Veterans still face challenges from HR ignorance

There is not another job seeker that comes in for an interview with as much information about them as a veteran. Period. That is something smart Human Resource Directors figured out a long time ago.

As Justin Claus points out, if employers are worried about PTSD, they should worry about everyone coming in for an interview since PTSD comes after trauma and comes into lives after all kinds of events. Smart HR Directors made sure they found out the truth about PTSD first before they interviewed anyone and they know there is nothing to be afraid of. As a matter of fact they are better off hiring a veteran than anyone else simply because they have already proven their ability to be trained on any job, dependable, able to withstand a challenge and accustomed to team work even while in a leadership role.

Vets' Job Hunt May Be Thwarted By Disability Bias
by ERIN TONER
August 21, 2012
from WUWM

"I've been asked, 'What about a veteran with post-traumatic stress?' Well, what about him? People have post-traumatic stress from being in a car wreck or going through a hurricane or a tornado. But the bottom line still is that they can function on a job," Williams says.

When Army veteran Justin Claus, 26, of Racine, Wis., goes to job interviews, he brings along his DD214, a document that serves as proof of military service. Claus is proud of his service and hopes being a veteran will give him an edge.

But the document, which basically sums up a military career, includes the reason it ended. In Claus' case, it reads "disability, permanent." And that little line Claus says, "comes back to get ya."

He says when employers ask why he was discharged, he recounts a parachute accident in 2007 that left him with chronic back and knee pain.

"I'll tell them what happened and then they're like, 'Oh.' Usually they shortly thereafter end the interview and then I don't hear anything from them," Claus says.

Claus does not share the fact that he also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder but suspects employers assume that any veteran who served after Sept. 11 has PTSD. He has no proof he's not getting hired because of his disabilities. But for some jobs, Claus says he just cannot make sense of the rejection.

"I tried to apply to be a bouncer at a bar here in town. Instead of hiring me, who has the years of service, the experience in security, they hired a kid that was fresh out of high school. No offense to the kid, but he was a twig, and he had a broken wrist. I was like, really? He has a cast on his hand," Claus says.
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