3 key steps to identifying your transferable skills
Category: Tips and Advice
Publish date: 03/03/2023
Transferable skills are developed in a range of situations both inside and outside of work, and are highly valued by civilian employers. Many of the skills you used regularly throughout your military career can likely be applied successfully to deliver results within the civilian market. And with their being such a high-demand for talent at the moment, it's important you highlight your transferable skills throughout your professional documents and applications.
1. Utilise the CAR or STAR model Reflect on and write up a list of your proudest achievements to-date. Then, review each one in-depth and pinpoint the skills that you used to deliver results within your role. Once you've done this for a few of your major achievements, you'll likely notice a number of skills are repeatedly used throughout your career for a variety of tasks - and these are your transferable and highly valuable skills that employers are looking for. You might also like to do the Strengths Career Assessment activity in myCareerPath to help with this.
2. Review your appraisals Have a look at the notes and comments made during your previous SJAR/OJAR reviews. Reflect on the projects you completed and identify the skills you would have used to complete these tasks. Your manager will also have likely made comments about the skills and qualities you'd demonstrated in your role. Any repeatedly mentioned skills could be transferred to a number of civilian roles, and should take pride of place on your personal marketing documents.
3. Use a variety of job sites Search for roles that interest you on a variety of job sites, including CTP RightJob, and make a list of the skills mentioned in the job descriptions. Then, map these skills against those you've been using in the military. As soon as you see a commonality between your skillset and those mentioned by employers, you've identified a transferable skill. You should then make sure you highlight that quality by mentioning it on your CV, LinkedIn cover letters and job applications moving forward.
It's important to remember, when embarking on your transition from the military to the civilian world, that many of your core responsibilities from your time in Service will be reflected in roles you’re applying for in the civilian market. So, keep an open mind and don’t immediately deem a particular task or role as irrelevant. Instead, take some time to reflect on what you’ve achieved to-date, and check out the Transferable Skills and Achievements Guide on the website to help support your learning.