Date of Award

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Degree Discipline

Business Administration

Abstract

This study aimed to address the gap in research on hiring biases against military veterans, with a focus on branch-specific discrimination. While prior research has examined general veteran employment challenges, no existing scholarly studies have explored how stereotypes tied to a veteran’s branch of service influence hiring outcomes. Current approaches, such as diversity and inclusion policies and skills translation programs, overlook subtle yet impactful branch-related implicit and explicit biases against candidates from different branches of the U.S military during the hiring process, leaving a critical gap in workforce reintegration strategies. The purpose of this study was aimed to examine how ingrained societal conditioning and initial military training contribute to persistent, branch-specific stereotypes that shape public perceptions of veterans, potentially influencing assumptions about their abilities and vulnerabilities. In addition, it investigated two key research questions: RQ1: Do military branch–specific biases exist in hiring practices? and RQ2: If so, how do they influence employers’ perceptions of veterans during the hiring process?

To answer these questions, a three-part experimental design utilizing a qualitative inductive approach, a quasi-experimental design, and a comprehensive simulation-based design was employed using a U.S. sample of hiring managers and recruiters from various

industries. Findings revealed which branch-specific stereotypes were significantly affected by employers’ assessments of suitability for certain roles, potentially resulting in underutilization of qualified talent. This study concluded that addressing branch-specific biases is essential for fostering equitable hiring practices and improving the civilian reintegration of veterans. These results highlighted the importance of targeted awareness training and evidence-based interventions necessary to ensure a fair selection of veteran candidates across all branches of service.

Keywords: hiring biases, employment, veterans, discrimination, reintegration

Committee Chair/Advisor

Robert Zinko

Committee Member

Reginald Bell

Committee Member

Chris Furner

Committee Member

Hesam Shahriari

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

© 2021 Prairie View A & M University

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Date of Digitization

10/17/2025

Contributing Institution

J. B . Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

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