For those who are brand new to the defense contracting world, you may run into some stumbling blocks as you settle in. Here are some tips I hope will help you know what to expect and navigate your new territory.
Know Your Duty Station, and How to Access It
Your company office may be in one location (McLean, VA for example), but the customer site could be at a completely different location (like Washington, DC). Be sure you know which site you should report to. It could be both! Also be sure you know what is needed to enter. You may need a company badge to go in to your company’s spaces at the McLean office building, and ANOTHER badge to go in to the customer site.
Customer Location Confusion
If that’s not enough confusion, here’s more: at my first DoD contracting job, when I reported to the customer site on a military base, I needed base access PLUS building access. Getting on the base itself was the first step, and the second step was being able to enter one specific building once I was on base. The confusion doesn’t stop there: I had to keep track of how long my base access and building access were good for, because each had different expiration dates. These dates may or may not be communicated to you, so don’t get too flustered if one day you are unable to visit your customer due to an issue like this. Also keep in mind if you travel for work, your badge won’t necessarily get you in the base you are visiting for the week. Inquire about submitting a visit request in advance to avoid not being able to attend a meeting you traveled so far for!
Stay In Your Lane
I was only a few years out of college when I started working as a DoD contractor. I was bright eyed and ready to learn new things! But I soon discovered the DoD contracting world wants workers to “stay in their lane” i.e. do what you are assigned to do and/or what’s in your job description, and that’s it.
Helpful, or Not What the Customer Wants?
I learned this the hard way when I offered to help a colleague take notes during one of his meetings. It was a slow day for me, as I hadn’t been given tasking from my customer. I dialed in to my colleague’s meeting which ended up being informative, and I even caught an action item he missed. I felt helpful and useful! But that was short lived, because the next day, my manager pulled me aside and showed me a long email she had received from my customer. Apparently, my customer heard me on my colleague’s meeting and said I shouldn’t be attending other people’s meetings. She acknowledged that she hadn’t given me tasking, but still, I was not to be doing other things for other people. Lesson learned, and I felt terrible that my manager had to be dragged into the drama.
Years Later, and the Focus on Official Duties is the Same
Fast forward a few years, and I’m on a different contract with a different customer: I again tried to exit my lane in an attempt to be helpful. I created an onboarding brief to help speed up the time it takes for a new hire to get set up. I figured everyone loves efficiency. Once again, I was shot down because it was not one of my official duties.
Stay in your lane, folks! It can be difficult for those of us who are super motivated and energized, but that’s the nature of the business. On a similar note, not all workplaces are open to new ideas, even if they say they are. So if you proudly pitch a new idea and it gets shot down, don’t be discouraged or take it personally. Again, it’s the nature of the business.
Be Smart About Interacting With the Customer
As a contractor, you were hired to “support the customer” which means to help them and to take some of the load off their very full plate. When I was first hired, I heard all the “support the customer” and “offer mission enabling solutions and services” lingo being thrown around the office and in corporate communications emails. However, I didn’t fully understand what those terms meant. I figured it meant to be helpful, so each morning I would approach the customer and ask “is there anything you need help with today.” Not bad, but not exactly stellar.
Better to be Proactive Than Reactive
What sets an okay contractor apart from a great contractor is really knowing the needs of the customer. It took some time for this to really click for me, but once I got it, I started asking the customer more informed questions. For example, “I heard you mention during the staff meeting that you want to form a working group with members comprised of each of the Services.I looked up who those POCs are, I’ve drafted an email for you to send them, and I can arrange a dial in phone line for the following three dates and times which are free on your calendar.” This will make you sound more proactive.
Know What to Expect When Starting Out in DoD Contracting
DoD contracting can seem overwhelming, so it helps to have an idea of what you’re walking into. And if you’re just starting out in the DoD contracting world, know that you’re not alone on this contractor career journey. If you have any more tips, leave them below in the comments!
