Transferable Skills

Understanding and Transferring Your Military and Trade Skills

The majority of us all reading (or writing) this document all have a couple of things in common:

We will serve longer in the commercial world than we have done in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.

We will leave at some point for different reasons.

Throughout your career like most people in any profession, we spend a huge amount of time learning new skills, however, you do have a distinct advantage, your skillset and leadership qualities are not only developed in the work place but on operations, in a far more unforgiving environment.

There are numerous employers who are keen to hire candidates with transferable skills and see service people as being better at problem solving, thinking outside of the box to find the solution, delivering to deadlines and meeting expectations.

Service Personnel and those from the Defence Sector are known for having an excellent sense of work ethic, dedication to excellence and a will to win in difficult circumstances.

Your invaluable skills obtained throughout your service can give you a real advantage when applying for work, writing your cv and or networking.

Transferable Skills

The list below should only be viewed as a guide, it is not extensive and there are many others which you possess. Think about how you can weave these into the fabric of your CV, or maybe think about how you can present you and your skills at interview:

Communication Skills

Critical in conveying orders and articulating information clearly, effectively and persuasively.

Leadership Skills

The ability to; inspire, motivate, assess situations, make decisions, take risks, determine goals, achieve results through resourcefulness, creativity and teamwork.

Analytical Skills

Used to; evaluate data, research, compile, and interpret information, apply logic, handle numbers, and determine patterns.

Organisational Skills

Includes; time management, the ability to prioritise, disseminate and record data, generate accurate reports, manage resources, multi-task, administer, direct, and coordinate.

Technical Skills

The application of practical know-how and hands-on proficiency, with specific equipment and machinery, software and hardware, chemical substances, techniques and procedures.

Personal Qualities

Come in many different forms as we are as people different from each other, but we do have some common values, standards and ethics.

Character

Includes; having integrity, loyalty, resilience, self-discipline, control, being punctual, reliable, responsible, structured, resourceful and mission-oriented, with a can-do attitude.

Interpersonal Skills

The ability to listen, take orders, co-operate, supervise, negotiate, guide and be part of a team.

Avoid the acronyms and abbreviations, this is tricky ground unless you are looking to move into the Defence, Corporate, Military Pathways and or Security Sectors, the majority of potential employers will not understand and you will be filtered out at the first hurdle.

These skills are relatable to a long list of disciplines and occupations, some of which include the corporate, government, arts and security sectors. However, translating them to your CV can be tricky when you’re used to using military acronyms and jargon. For help writing your CV, see our guide on producing a CV right first time.

Transferable Skills

Communication Skills

Critical in conveying orders and articulating information clearly, effectively and persuasively.

Leadership Skills

The ability to inspire, influence, motivate; assess situations, make decisions; take risks and determine goals; achieve results through resourcefulness, creativity and teamwork.

Analytical Skills

Used to evaluate data; research, compile, and interpret information; apply logic; handle numbers; and determine patterns.

Organisational Skills

Includes time management; the ability to prioritise, disseminate and record data; generate accurate reports; manage resources; multi-task, administer, direct and coordinate.

Technical Skills

The application of practical know-how and hands-on proficiency, with specific equipment and machinery, software and hardware, chemical substances, techniques and procedures.

Personal Qualities

Come in many different forms as we are as people different form each other, but we do have some common values, standards and ethics.

Character

Having integrity, loyalty, resilience, character; self-discipline and control; being punctual, reliable, responsible, structured, resourceful and mission-oriented, with a can-do attitude.

Interpersonal Skills

The ability to listen, take orders, cooperate, supervise, negotiate, guide and be part of a team.

Exploring Your Rank, Your Trade, The New You

In this section we will try and make sense of your experience within the commercial world of the Supply Chain. It would be remiss of us to tell people what to apply or aim for, it is merely a guide, to give you some idea of the commercial equivalence.

Have a look at our Military Rank and Commercial Role Equivalent guide, it will if nothing else give you a sense of the level of decision making you would be responsible for.

Remember that this is only a guide and YES we do have service people that will leave as Private Soldiers, Junior Non Commissioned Officers, Senior Non Commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers a and Officers, and who will excel at different levels, it is just a guide.

Curiosity - Employers Will Want to get to Know and Understand You

Your experience is an asset, be proud of what you have achieved. If employers or interviewers, have tried to undermine or under value your career to date, this should maybe tell you all you need to know. However, organisations will generally understand what it means to be a service person, veteran, reservist or spouse, and if you have prepared properly, described your experience and put it into context, then your transferable skills will shine through, and they will see you as a value to add.