he learned in the military to a professional environment, and was unsure whom to turn to for guidance. Diego recognized that other veterans must be experiencing the same thing, and has since been working closely with veterans at every stage of their transition to professional life – helping them assess their skills, review their résumés, find employment and adjust to their new roles.

Diego is just one example of the hundreds of veterans who have made significant contributions to EY. As we honor veterans this week, and throughout the year, we wanted to reflect on the value these individuals bring to us. Among the ways they’re transforming our workforce:

Increasing diverse thinking

Diversity and inclusion is a strategic imperative for many top organizations today. Our clients represent diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, and so do our people. Veterans bring exceptional leadership, teaming and fresh perspectives. With their unique life experiences, we’ve found that veterans ask different questions and look at business and data differently from others.

To support our veterans, we focus on onboarding and engaging them through a mentor program to ensure a smooth transition from military service to working at EY, helping them further translate their skills for their new line of work. Creating a workplace that values different perspectives, where each person can bring their authentic self to work, is key to unlocking the true potential of diverse perspectives and innovation.

Leading with purpose through innovation

As innovation continues to be top of mind for us and for our clients, we are always looking for the best talent to meet the needs of our business. We’ve found that our veteran hires bring tenacity and adaptability – two skills that are critical in this Transformative Age.

Our people are asked to do more and to respond more quickly to changing technology and regulations, and now more than ever we recognize the ability of veterans to inspire teams to think on their feet and maintain composure in high-pressure situations.

The military is strategically designed to create leaders, and veterans (and often their spouses or partners) are often natural mission-driven leaders who can drive success for clients, people and communities by leading with purpose.  

Redefining teamwork

We have found that veterans truly understand the value of working toward a common goal. As a result, they build strong, efficient teams that are able to bring our people together and deliver exceptional results for our clients.

Internally, this means instilling a sense of working toward a cause greater than themselves; for our clients, this means not only having a great leader on their team, but also having someone who is generous in the support that they give, and capable of building a strong following. When these valuable attributes are actualized during difficult situations or under tight deadlines, we can count on veterans to “roll up their sleeves” and inspire their teammates to do the same.

We are proud of our veterans at EY, who represent approximately 2% of our workforce in the Americas, and are committed to seeing them thrive. Our Veterans Network in the US brings veterans, their spouses and partners, and children, as well as other interested EY professionals, together as a community. We also recently launched the Veteran Ambassador Initiative, which pairs EY veterans with new-veteran hires, offering camaraderie and helping them get settled in the new professional working environment. Separately, we’ve also engaged veterans and military spouses through our GigNow contractor platform to provide localized resources for client projects in remote areas.

Creating an environment where veterans can thrive and feel supported in ascending into leadership roles is key to driving diverse thinking, innovation and teamwork within any organization. We’re fortunate to welcome these individuals on our journey to building a better working world here at EY. We’re thankful for all our EY veterans, and celebrate them not only on Veterans Day, but every day, for the immense contributions they’ve made to help us be a better, more inclusive and successful organization.

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The views expressed by the presenters are their own and not necessarily those of Ernst & Young LLP or other members of the global EY organization.