Using Military Training To Land A Job Is A Winning Mission

As you transition from the military back to civilian life, you have to relearn ways to speak and act like a civilian. When you submit a resume to an employer who could use the fantastic soft skills you earned from your years in the military, you have to repackage those skills in a way a civilian company understands. You already know what it took when you ordered a team of 10 noncoms to prep a squad of A-10s for sorties, but a hiring manager may not know what that entails.

Performing this essential job duty for two years means you led a team of highly trained individuals who knew a high-tech piece of machinery forward and backward. It sounds like you’d be great as a team leader for people who need to piece together equipment. Learn to translate your military training, skills, and expertise into the civilian world, and you have a ton of job opportunities at your fingertips. Here are 10 examples of skills commonly used in the military that employers need.

Communication

As a military veteran, you gave and received orders on a daily basis. Direct and succinct communication translates well to civilian life when you write memos, instruct team members on how to accomplish tasks, and give presentations to prospective clients.

Dedication

Not only did you dedicate eight weeks to basic training, you also served several years of an enlistment. That takes hard work, focus, and constant readiness. Employers love someone who shows daily dedication to a team effort. The key to winning over a civilian boss is to show, don’t tell; demonstrate your soft skills to an employer rather than just telling someone about them. For example, show your official military discharge papers to illustrate how long you served as a demonstration of your dedication. Talk about the parts of the job that challenged you and discuss how you overcame them.

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