A senior official at the General Services Administration recently posted on social media that veterans’ preference in federal hiring is preventing his team from bringing on qualified tech-focused employees. Veterans’ preference gives former armed forces members priority in hiring for certain agency positions. A CEO commented that “As a veteran I can personally tell you there are many qualified veterans that could fill this role.” When she was in government, for example, she helped lead a program that applied veterans’ preference after, instead of before, applicants’ skills were assessed. There’s a lot of cultural norms around applying veterans’ preference up front.”