Round 69 - Transition Blueprint Series Week 5: Growing Skills to Match Your Next Mission
- Paul Pantani
- May 1
- 13 min read
Updated: May 2
Every mission demands the right tools. As a veteran or first responder you trained, drilled, and prepared long before the real-world call ever came. You didn’t roll into a high-risk warrant or respond to a structure fire without the skills to back you up. Transition is no different.
The fifth of a 9-week series – The Transition Blueprint – in Round 69 of the Tactical Transition Tips, we address: Growing Skills to Match Your Next Mission. Your next chapter will require a new set of tools. But this time, no one’s handing you a field manual. This time, the responsibility to grow and adapt is fully yours.
This week’s three transitioning tips are:
Close Range Group: Bridge the Skill Gap
Medium Range Group: Document Your Transferable Skills
Long Range Group: Practice Leadership in Non-Work Contexts
Filling in skill gaps—technical, interpersonal, or leadership-based—is the difference between hoping you land well and ensuring that you do. And here’s the part no one tells you enough: Building new skills doesn’t mean abandoning who you are. It means expanding who you are. This isn’t about becoming something different. It’s about preparing—intentionally, strategically—to lead and thrive in a world that won’t look like the one you’re coming from. You’ve done harder things than this. Now it’s time to train for your next mission.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
CLOSE RANGE GROUP – Bridge the Skill Gaps
If you’re transitioning within the next year this is the moment when things start to feel real. You may have submitted a few job applications already. Maybe you’ve had an interview that didn’t go anywhere. Maybe you’re staring at job postings and feeling like every civilian role is speaking a language you don’t quite understand.
That unease is normal. But it’s also a signal. It’s telling you that now is the time to take action—not in six months, not once you’re “out,” but right now. The most impactful thing you can do in this final stretch is bridge the skill gap between where you are and where you want to go. And to do that, you need more than good intentions—you need a plan.
Build a Personal Skills Rubric
Imagine you’re conducting a self-inspection—only this time, the inspection is on your ability to lead, write, adapt, mentor, use technology, manage time, communicate, and collaborate.
Write out a list of at least 20 hard and soft skills you think are essential in the civilian job market—skills like project management, conflict resolution, customer service, digital literacy, public speaking, or leadership under pressure. Then rate yourself 1 to 5 in each category.
This isn’t about judging yourself—it’s about giving yourself clarity. In law enforcement and military life, feedback is often blunt. But in the civilian world, no one’s going to pull you aside and tell you what you’re missing. You have to assess yourself. This rubric gives you a framework to track your progress and return to every few months—even after you’ve landed the job.
Build a 60-Day Growth Plan
Now that you’ve identified where you need to improve, pick 2 or 3 specific skills to target over the next 60 days. Maybe it's brushing up on Excel, taking a project management course, or improving how you communicate in writing.
The key here is deadlines. Without a timeline, everything stays hypothetical. But when you say, “I’ll complete a LinkedIn Learning course on project management by May 15th,” or “I’ll schedule two mock interviews this month with a civilian mentor,” you’ve created structure.
When transition anxiety creeps in—and it will—this plan becomes your anchor. It gives you something to act on when everything else feels uncertain. And taking real, tangible steps helps restore your sense of control.
Shadow Someone in a Target Role
The best way to understand a new mission is to observe someone already doing it. Use your network—LinkedIn, a friend of a friend, or someone you met at a hiring event—and ask if you can spend a few hours shadowing them.
Even if it’s virtual, even if it’s just a 30-minute Zoom call, this experience will do two things:First, it will show you what matters in that job. You might discover that employers care more about your ability to manage conflict than they do about your technical skills. Second, it helps demystify the civilian world. It takes the edge off of what can feel like a completely foreign battlefield.
And if you’re nervous to ask? That’s exactly why you should. Courage in transition isn’t loud. It’s sending that message, making that call, asking for that opportunity.
Offer to Intern or Volunteer in the Industry You’re Targeting
Here’s a hard truth: your decades of leadership may not translate directly on a résumé. But your willingness to learn and adapt absolutely will.
Look for a startup, nonprofit, or small business where you can offer part-time help. Use your operations, training, or logistics experience to support them, and in return, ask for exposure to their tools and processes.
This kind of role gives you a front-row seat to how decisions are made, how projects are run, and what “normal” looks like outside your uniform. You’ll gain more value in two months volunteering with a small business than in six months of scrolling job boards.
Ask Hiring Managers What Skills You’re Missing
If you’ve already had job interviews but didn’t get the offer, follow up. Politely ask, “What’s one skill or area that would’ve made me a stronger candidate?”
Most people never ask this question. But when you do, you show emotional intelligence and professionalism. You demonstrate that you're reflective, teachable, and committed to growth—traits every employer wants.
And even more valuable? You might get a piece of honest feedback that changes everything. One insight can redirect your focus and close the gap between “almost” and “you’re hired.”
Final Thoughts for the Close Range Transitioner
This phase of transition can feel like you’re free-falling. You’re leaving behind a badge, a title, a rank, a uniform—and that can feel like leaving behind your identity. But this isn’t about erasing who you were. It’s about preparing for who you’re becoming.
Your value doesn’t vanish when you leave. But how you present it must evolve. Filling skill gaps now sets the tone for how employers will perceive you later. It says, “I’m not clinging to my past—I’m building for my future.” And that mindset? That’s what makes you unstoppable in the next chapter of your life after service.
WATCH THE EPISODE
MEDIUM RANGE GROUP – Document Your Transferable Skills
If you’re in the Medium Range Group, you might feel like transition is still a distant storm cloud. You know it’s coming, but today’s responsibilities still demand most of your attention. Maybe you’re leading a team, managing investigations, running field operations, or mentoring the next generation.
But here’s the thing: waiting until the transition is imminent is a mistake. This five-year window is prime time—not just to plan your next move, but to shape it on your terms. That begins by doing something deceptively simple: documenting your transferable skills. Not just what you do, but how what you do applies beyond the world you’re in now. You already have the raw materials. Now it’s time to organize them into something powerful.
Translate Tactical Into Corporate
Pick a real-world incident from your career. Maybe it was a multi-agency operation, a mass casualty event, or a resource-strapped night shift that required calm under pressure and quick decisions.
Now take that same event and strip away the jargon. What did you really do? You led a cross-functional team. You allocated limited resources. You executed high-stakes decisions in real time. That’s what civilian hiring managers need to hear. They won’t understand “incident command” or “10-7 on a Code 6,” but they will respond to “managed crisis response with zero casualties during a 12-hour multi-agency operation.”
Then, when you’ve completed one, do another-then another. This is your “who I am” load out. Having multiple of these experience AARs will help you tell the story of you and your abilities when you’re in the hiring process. Try and select incidents that have variety, or your involvement and results have variety. You want to try and avoid having examples that sound repetitive.
This is more than résumé work—it’s reframing your professional identity. It’s learning to tell your story in a way that resonates outside the walls of your department or your chain of command.
Link Skills to Outcomes, Not Tasks
A task is what you did. An outcome is the result you achieved. Employers are looking for people who make things happen—not people who simply followed orders.
Instead of writing, “Conducted training for new recruits,” say, “Developed and delivered onboarding program that improved new officer field readiness by 30%.” That shift from action to impact is subtle—but crucial. It shows that you’re not just experienced—you’re effective. You’re not just a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, firefighter, or police officer—you’re a professional who knows how to get results.
In this transition window, start collecting those wins. Keep a running list. Save emails that show appreciation. Track KPIs and team performance. You’re building your evidence folder—your professional narrative that’ll help define you post-service.
Ask Trusted Peers for Honest Feedback
You’ve likely served long enough to build trust with those around you. Use that capital. Sit down with two or three respected colleagues—people who know you, not just your job—and ask them a direct question: “What strengths do you see in me that I might be overlooking?”
This conversation may feel awkward at first, but the insights can be game-changing. You might think of yourself as “just doing your job,” but they may see you as a calming presence under pressure, an adaptive problem solver, or a mentor with uncommon patience.
These are the kinds of traits that transfer across industries—and you need to start recognizing and naming them now.
Get Civilian Eyes on Your Résumé
One of the most underrated things you can do is hand your résumé or LinkedIn profile to someone who has zero experience in your field and ask them to read it. Tell them to be brutally honest. What confuses them? What feels irrelevant? What sounds like code?
Because that’s your future audience. Most hiring managers don’t come from our world. They won’t decode acronyms or fill in the blanks. This process helps you scrub your presentation of “institutional speak.” It forces you to focus on clarity and relatability—two things that carry massive weight in the hiring process.
Build a Tactical Transition Playbook for Your Replacement
This might seem like overkill, but it’s actually a solid piece of preparation. Create a living document detailing how you do your job—what works, what doesn’t, what systems you’ve created, and what skills are essential to success in your role.
It serves three purposes:
It reinforces what you’ve mastered (your true transferable skills).
It sharpens your documentation and communication abilities.
It shows that you’re legacy-minded—a leader who leaves things better than they found them.
This isn’t just about helping the next person in line. It’s about proving to your next employer that you’re thoughtful, organized, and already thinking like an executive.
Closing Thoughts for the Medium Range Group
Let’s not forget—you’re still on the job. And the work you’re doing right now still matters. By documenting your transferable skills today, you’ll not only be ready for tomorrow’s interviews—you’ll also elevate your performance in your current role. You’ll recognize patterns more clearly. You’ll communicate your value with more confidence. You’ll even lead differently—because you’ll be thinking beyond the badge, beyond the station, beyond the unit.
And maybe most important of all, this process helps separate your identity from your job title. Too many veterans and first responders confuse what they do with who they are. By identifying your deeper skillset—your true value—you begin to define yourself by what you’re capable of, not just by the patch on your shoulder or the department on your business card.
That mindset is the foundation of a successful transition. It’s what turns experience into opportunity. It’s what prepares you—not just to survive after service—but to thrive in whatever comes next.
THIS WEEK'S GUEST INTERVIEW
LONG RANGE GROUP – Practice Leadership in Non-Work Contexts
If you’re ten years or more from your transition or retirement it might feel like you have all the time in the world. Promotions may still be ahead. Operational leadership, tactical expertise, field experience—you’re in your prime.
But here’s the insight most veterans and first responders miss: you don’t build your post-career identity at the finish line—you build it now. The habits, relationships, and skills you cultivate today will shape how smooth or how rough your transition will be when the time comes. And no skill is more critical to that future success than leadership. But not just the leadership you show at work—the leadership you practice outside of it.
Serve in Civilian-Facing Roles
Within your current organization, there are likely opportunities to serve in a community-facing or liaison capacity. Advisory boards, outreach teams, youth programs, public presentations—these roles give you a valuable glimpse into the civilian side of your world.
For a Marine, Soldier, or Airman, this might mean representing your unit during community events or working with base public affairs. For a police officer, firefighter, or EMT, it could mean partnering with business owners, schools, or neighborhood groups on safety initiatives.
These assignments are often seen as side gigs, but they carry serious long-term value. They expose you to civilian expectations, civilian language, and civilian concerns. They help you understand how the public sees your organization—and how to bridge gaps. More importantly, they train you to lead across cultural lines, a skill that becomes vital when you leave the familiarity of your uniform behind.
Volunteer for Leadership Challenges That Stretch You
Within your agency or unit, opportunities exist to lead initiatives that go beyond your typical job scope. These might include wellness programs, recruiting task forces, training development, or interdepartmental committees.
The key is to choose something that stretches your thinking—something that requires working across silos, building consensus, or influencing without direct authority. That kind of leadership is what employers in the private sector are desperately looking for. It’s not about barking orders—it’s about navigating complexity, listening deeply, and rallying diverse teams.
You’re not just preparing for civilian work—you’re also becoming a better leader now, someone who sees the broader system and finds ways to move it forward.
Join a Committee Where You’re Not the Expert
This one takes guts. Find a group, board, or project where your current strengths won’t carry the day—maybe a local nonprofit that needs marketing support, a school committee working on technology upgrades, or a city advisory board focused on fundraising. The goal is to intentionally enter spaces where you have to learn. Where you’re not the senior-ranking person. Where you have to listen more than talk.
In the military, in law enforcement, in fire service—you’ve likely spent years building competence and credibility. That’s good. But real growth comes when you willingly step into unfamiliar arenas and adapt.
And here’s the bonus: when it’s time to transition, you won’t just have leadership experience—you’ll have diverse leadership experience. You’ll be able to say, “I’ve led in a room of civilians with zero operational background, and I made a difference.” That matters.
Practice Leadership in Your Personal Life
Leadership isn’t about rank. It’s about influence, consistency, and intentionality—and that doesn’t stop when you walk through your front door. Set routines. Support your spouse’s goals. Teach your kids problem-solving and self-discipline. Lead family conversations with empathy and directness. Model hard work and self-care.
If that sounds too soft, ask yourself this: If you can’t lead at home, what makes you think you’re ready to lead in a boardroom or business?
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about aligning your values and actions—because leadership that’s only visible on duty isn’t leadership at all. It’s performance. And when your career eventually ends, performance ends with it. Who you are when no one’s watching—that’s what endures.
Start or Join a Mastermind Group
There’s a quiet kind of power in sitting at a table with people who are smarter than you in ways you haven’t yet mastered. Find—or build—a group of growth-minded professionals who challenge each other. Veterans, cops, firefighters, EMTs, business owners, creatives—whoever they are, the point is to meet regularly, share insights, ask better questions, and push each other forward. It doesn’t have to be formal. It just needs to be consistent.
This builds intellectual leadership—the kind that makes you more curious, more agile, more capable of navigating a world that’s always changing. You’ll start seeing patterns. You’ll learn how other sectors solve problems. You’ll develop language and confidence that’ll serve you well in any room. And you’ll be reminded, week after week, that you are more than your job title.
Long Range Closing Thoughts
Too many military veterans, police officers, and firefighters wake up one day and realize their career has been their entire identity. That’s when transition hits the hardest. But if you begin now—while you’re still years away—you won’t just be preparing for the next job. You’ll be building the next version of yourself: a version that still serves, still leads, still inspires—only now in new environments, with new tools. And when that day comes to hang it up, you won’t be starting over. You’ll be stepping into a new mission—ready, equipped, and already in motion.
CLOSING – Skills Today, Mission Tomorrow
Transition isn’t a date on a calendar—it’s a mindset you develop long before the moment you walk away from the uniform. Whether you’re months away, five years out, or still early in your career, the mission is the same: equip yourself for what’s next.
For those nearing the door, identifying and closing skill gaps can mean the difference between stumbling into a job or stepping confidently into a role you’ve prepared for. For those still deep in the grind, refining how you document your value sharpens your edge today and opens doors tomorrow. And for those with time on their side, expanding your leadership outside the workplace quietly builds a bridge between who you are now and who you’re becoming.
Military veterans, police officers, firefighters, EMTs—your skills are not confined to the battlefield, the streets, or the station. But the world won’t always see that—unless you show them. This is a reminder: skill-building isn’t just about employability. It’s about identity. It’s about not letting your job title be the only story you know how to tell. Transition doesn’t have to be a cliff. It can be a climb—if you start training now.
The go-to podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and first responders preparing for life after service. Hosted by Paul Pantani—a retired law enforcement leader with 30+ years of experience—Transition Drill features candid conversations with veterans from every military branch, as well as law enforcement professionals navigating career change, retirement, and the transition to civilian life. Guests share stories of mental health, post-traumatic growth, job search strategies, and what it really takes to succeed after the uniform. Whether you're transitioning from policing, firefighting, or military service, this podcast will help you lead the next chapter with clarity and confidence.
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