If you’re separated from your military service and now want to seek an attractive civilian job, then your first course of action should be to focus on your transferrable military skills. On the surface, it might sound straightforward – but it is crucial to identify “your” transferable talents.
You might not be aware of it but you can put your transferable military skills to good use. In fact, there are different types of jobs that can use your set of military skills. But don’t think of these skills to build a long-term career or job. Instead, each transferrable skill is an opportunity to qualify for a new job.
You may have learned transferrable skills via other jobs, coursework, volunteering, internships, and other life experiences. Typically, transferrable skills revolve around communication, leadership roles, management, organizational planning, and research. And people who have been part of the military receive extensive training to build and strengthen their skills.
This article will touch on the most important military transferrable skills that Veterans can use in their civilian career.
If you were a squadron leader, there is a good you may have had many people under your command and that means managing hundreds and thousands of dollars of resources. You can use these money management skills to enter into the financial landscape. With money management experience in the military, you can look for financial management, resource allocation, and budgeting roles.
Whether you were part of a squadron or held a high rank, the military there is a good chance military has gifted you with impeccable leadership skills. These skills are highly valuable in various civilian roles. If you want to start a business, pursue a job, or degree, leadership skills will give you more confidence and motivation to accomplish tasks.
You may have noticed how retired U.S. officers offer their leadership skills to engage people in a modern workplace environment, improve personal development, customer service, and boost employee, morale, and productivity. Leadership skills allow you to influence others and set an optimistic tone and behavior in motion for others.
Whether it’s a small or large organization, communication is always at the center to drive workflow. Military trains people to communicate in an effective style. For instance, you likely had regular communication with high-ranking military officials with diverse backgrounds. And if that is the case, you can use the same communication skills to help companies improve their communication and productivity standards. Your military-style communication skills can help you gain a wide range of positions and advance your leadership roles.
After the training, military personnel master self-discipline that leads to self-sufficiency. It’s a valuable skill that allows you to take up responsibilities and ensure completion in a professional manner. The world of capitalism is all about efficient and productive use of money.
In fact, HR professionals now look for applicants who can guide employees to complete a variety of tasks on time. Usually, it takes a lot of effort for non-military individuals to tackle a task with a keen focus of interest and direction. Your skills can help individuals set goals and achieve them before deadlines.
Veterans who possess tech skills are high in demand right now. For instance, analytics and software development skills have become quintessential in 2021. It is crucial to understand that Veterans are at least 5 times more likely to have some technical skills than non-Veterans.
Whether it’s software code debugging or technical writing, you can use your technical skills for a variety of jobs. You can also use your knowledge in software tools or programming languages to stand out from others.
As a former Military Veteran, your integrity and code of honor define who you are as a person. As the job marketplace becomes more competitive and unfair, employers are looking towards Veteran candidates because of their integrity to work in a moral and ethical fashion.
Before recruiters decide to onboard new talent, they take into account their work ethic and integrity. It is crucial for employers to ensure that the time, energy, and money their staff uses are for the right reasons. So, if you’re someone employers can depend on and trust, you’d fit right into any position.
When you have military experience, your competitive drive to perform and exceed expectations is strong. Unlike others, you can’t succumb to pressure and overlook deadlines. In fact, your ability to take care of tasks under pressure gives you an edge over others. In a crisis, you can use your ability to adapt and perform under difficult circumstances.
In the military, you may have managed to complete a multitude of tasks at a moment’s notice. In the business world, preparation and swift response mechanism is the key to perform exceptionally. It’s the skill that allows you to stay ahead of the task and remain open to new environments and solutions. Your background in the military also makes you a better problem-solver. It allows you to identify and resolve issues that ordinarily would’ve been missed.
Just like communication, collaboration is the hallmark aspect for any business to accomplish short-term and long-term goals. Each department of a business has to work in tandem to get work done. Military Veterans have a heightened sense when it comes to collaboration and teamwork.
Since team setting is fundamental to maintain and improve an organization’s workflow, you can use the time you spend as a Veteran and collaborate with people with diverse backgrounds effortlessly. There are different types of personalities that require a different approach and you can lead the way to collaborate.
Military skills are essential because they allow service members to take their skills to next level and pave the way for career prospects. People who’ve been part of the military are quite good at soft and hard skills. You can use these interpersonal and technical skills to work with a team or independently.
Most employers now want applicants to have a strong and professional work ethic. In many cases, it allows Veterans to take the next big step in their career and move forward. Your service time defines your personality and whatever future plans you want to pursue, hold onto those military skills.
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