"Several years ago, more U.S. companies started making pledges to recruit and train returning U.S. veterans, and we are beginning to see those efforts pay off," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "In the past, employers said they sometimes overlooked veterans' resumes because they weren't sure how skills learned in the military translate to the civilian world."

Veterans often have intangible traits that may not show up on a resume. Employers ranked the most appealing qualities that veterans possess:

• Ability to work as a team (62 percent)
• Disciplined approach to work (62 percent)
• Respect and integrity (58 percent)
• Ability to perform under pressure (52 percent)
• Leadership skills (50 percent)
• Problem-solving skills (45 percent)
• Ability to adapt quickly (44 percent)
• Attitude of perseverance (43 percent)
• Communication skills (36 percent)
• Strong technical skills (30 percent)

Veterans are being recruited most frequently for science, technology, engineering and math jobs. The following are the top positions, according to employers hiring veterans this year:

• IT manager/network administrator (16 percent)
• Customer service rep (14 percent)
• Computer programmer (14 percent)
• Engineer (13 percent)
• Administrative assistant/secretary (13 percent)
• Accountant (13 percent)
• Sales rep (12 percent)
• Other computer or internet specialty (11 percent)
• Mechanic (10 percent)
• Machine operator/assembly worker/production (10 percent)

"We've learned," Haefner says, "that when employers make the effort to train and when returning soldiers receive the job search assistance they need, there is almost always a good match."

The nationwide survey was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from Aug. 11 to Sept. 5, and included a representative sample of 2,440 hiring and human resources managers and 286 veterans employed in full-time positions across industries and company sizes.