Translating military terms
Learn how to describe your military experiences in terms that civilian employers can understand.
One of the easiest ways to help employers understand your military experience is to substitute civilian equivalents for military terms, titles, ranks and acronyms as you write your cover letters and resumes, as well as in conversations. Here are some examples and ideas for accomplishing this.
Terms and acronyms
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Military
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Possible civilian terms
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organization, agency, department
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responsibility, task, objective, job
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hazardous conditions, conflict
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headquarters, corporate office
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employees, co-workers, colleagues, personnel, individuals
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Military Personnel Office (MILPO)
Personnel Action Center (PAC)
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guidance, policy, instructions
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data collection, survey, analysis
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organizational structure, material resources, manpower
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Job titles
Do not get caught up in military titles (Captain, Major, Sergeant). Focus more on communicating the functional area of the job title (Communications Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, and Nurse). Here are some common translations that may be helpful:
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Military
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Possible civilian titles
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NCOIC, Watch Captain, Petty Officer of the Watch
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Supervisor, Manager, Coordinator
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Division Head, Director, Senior Manager
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Deputy Director, Assistant Manager
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Analyst (or Senior Analyst if applicable)
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Senior Field Grade Officer (O5-O7)
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Chief Executing Officer (CEO), Director, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Deputy Chief Administrator
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Executive Officer, Deputy Director, Assistant to the Director, Operations Manager
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Company Grade Officer (O1-O3)
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Operations Officer, Program Administrator Supervisor
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Technical Manager/Specialist/Department Manager
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Supply Manager/Logistics Manager
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Supervisor/ Instructor/Trainer
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Military schools
Make your classroom achievements easy to understand. Feel free to edit course titles for clarity’s sake. Here are some common examples:
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Military
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Classroom achievements
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Advanced Individual Training (AIT)
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Advanced Skills Course (note career field)
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Warrior Leader Course (WLC)
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Basic Leadership Development Course
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Advanced Leader Course (ALC)
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Advanced Leadership and Management Development Course
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Senior Leader Course (SLC)
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Senior-level Leadership, Technical and Management Development Course
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Junior Officer Training Course
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Combined Arms Staff College
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Senior Managerial Leadership School
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Command and Staff College
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Executive Leadership School
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Remember, it is not necessary to list all the training completed, just the most recent and relevant courses.
Awards
For a civilian resume, include only those awards relevant to outstanding job performance, and those related to the position you are applying for. Briefly explain the reason for the award, for example: "Received Navy Achievement Medal for Train the Trainer course creation and presentation provided to over 60 executive level employees to support Department of Defense system migration."