January can be the month for feeling blue - or the month to realise your true potential and kick-start your goals for 2025 and make it the year to remember. Here we highlight the in-demand soft skills employers are looking for. What veterans may lack in qualifications, they most certainly make up for it in transferable soft skills.
The Armed Forces develops a long list of desirable soft skills that are always in-demand, including:
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Adaptability
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Attention to detail
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Leadership
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Teamwork
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Problem solving skills
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Calmness under pressure
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Organisational and multitasking skills
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Reliability and dependability
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Motivation
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Project and time management
Just because these skills have been honed within the Armed Forces and not in a commercial setting, does not mean they are not valuable. In fact, they make you a more effective and stand-out employee as you have developed these skills in, at times, hostile and highly-pressurised environments.
But what about the 'hard' skills?
The World Economic Forum has predicted the following skills to be in-high demand next year and we’ve chatted to Harry, our Pathways Programme Manager and former Royal Signals officer, who shares how he used 2025’s in-demand skills during his Service, to give you a good insight - and some ideas!
Analytical thinking and innovation
Bringing together information from a range of sources to understand the intent and predicted actions of others. Formulating new plans to remain one step ahead.
Active learning and learning strategies
Continuously striving for personal and professional development through formal learning courses and cadres, and less rigid instruction such as Adventure Training. Learning and developing skills drives a lot of military personnel, with a high volume of information required to be professionally effective. The Armed Forces offer a wide range of training and qualifications and developmental courses to enable career progression with technical and practical proficiency.
Complex problem solving
Drawing on your own professional understanding, and that of your wider team, to develop answers to difficult and interconnected problems. The orders and the combat estimate processes work together to provide a comprehensive framework to make decisions in a collaborative way, sharing expertise and understanding. All personnel are exposed to these at some level, even if they are only asking questions. Everyone has a part to play in solving the problems at hand.
Critical thinking and analysis
Understanding situations from multiple perspectives: your own, your team’s, the adversary’s, bystanders and those affected by default. The After-Action Review and Lessons Learned processes allow open and humble appraisal of your performance, as a team and as individuals. Constructive criticism and a genuine desire for continuous improvement are central to military ethos.
Creativity, originality and initiative
Developing new processes or procedures to improve efficiency. Being trusted to act independently and try new approaches to fix problems as they arise. I sped up a Unit’s recruitment and training process by 25% by changing the order in which modules were delivered. After convincing more senior figures that this could improve operational effectiveness, we trialled the system and it quickly became the new standard.
Leadership and social influence
Being seen to do what is right. Demonstration of excellence through personal example, at all ranks. Professional effectiveness and application of policies, protocols, and processes. Development of relationships across establishments, drawing on a network of contacts and colleagues.
Technology use, monitoring and control
Integrating technology into existing operating procedures. From using 3D printing to bring new parts to the battlefield without costly logistics chains, to the extensive use of drone systems now seen at all levels.
Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
Mental and physical robustness, developed through training, on exercises, and operations. Working long hours under difficult conditions to continually achieve successful outcomes. Working as part of – and with the support of – a team to maximise individual strengths and reduce overall weakness.
Reasoning, problem solving and ideation
The ability to visualise an outcome is key to formulating a plan: what do we want to achieve, by when, how, and with what resources are available? Seeing the way beyond the task’s end is critical. “Think to the finish” is a popular mantra.
These above skills you will have developed, without perhaps even realising - but they stand you in good stead for future employment going into 2025.
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