Translating a Military Resume into Civilian Words
Often when reading a military resume, a better understanding of the resume can be gained by understanding what the various job titles and education on veterans resume mean. This advice is given to veterans and may be of value to employers when reading the veteran resume or interviewing a veteran candidate.
It’s important that you convey your military title in terms civilian hiring managers can understand. For example, if you were an Air Force Technical Sergeant who managed electrical maintenance activities for aircraft, use a functional title that has civilian relevance. Such as Electronics Supervisor. If you were a Navy officer responsible for managing the distribution of supplies and material, highlight your functional title, such as Logistics Manager, rather than a military title.
For each job you held in the military, you should carefully think through the level of responsibility you had in the military and choose words that correspond to your level of responsibility in the civilian workplace. At times, you may want to use your military title in lieu of a functional job title. The following table should prove to be a useful starting point.
|
Military Title |
Civilian Title |
| General Officer/Admiral (O-7 to O-10) | Senior Director Managing Director |
| Field Grade Officer (O-4 to O-6) | Program Director Program Manager |
| Company Grade Officer (O-1 to O-3) | Manager Project Officer |
| Warrant Officer (WO1 to CWO) | Technical Manager Technical Specialist |
| Senior NCO / Senior Chief (E-7 toE-9) | Operations Manager Senior Advisor |
| Platoon Sergeant (E-6 to E-7) | Supervisor Foreman |
| Squad Leader (E-5 to E-6) | First Line Supervisor |
| Assistant Squad Leader (E-3 to E-4) | Section Leader Task Leader |
| Crew Member E-1 to E-2) | Team Member |
|
Military School |
Civilian Translation |
| War College | Executive Military Leadership School |
| Command & Staff College | Senior Military Leadership School |
| Officer Advanced Course | Advanced Officer Leadership School |
| Basic Officers Course | Entry Level Officer Leadership Course |
| Basic Non Commissioned Officers Course (ANOC) | Leadership and Management Development Course |
| Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) | Introductory Leader Development Course |
| Advanced Individual Training | Advanced Skill Training |
Go to www.TADPGS.com, click on the “Looking for People” tab, then view “Veterans Solutions” to see more for information on our Veterans Solutions for Employers. Please feel free to join our LinkedIn group, Veterans Hiring Solutions for Veterans and Companies at http://linkd.in/Sg346w. If you have specific questions about hiring veterans or the incentives for doing so, contact me at [email protected].