I got a Skillbridge opportunity, now what?

In a previous article, I wrote about how challenging it can be to find a company willing to bring you aboard as a fellow or intern as part of the DOD Skillbridge program. With luck and perseverance, all your hard work, the interviews, the emails, and the coordination with the Career Skills Program administration has finally paid off and you are now on your way to working for a company other than the Armed services. In many ways, it feels like you have completed a major milestone and can now sit back and relax as you transition into the civilian workforce.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Many companies have established training pipelines and cohorts of service members that follow a rigid program with experienced managers who understand the nuances of bringing aboard an intern or fellow for 4-6 months. They have a few iterations of bring aboard service member, providing valuable training and insights into the corporate world, and potentially recommending follow-on employment.

If you’re like me and you elect to blaze your own trail into a company that does not have that same institutional experience with the Skillbridge program, then you are going to face unforeseen obstacles during your fellowship period. This article hopes to help you understand and prepare for some of those challenges so that your experience can be a launch point for your civilian career. My goal is for you to walk away with a clear understanding of the obstacles you may face and some techniques on how to handle certain situations.

So what would you say you do here…..

While many of us would like to be like Peter Gibbons in Office Space, the reality is that you are the newest “employee” inside of a company in which you have little to no experience. You should already know the position in which you are learning from. If you haven’t already discussed roles and responsibilities for your time as a fellow or intern, now is the time to do that with your new manager. Make certain that you understand the basics of what the workweek looks like, who you report to, and what you are supposed to be learning or doing each day.

As an intern or fellow, you will be expected to spend the first week learning. I recommend asking your human resources connection to set you up with onboarding. This should include introductions to each of the various departments or managers of specific functions in a company. You don’t know what you don’t know, so it’s critical that you start learning how your new organization functions. Remember, you only have a limited time with this company during your Skillbridge program. Use this time to learn how the corporate world works, how things are different than the military, and start building relationships.

My experience with Apex Clean Energy was one where my specific role wasn’t clearly defined before I walked into the building. In some respect, I had expectations that my manager would have a better idea of how they wanted to utilize me. I spent the first two weeks learning about how the company worked, who did what, and what was important to the company. My workload was extremely minimal, and it mostly seemed that I was in an observation mode more than an interactive mode.

If I had a nickel each time someone told me what to do, I’d have .05 cents.

I get it. You’re used to being told where to be, when to be there, and what uniform to wear. Sometimes, you’ll even be told what you’re doing beforehand. You are used to contributing or being included because almost everything you did in the military revolved around doing it as a team. Mostly though, you have a clear expectation of what your job is.

I highly recommend that you prepare yourself to work much more autonomously, without day-to-day instruction on what to do. Many times, you’ll show up to work without a clear idea of what you’re going to be doing that day. It’s EXPECTED that you do your job because that’s why you were hired, right?

Only you’re an intern or fellow, not an employee. Which makes your role even more ambiguous, especially if the company you are working for has little to no experience with Skillbridge service members.

This can create a really challenging situation where you find yourself asking others what you should be doing, or even your boss. My experience was challenging because I was bringing a ton of experience in logistics, transportation management, and operations management into an organization where almost none of those skillsets were clearly identified inside of the company. While I was given free reign to ask people what they were doing or what their jobs were, there were times where I felt that I was simply on a learning expedition for my 120 days rather than being a major contributor to the company’s success.

You need to have a frank discussion with your boss about what your expected outputs are, regardless of being an intern or fellow. Do not be surprised if they haven’t even thought about it. And while you may hear advice about bringing recommendations of your outputs to the table, the stark reality is that you don’t know enough about the company you’re in to have that conversation. You will barely be able to answer that question after 4 months, let alone 2 weeks.

This is an unfortunate consequence of selecting a company to work for that hasn’t fully defined how it intends to use your services for the time that you are there. Be open-minded and forthright with what you are looking for. Many times, it’s simply about communicating your desires with your boss and finding the areas that are of interest to you.

I’m not sure what to do with my hands….

Your time window inside of the Skillbridge program is extremely short. By the time you really learn your job, you are going to be on the backside of your fellowship and almost at the end of your time with the company. To prevent that from happening, here are my suggestions on how to best utilize your time.

Start of the program (120 days remaining): Learn your organization the best you can. Network with everyone and start understanding how your role fits in. People will generally explain how everything works, so long as you ask in a positive way. Take it all in.

I believe it’s critical to learn how your company makes money almost immediately. Understand what a Profit and Loss (P&L) statement is. Learn how sales are made. Take time to talk to the warehouse personnel on how product is move, packed, stored, and prepared for shipment. Spend some time learning how marketing works, or how human resources functions. These things will help you and get you up to speed on how the corporate world works versus the military.

90 days remaining: Focus on two things during this time; learning your craft and networking inside and outside the company.

Let’s discuss networking. While you are working as a fellow – yes, you want to adhere to the guidelines of the company and work to the best of your ability. However, you are NOT an employee. I like to think of it as you’re on a 10-day NBA contract. Yes, your services are currently being utilized, but unless you are actively accepting a follow-on position with that company – everything is fair game. Never stop learning about your new environment, who the people are, and what their roles are. You never know, you might find something that interests you more in the long run.

60 days remaining: Start having discussions with your boss regarding follow-on opportunities for employment. They may or may not exist. Keep learning your craft and contributing to the team.

This is where I started realizing that there was probably not an opportunity for me to continue with Apex Clean Energy. There were a variety of factors, but the one that stuck out to me most was there was not a direct fit / position in which I was already working or contributing towards. Much can be said about the Skillbridge program being a 120-day extended interview, but that only really works if you’re already aligned to a position that a company is actively hiring for.

30 days remaining: By now, you should know if there will be an opportunity to be hired following the end of your Skillbridge fellowship. Congratulations if you are successful. That’s a huge accomplishment and a testament to your hard work.

If the stars did not align for you, that’s ok as well. Remember that you were never promised anything when you were brought on board. Continue to work hard throughout the rest of your time, maintain a positive work ethic, and complete your time with the company to the best of your ability.

Are you employed, Sir?

The goal of the Skillbridge program is not to create an absolute pathway for immediate employment following transition from the Armed services. Rather, it’s to help service members gain traction inside of an industry that is interesting to them, and hopefully create an opportunity beyond the fellowship / internship.

By now, you must realize that you are coming out of a career whereby you were contracted for a specified number of years, into a new environment where you can literally quit after 1 day on the job for no other reason than you didn’t feel like coming to work anymore.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Apex Clean Energy, but the timing wasn’t right for both parties. I learned a ton about how the renewable energy space works and where service members might find their own pathways into the industry. Trust me when I say there are many companies out there looking for you. It's up to you though to advocate for yourself and start having the conversations that can lead to opportunities.

Final thoughts

My hope is that my experience with Skillbridge, Apex Clean Energy, and completing my transition out of the Army has in some small way helped you to navigate your own transition. Everyone’s transition path is different and so I would not expect my experience to be “the way”, instead serving as a guidepost for others to use as they see fit. 

As part of my experience, I'm keen on helping others who are transitioning out of the service in the ways that I'm able. If any of this sparks a question, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Who knows, something that's said in conversation might spark an idea within you. I believe that's called Inception?