The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) published a Career Readiness report in the spring of 2021. They listed eight competencies that employers look for when filling career-level positions in their workforce. While reading through these, what struck me as interesting is that most veterans who have attained at least the grade of E-5 already have most of these competencies.

8 Competencies That Make Veterans Career-Ready Employees

Here are the competencies and their working definition according to NACE:

1. Career and Self-Development – Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning.

This competency is built into the structure of each military branch. While promotion through the lower grades is primarily time-in-service based, from E-5 and above, performance and education – both post-secondary and Non-Commissioned/Commissioned Officer schools – are required to get promoted to the next level. Also the military has limits on the number of years one can stay at a certain grade without moving up to the next one, so proactive development naturally develops if one wants to stay in military service.

2. Communication – Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives.

Being a leader in the military, communication is at the heart of most everything we do. Again, the military is structured to build effective communication among its members. For example, most Operation Orders start out written, but as the information and requirements of the mission are pushed down through the ranks, much of the information ends up being disseminated verbally. And as a situation develops, on-the-fly changes are usually done through oral communication. In the end, clear and effective communication is a must as it can make the difference between life and death.

3. Critical Thinking – Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.

This is an inherent competency that separates the U.S. military from those of many foreign nations. Our non-commissioned officers are trained to lead and think on their own and make decisions on the fly as the situation dictates. And another value of this structure is that military members are trained be able to do the job at the next higher grade so that there is a constant leadership chain of command built into our military structure.

In comparison, the military of many foreign nations rely on their officers to make all decisions. If their officers are taken out of the fight, the masses are left without a leader.

4. Equity and Inclusion – Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures.

This comes down to diversity and there is not an organization more diverse than our Nation’s military. We are taught starting at Basic Training that military members’ skin colors are not black, white or brown, but that we are all green ( or the digital-pattern  equivalent in today’s utility uniforms). Everyone has an equal opportunity to progress through the ranks based on their individual performance and development and not their race, gender or creed.

5. Leadership – Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.

Like communication, this is another competency that is at the heart of our military. Starting as low as E-5 (even E-4 Corporal in the Army), military members are taught to lead their team. This leadership develops as one progresses through the ranks into positions of greater span of control.

6. Professionalism – Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.

One reason why many seek military service is they want to be part of something larger than themselves. In working toward that goal, effective work habits develop as each person must do their job effectively if the whole team is to be successful. When that happens there is a synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

7. Teamwork – Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.

This is another competency at the heart of our military. Regardless of the grade, we are either part of a team or leading a team. Very few positions in the military are performed solo. Teamwork, leadership and communication are our three-legged stool. If any of the three are missing or ineffective, the stool falls over.

8. Technology – Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.

It is rare to find a position in today’s military that does not include some type of technology. Because some of the technology we use is the same as what is found in the civilian world, many times a veteran can walk into familiar surroundings n a civilian workplace as the technology is the same or similar as what they used while serving. If not, it is usually easier, faster and less expensive to get them up to speed than to try and train someone off the street with no tech background.

Another benefit is that many technology-based jobs require a security clearance – especially in  Defense Industrial Base companies – and veterans having experience in many of the military technology positions have or had security clearances, which also saves a company time and money (and a lot of it).

If you are an employer and looking for career-ready employees that can quickly walk into a position and be effective, look to hire those with prior military service. You have 200,000 veterans per year to choose from!

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Kness retired in November 2007 as a Senior Noncommissioned Officer after serving 36 years of service with the Minnesota Army National Guard of which 32 of those years were in a full-time status along with being a traditional guardsman. Kness takes pride in being able to still help veterans, military members, and families as they struggle through veteran and dependent education issues.