So that you can understand, identify and gain the right skills, we will cover the following topics in this article:
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What is the skills gap?
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The most in-demand skills 2022-23
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Identify your skills gaps
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Fill your skills gaps
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Gain commercial experience / prove your new skills
1. WHAT IS THE SKILLS GAP?
Often referred to as a ‘mismatch’ or ‘shortage’, your skills gap is the difference between the skills required to do a job well and the skills (and experience!) that you actually possess. With technology evolving at such a rapid pace, the skills gap – particularly the digital skills gap – is growing and there is a constant need for employees to acquire new skills and knowledge in order to do their jobs properly and effectively.
The skills gap is by no means a veteran-specific issue. It applies to anyone civilian or otherwise that is looking to move into a different industry or specialised role but it is worth being aware of as employers will be looking to hire individuals that can bring a variety of well-developed skills to the workplace.
2. THE MOST IN-DEMAND SKILLS 2023
When deciding what job to do when you leave the military, there are many things to consider. Firstly you need to determine what interests you and what sort of job you’d enjoy. And a close second are the skills you’ll need to do that job well. It is important to look at how the role you are interested in is evolving and to assess which skills you will need in the future to do it well. If you need help determining what your professional skills and strengths are then why not try out our personality assessment tool - it could help you decide which career path to take.
With computers becoming more and more important to businesses and the way they operate digital skills are the most in-demand across the board - and this is reflected in the in-demand skills for 2023. So, in order to advance and future-proof your career it is worth investing time in learning digital and computer skills. We have some great free courses available to you, with more coming in the New Year.
General technological competencies aside, there are certain skills that can increase your employability. So that you can get a feel for which skills might help you to land and lead a successful career, we've compiled a list of the 30 most valuable (and in-demand) professional skills for 2023. We’ve split the list into hard and soft skills to make it easier for you to identify which skills you might have and which you will need further training or education to gain.
HARD SKILLS
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Data Literacy
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Agile Project Management
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Customer Centricity
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Web Development
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Low- and No-Code Development
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Digital Marketing
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Social Media
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Cybersecurity
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Remote Collaboration & Communication
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Innovation Management
Resource: https://edyoucated.org/blog/best-skills-for-employees
SOFT SKILLS
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Strong Leadership
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Communication
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Emotional Thinking
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Collaborative Skills
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Flexibility and Adaptability
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Creativity
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Problem solving / contingency planning
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Negotiation
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Teamwork
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Critical Thinking
It may come as a surprise that not all of the most in-demand skills require training or qualifications. In fact, several are what you’d describe as ‘soft skills’ - personal attributes that are a product of your personal and professional experience. Military personnel possess many of these skills such as strong leadership, people management, collaboration and adaptability (from the list above) but may not realise their commercial value and how applicable they are to Civvy Street. Read our guide to translating your military skills and experience to see how you might be able to help employers recognise the value of your skills.
3. IDENTIFY YOUR SKILLS GAPS
Just like your individual competencies, your skills gaps will be unique, so you will need to spend some time assessing your own abilities to be able to identify them. The skills you require will also depend on the role and industry you are aiming for once you leave the military. The first step to addressing your personal skills gap is to work out what you are good at and what job you’d like to do. To do this you should read our guide on how to pick a career after the military.
Once you’ve decided what path you want to take, you’ll need to look at what skills are required to work in that particular field. Be honest with yourself and see whether you have the right set of transferable skills. At this stage it’s important to research and read job descriptions for the roles that you are interested in. Don’t just read one or two, look up many more and compare the skills that are required for each. By doing this you will be able to identify any skills or qualifications that you don’t possess. Write down any skills that you are missing and make a note of how many times each of those skills comes up in the job descriptions. When you feel you’ve looked at enough job descriptions, take a look at which skills have come up the most and are therefore most in-demand. These are the skills you should concentrate on acquiring in order to make yourself more employable.
Don’t panic if the list of skills you don’t possess is lengthy! Different companies will ask for slightly different skills depending on the nature of the role and it’s very rare for a candidate to tick all the boxes! Pick a couple of the most sought-after skills and try to find a way of learning those.
4. FILL YOUR SKILLS GAPS
Whether you are still in the military and thinking of leaving Service, or you’ve already left, there are many ways that you can fill your skills gaps and make yourself a more competitive candidate. Training and education are the best ways to fill any holes in your skill-set as they will provide you with certificates or qualifications that demonstrate that you’ve learnt and acquired the competencies you were lacking.
There are several ways that you can go about filling your skills gaps:
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Improve your digital skills
Solid computer skills are the foundation of any job. If you are looking to improve your digital skills including specific cyber security and IT training, then SaluteMyJob can help. We are proud to have teamed up with IBM to offer free online digital training courses exclusively for the Armed Forces Community via their Skillsbuild platform. Keep a look out in the New Year for a new course!
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Get advice from organisations that want to help you
As an ex-military candidate you are in a fortunate position as there are many organisations that are willing to help you with your transition. These organisations can help advise you which courses to take or which qualifications you’ll need in order to transition into a particular role.
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Enrol on a veteran-specific training programme
Many organisations have specially devised programmes or pathways to help ex-military get a foot in the door and some training to boot! These employment and education programmes are well-worth considering as they not only furnish you with the skills you need to work in a specific industry or role but they often lead to permanent positions within the organisation too. Read our guide to the best ex-military training programmes to find out more. We’ve rounded up the top programmes across five different industry sectors to give you a feel for what’s available.
Though skills are important, they are no substitute for experience. Depending on the role that you’re applying for you may need to gain some first-hand experience before you can secure a paid position.
5. GAIN COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE
Learning a new skill is one thing, actually using that skill to benefit a business is another. When you read job ads you’ll see that many of them require commercial experience in order to get even some entry-level positions. This is quite normal and though it can be frustrating to have to gain further experience when you’ve been working for several years, it is a good way for you to try out the job to see if you even like it before committing to it.
There are various ways that you can gain experience in order to put your new skills into practice and to strengthen your CV. Doing an internship or some work experience is one of the most valuable steps you can take on your journey into employment, so don’t make the mistake of overlooking this step.
Many larger companies and corporations have on-going internship schemes, which you will be able to apply for directly through their website. And some even have special military schemes to help Service leavers and veterans to gain paid experience while learning the ropes.
If a company you’re interested in doesn’t publicly advertise an internship or apprenticeship scheme it does not mean that opportunities aren’t available. Try researching the company on our Forces-friendly directory to see whether they support the Armed Forces and offer you support or opportunities. Or, reach out to them directly to ask them if they’re willing to offer work placements as a way to help you acquire and practice the necessary practical experience.
Remember that you’re not the first person to leave the Armed Forces and many have successfully transitioned into Civvy Street before you. Though it may seem daunting to learn new skills and embark on a new professional life, it also presents a great opportunity to diversify your skills and knowledge. If you’d like to ask others for advice on what skills to brush-up on or what courses they found most useful, why not join our Vetsnet group on Facebook? In the group you’ll be able to connect with other veterans and you may even find that someone will be able to help you find an internship or, even better, a job.
For those in resettlement and entitled, the MOD will pay your salary and expenses for ‘Civilian Work Attachments’. You’ll have to jump through a number of bureaucratic hoops as part of the approvals process but it’s a great scheme and is well-worth the effort if you meet the criteria.
Remember that you’re not the first person to leave the Armed Forces and many have successfully transitioned into Civvy Street before you. Though it may seem daunting to learn new skills and embark on a new professional life, it also presents a great opportunity to diversify your skills and knowledge. If you’d like to ask others for advice on what skills to brush-up on or what courses they found most useful, why not join our Vetsnet group on Facebook? In the group you’ll be able to connect with other veterans and you may even find that someone will be able to help you find an internship or, even better, a job.