Posted on Dec 30, 2013
What is/was your most transferable skill sets for a new civilian career?
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For me, it was the experience gained while working Civilian/Military Operations during the 15 month surge in Iraq (CMO).<div><br></div><div>Key skill sets that helped me once I transferred to the civilian sector was:</div><div>1. Project/Program planning & management.</div><div>2. Financial management for key projects.</div><div>3. Government contracts.</div><div>4. Iraqi business zone development.</div><div>5. Networking (key leader engagements).</div><div>6. Working with business, government, and civilian organizations.</div><div>7. Multi-cultural & collaborative leadership.</div><div>8. Performance management.</div><div>9. Training development and delivery.</div><div>10. Customer service and marketing.</div>
Civilian Career
Transition
Experience
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Career Advice
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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My skills as weather forecaster has benefitted the people I help with forecasts. The people I help speak highly of those skills. In turn I have done charities for a long time and because I have networked so well, it has managed to help others. That is the best part.
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SFC Charles W. Robinson
Working in a career field that let me help people was a big plus for me when I retired. I am currently working as a Human Resources Director for a nonprofit. I have resigned though, effective 1/9/2014 to go back to school full time. I do not know how well I would have done in a job field that did not give me the same feeling of accomplishment as when I was in the Military.
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For me most valuable skills that I learned in the military that
I can apply to my civilian career are problem solving, project prioritization, risk
management, and interagency coordination/networking. During my most recent deployment as a DOD Civilian
I utilized all these skills as the lead logistics planner for many major military
operations that were spread across the entire SWA area of operation. Without these skills I would not have been
able to handle the complexity of the missions that I was placed in charge of,
many of which were taking place simultaneously. Most veterans don’t realize how valuable and scarce
these skills in the civilian sector are because of how common they are in the
military.
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SFC Charles W. Robinson
How very true. Many of our best skill sets are those soft skills. But how can we communicate that to employers out there? When I was looking at getting out and went to some job fairs, all they asked was "what is your MOS? Oh, we don't need any of those right now." They completely skipped all of the skill sets that we bring to the table.
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SGT (Join to see)
Unfortunately I think you may have experienced is what happens when you attend a military sponsored event. In this case what I would do is not answer in terms of MOS, but rather a career function. So if you are a 91Y I would respond with Logistics Specialist, which is a common term used in industry. The key is research on civilian terminology and how you market yourself!!
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SFC Charles W. Robinson
I done just fine, but that is great advise for job fairs. I did not have good experiences with the job fairs myself.
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As part of the Media Support Center in Kandahar (2010-2011), we handled media embed requests, lodging, escorts, and reporting. Since I was also a military journalist, it was very helpful to work both sides of the desk. When I transitioned to my civilian career in public relations, the ability to understand the needs of the media became very valuable. I was able to draw on my own experiences of pulling together all the elements of a story, while also understanding the logistics involved with communicating with the media as an outside facilitator.
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SFC Charles W. Robinson
Understanding both sides of the coin is great experience to bring into any career. Congratulations on making that transition and thanks for responding.
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