After spending over 22 years in the Army, I have found that I sometimes get caught up in the misconception that everyone in the civilian world knows how to speak "Military". Which is, of course, completely ridiculous.
I think one of the most significant challenges we as veterans face in our efforts to fit into civilian society is our ability to translate our experience to civilian vernacular. In order words, we simply need to learn how to talk normal!
After some limited research on the interweb(TM) and speaking to hiring professionals from across the nation, I have decided to post this quick, down and dirty suggestion guide into how to translate all that great Military experience into words and concepts that our civilian employers will understand. Here goes!
| You Know it As: | Civilian Employers Know it As: |
| NCOIC, Watch Captain, Petty Officer of the Watch | Supervisor, Manager, Coordinator |
| Commander, Chief | Division Head, Director, Senior Manager |
| Executive Officer (XO) | Deputy Director, Assistant Manager |
| Action Officer (AO) | Analyst (or Senior Analyst) |
| TDY/TAD | Business Travel |
| PCS | Relocation |
| OER/NCOER | Performance Appraisal |
| MOS/MOC | Career Field |
| Commanded | Supervised, Directed |
| Battalion, Unit, Platoon | Organization, agency, department |
| Mission | Responsibility, task, objective, job |
| Combat/War | hazardous conditions |
| Headquarters | Corporate Office |
| Subordinates | Employees, Co-Workers |
| Service Members | Colleagues, employees |
| Military Personnel Office (MILPO), Personnel Action Center (PAC) | Hunan Resources |
| Regulations | Guidance, policy |
| Reconnaissance | data collection, survey, analysis |
| TDA/MTOE | Org Charts, material resources, manpower |
* Courtesy of ClearanceJobs.com
A couple of helpful links for Minnesota Veterans, and for some of our neighbors in other states as well!
Military to Civilian Occupation Translator
http://www.acinet.org/moc/
Clearance Jobs
http://www.clearancejobs.com/cleared-news/138/common-military-to-civilian-translations
Minnesota Veterans Networking Group
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1854781&trk=anet_ug_hm
THRIVE Veteran Employment Initiative
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4261584&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
This is a interesting site, I am glad I came across it. I just moved to DC and have been looking for jobs. I was told clearance jobs is a good option. I do not know the process for applying for one of these jobs so does anyone have any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteJordan,
DeleteI would recommend you focus on a position and/or companies that best reflect your interests and values. There are plenty of jobs that require a clearance, but they rarely use that single qualification for hiring. Are you on Linked In? My recommendation is to grow your network via social media and try to connect with as many friends and acquaintances in the business world as possible. The position I currently hold is a direct result of reaching out to my contacts on Linked In.
As for the page title, it means "Head MoFo In Charge."
ReplyDelete