You have been told over and over again to translate your military experience into civilian language. Why is this important? Even, if you are looking for a position with the Department of Defense (DOD) or in a defense company, the people reading your resume may not have military experience themselves or the Applicant Tracking Software (ATS), in the case of private sector jobs, may not be programmed for military-specific language or acronyms.
And, when you look at the statistics for military service, it reinforces the need to civilianize your resume language. According to a recent study, less than .5% of the population in the United States is active duty now and about 7-8% of Americans currently living have ever served.
So, how can you translate your experience? There are a number of websites that can assist you with translation. O*Net (see: https://www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/MOC?s=&g=Go) offers one such translator. O*Net, the Occupational Information Network, is the country’s main source of occupational information for more than 1,000 occupations and is developed and maintained under the sponsorship of the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Vets.gov offers another military translator: https://www.vets.gov/employment/job-seekers/skills-translator. And the Department of Labor also offers: https://www.careerinfonet.org/moc/ to help you translate your skills.
Here is some language you may want to use in your resume; don’t forget that mirroring the language of the job posting will work best:
| Military Language | Civilian Language |
| Commander | Director, Executive |
| Executive Officer | Deputy Director |
| Senior Noncommissioned Officer | Supervisor |
| Squad Leader | Team Leader |
| Squad | Team |
| Reconnaissance | Data collection and analysis |
| Property Management | Supply |
| Force protection | Security |
| OCONUS | Throughout the country |
| Manpower | Staffing / Workforce |
| Commanded | Supervised / Led |
| Battalion | 500 personnel |
| Company | 100 employees |
Likewise, many civilians do not understand the difference between the 110th Division and the 116th Division; to most readers, these are distinctions without differences, and can definitely be left off of civilian resumes.
Finally, don’t forget to translate your acronyms. Instead of saying, “stationed in EUCOM,” consider saying, “worked in Germany” or something similar.
