Using the Right Lingo in Your Military to Civilian Job Hunt

Excerpted with permission from "Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide"<br />Janet I. Farley, author of "Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide"<br /><br />In addition to deciding the content for your resume, you have to decide what type of language to use, military jargon or everyday English. If you're targeting a job within the defense industry, feel free to use the military jargon to which you've become accustomed. The defense industry likes to hire employees who understand the lingo.<br /><br />On the other hand, if you're targeting a job outside that arena, you may have to use everyday English. If you were to take someone who has never been exposed to life in the military and plant them in the middle of a typical conversation between service members discussing work, that person would probably feel as though he was a stranger in an even stranger land.<br /><br />The military loves its acronyms. Once you get used to them, it's not so bad; however, civilian employers may not understand them at all. I've provided the following translations to assist you in crafting your resume and your speech. Not that some words or job titles may be clearly understood without changing them.<br /><br />Common Translations<br />In the Military: Commander<br />In the Civilian World: Director/Senior Manager/President<br /><br />In the Military: Executive Officer<br />In the Civilian World: Deputy Director/Assistant<br /><br />In the Military: Action Officer<br />In the Civilian World: Senior Analyst<br /><br />In the Military: Branch or Division Chief<br />In the Civilian World: Branch/Division Chief<br /><br />In the Military: Program or Project Manager<br />In the Civilian World: Program or Project Manager<br /><br />In the Military: General Officers<br />In the Civilian World: President/Senior Director/Chairperson/ CEO/COO/CFO/Senior Vice President/Executive Vice President<br /><br />In the Military: Senior Field Grade Officer<br />In the Civilian World: Senior Administrator/Chief Executive/Department Head/Program Director/Deputy Chief/Senior Executive<br /><br />In the Military: Field Grade Officer<br />In the Civilian World: Executive/Manager<br /><br />In the Military: Company Grade Officers<br />In the Civilian World: Associate/Operations Manager/ Unit or Section Manager<br /><br />In the Military: Warrant Officer<br />In the Civilian World: Director/Specialist/Department Manager<br /><br />In the Military: Senior NCOs<br />In the Civilian World: Director/First-Line Supervisor<br /><br />In the Military: Infantry<br />In the Civilian World: Ground Security Force<br /><br />In the Military: Sergeant Major<br />In the Civilian World: Senior Advisor<br /><br />In the Military: First Sergeant<br />In the Civilian World: Personnel Manager<br /><br />In the Military: Squad Leader<br />In the Civilian World: Team Leader/Team Chief<br /><br />In the Military: Supply Sergeant<br />In the Civilian World: Supply Manager/Logistics Manager<br /><br />In the Military: Operations NCO<br />In the Civilian World: Operations Manager<br /><br />In the Military: NCO<br />In the Civilian World: Supervisor/Manager<br /><br />In the Military: OER/NCOER<br />In the Civilian World: performance rating/evaluation<br /><br />In the Military: AI<br />In the Civilian World: additionally skilled in...<br /><br />In the Military: AAM-ARCOM<br />In the Civilian World: award/recognition<br /><br />In the Military: ANCOC/BNCOC<br />In the Civilian World: advanced (specialty) course<br /><br />In the Military: battalion (BN)<br />In the Civilian World: unit/organization/agency<br /><br />In the Military: headquarters<br />In the Civilian World: headquarters<br /><br />In the Military: combat<br />In the Civilian World: conflict/hostilities/emergency/ highly hazardous conditions<br /><br />In the Military: company<br />In the Civilian World: company/unit/department<br /><br />In the Military: correspondence course<br />In the Civilian World: extension course/distance learning<br /><br />In the Military: leader<br />In the Civilian World: supervisor/manager<br /><br />In the Military: medal<br />In the Civilian World: award recognition<br /><br />In the Military: military personnel office (MILPO)<br />In the Civilian World: personnel office<br /><br />In the Military: mission<br />In the Civilian World: task/function/objective<br /><br />In the Military: military occupation specialty (MOS)<br />In the Civilian World: career specialty<br /><br />In the Military: platoon<br />In the Civilian World: section/element/department<br /><br />In the Military: Platoon Sergeant<br />In the Civilian World: Supervisor/ Instructor/Trainer<br /><br />In the Military: physical training (pt)<br />In the Civilian World: physical training<br /><br />In the Military: reconnaissance<br />In the Civilian World: data collection/survey/analysis<br /><br />In the Military: regulations<br />In the Civilian World: policy/guidelines/instructions<br /><br />In the Military: security clearance<br />In the Civilian World: security clearance<br /><br />In the Military: soldiers/airmen/marines/sailors<br />In the Civilian World: personnel/staff/employees/individuals/people<br /><br />In the Military: subordinates<br />In the Civilian World: employees/personnel/staff/individuals/people<br /><br />In the Military: Temporary Duty (TDY)<br />In the Civilian World: business trip/ temporary duty<br /><br />In the Military: Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)<br />In the Civilian World: legal action/document<br /><br />In the Military: TDA/MTOE<br />In the Civilian World: organizational structure/human and material resources<br /><br />In the Military: Personnel Action Center (PAC)<br />In the Civilian World: personnel office<br /><br />In the Military: AR/DA/NAV Pamphlets<br />In the Civilian World: policy/guidelines/rules<br /><br />In the Military: team<br />In the Civilian World: team<br /><br />In the Military: squad<br />In the Civilian World: section<br /><br />In the Military: brigade<br />In the Civilian World: group/division<br /><br />In the Military: battalion<br />In the Civilian World: division<br /><br />In the Military: PLDC/BNCOC<br />In the Civilian World: leadership or advanced leadership development course<br /><br />In the Military: Command and General Staff College<br />In the Civilian World: strategic management course<br /><br />In the Military: War College<br />In the Civilian World: advanced strategic studies course<br /><br />By Janet Farley, author of The Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, Inc., 2004) and "Jobs and the Military Spouse, 2nd Ed," (Impact Pub., 2004). She can be reached at janetfarley@hotmail.com. She is also the JobTalk columnist for the European, Pacific & Asian Stars and Stripes. Mrs. Farley is also a contributing editor to Civilian Job News, a Militaryresumes.com publication.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Search more than 100,000 Jobs by </span></strong><a href="http://jobs.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobResults.aspx?SB%3Asbkw=&SB%3As_freeloc=&SB%3Asbfr=30&sbsbmt=Find+Jobs+%C2%BB&lr=cbrockl&cid=US&excrit=QID%3DA3852768340946%3Bst%3DA%3Buse%3DALL%3BCID%3DUS%3BSID%3D%3F%3BTID%3D0%3BENR%3DNO%3BDTP%3DDRNS%3BYDI%3DYES%3BIND%3DALL%3BPDQ%3DAll%3BPDQ%3DAll%3BPAYL%3D0%3BPAYH%3DGT120%3BPOY%3DNO%3BETD%3DALL%3BRE%3DALL%3BMGT%3DDC%3BSUP%3DDC%3BFRE%3D1%3BCHL%3DAL%3BQS%3DSID_UNKNOWN%3BSS%3DNO%3BTITL%3D0%3BOB%3D-modifiedint%3BJQT%3DRAD%3BJDV%3DFalse&IPath=ILM"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">CLICKING HERE!</span></strong></a>

Using the Right Lingo in Your Military to Civilian Job Hunt

Excerpted with permission from "Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide" Janet I. Farley, author of "Military-to-Civilia...

Read more »