In 2016, I turned my mess dress in for a wedding dress and chose to have a family.
When I left, I had no idea what skills I could offer a company. My job in the Air Force didn’t exist on the outside and my educational background didn’t give me a lot of confidence either.
At the time, I didn’t realize how the ingrained soft skills I had from my military experience were actually pretty unique.
Here are five skills you’ll need as an employee (that you already have):
1. Respecting the chain of command
You already know how to do this.
As a service member, you know you need to have your supervisor’s back. You follow through when they ask you to do something. You respond immediately to their messages because you know they have more responsibilities in their role than you do in yours. Before providing your boss with information, you “trust but verify.” You also know not to jump the chain before you talk to your boss.
These skills are already built into how you work, and they will pay off as you move into a new career.
2. Presenting solutions with every problem
Your ability to think outside the box and offer viable courses of action (COA) to your supervisor, instead of doorbell ditching a steaming pile of you know what on them is something that will be greatly appreciated.
In the civilian world, just like in the service, you want to be the person solving problems and shielding your boss from problems, rather than piling on and making more work for them.
3. Taking action
If there’s an issue, you don’t just wait around and wait for someone else to fix it.
You step up and take the initiative yourself. Because you know that sometimes inaction is more problematic than taking early action.
You can always clean up later, but you can’t make up for lost time once the ball is rolling.
4. Caring about your colleagues
As a service-member, you knew that your teammates’ ability to perform at work, was directly related to their home-life. Particularly in a deployed setting, you really got to know your brothers and sisters in arms.
There’s a good chance you’re not going to go through the same tribulations with your civilian colleagues as you did in the military, but caring about them as a whole person makes a difference.
Caring enough to ask about their family, to celebrate their work anniversary, and to help throw a retirement party, matters.
5. Knowing you’re not making life or death decisions gives you a different perspective
There will be emergencies at your new job. There will be deadlines. There will be stress.
But unless you’re in the medical field (or related), you’re probably not going to be making life or death decisions.
Your ability to stay calm under pressure, think clearly and make the best decision based on what you know at the time makes you the person people want on their team.
While everyone else is getting spun up about last-minute requirements or changing expectations, your steady demeanor and willingness to flex will be valued.
The Bottom Line:
You may have to learn new skills, a new industry and a new culture in your new role.
But these are just a few examples of how what you already do and what you already know by virtue of your military service, will benefit you in your next career.