These are some of the lessons learned and things I wish I had known before starting my Skillbridge internship. This article was inspired by Kandi Tillman at 50Strong, after hearing me vent through some frustrations I was experiencing in my first foray back into the civilian workforce. I truly hope this helps.
1. The Company. As you make the leap from military to civilian in one fell swoop, you need to understand and trust the company you’ll be “interning” at. Are there any veteran community groups/affinity groups/etc. within the company? Where is company headed in the next 5 years? Are they committed to hiring veterans and veteran spouses? Choosing the right company is huge, and no one can choose this for you. You have to find the right alignment with your values or there will be internal friction that will ultimately lead to dissonance and a feeling of not being fulfilled with your work.
2. The Position. How many Skillbridgers (trademark!) have landed employment at the company after the internship? Is the internship a pathway to employment, a career training opportunity, both, or something else? Is there headcount (civilian lingo for a job opening) for you at the end of the internship? Is there a possibility that the headcount can change before the internship is over? What is total compensation (Base + Bonus + RSU=TC) package for that position? What are my responsibilities and where can I find it in writing? Are there metrics for the role that must be met, if so what? How does one promote in this position? How long does that typically take? What does the promotion process look like? What if I don’t like the role — can I switch roles during the internship? What if I want to pivot to another role later — how long is a good time to wait until I make the pivot (right away, 6 months, 1 year, etc)? (I would ask a mentor this last one and not your soon-to-be or current manager)
3. The Manager. With almost every role in the world, you will have a manager. Your manager can make or break your first experience as a newly minted civilian employee in the real world. I’m going to assume we’ve all had good bosses and on the flip side, have had bad bosses. You should communicate with your manager early and often to fully understand the expectations of the role. Moving on to schedules; this includes: work schedule, if remote — expectations when you need to be online, process/policy for getting to your healthcare appointments, calendar invite expectations for appointments, who need to know when you’re gone, and other things that can cause a riff. Is there a team calendar? How often are my 1:1’s (civilian lingo for one-on-one counseling/mentoring/etc. sessions)? If they aren’t communicating with you as often as you’d expect, or not on the schedule they promised, don’t wait until week 8 of 12 to make this known — bring it up politely and professionally. You don’t have the luxury of time so speak up and speak often.
4. The Communications. This goes hand in hand with all of the above and should probably be #1 on the list. Does the company use Slack/Teams/chat or email to communicate? Which one is the formal option? If I want to reach out to someone (meet and greet, networking, or professional reasons), which one should I use? How do I schedule meetings with people inside the company (Webex, Zoom, Chime, etc)? How do I greet people that are senior to me? If I’m having issues with my manager (it can happen), who do I reach out to? (Note: Tricky question, use carefully). If I need help with HR issues, where can I go? Not all sailing is smooth and just because you’re an awesome intern who knows how to manage people, projects, and save the world, doesn’t mean that your internship will be without bumps in the road. If that’s happening, who can you reach out to? Mentor, other managers, other people in your role? This is also part of building your network inside the company. Use it.
5. The Team. In the new world of 100% remote work (historically speaking), starting as the new person on a team can be daunting. It’s often much easier to transition to remote when you already know the people personally, as the rapport is already established — but this could be a whole topic to dive deep into and results may vary. How often does the team meet? Is it on-camera or personal preference? Does the team work autonomously or do the collaborate on projects together? Who can I call if I’m having an issue with X (insert job specific issue here)? Will this be the team I work with AFTER the internship is over? What if I’m not a right fit for the team, what are my options? (Note: be careful with this one — ask the wrong person and you may seem like you don’t play well with others). Will there be options to work with other teams in the future? Will there be opportunities for cross-training with other teams in the future?
This is by no means an all encompassing list of things you should know — BUT — from experience, these are things that I probably should have known prior to starting my Skillbridge. As I’m unable to list just 5 things (apparently I talk too much in my own mind and need to get these things out), I do hope this helps you on your journey into the civilian world.
We simply don’t know what we don’t know.
You don’t need every answer to every question in this — but the more you know (cue the shooting star 90’s tv commercial), the more prepared you will be to encounter speed bumps in the road. Best of luck!
