Military to Civilian Skills Translator
Last updated: September 2026
Most veterans know exactly what they did in uniform. The hard part is describing it in words a civilian hiring manager, and the software that screens resumes before a person ever sees them, will recognize. I built this free skills translator to close that gap. Choose your branch and job code, and you'll get civilian job titles to search for, resume keywords, and sample resume bullets you can edit and use today.
The translator covers 141 of the most common enlisted and officer jobs across the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. Jump to the translator.
How to Use the Skills Translator
The translator takes about a minute to use, and you don't need to create an account or enter any personal information.
Choose your branch. The job code menu then fills with the jobs available for that branch.
Choose your job code. Air Force and Space Force codes appear in the "X" format you'll see on your paperwork (3P0X1 rather than 3P051), so one entry covers every skill level.
Or search instead. Type your code or a word from your job title, like "68W," "hospital corpsman," or "logistics," and the translator will pull up the closest match.
Copy what you need. The copy buttons put your keywords or resume bullets on your clipboard, ready to paste into your resume draft.
Pick your branch and job code to see civilian job titles, resume keywords, and ready-to-edit resume bullets.
Choose a job above to see your results.
Don't see your job? This tool covers 141 of the most common military jobs, and more are added over time. Request your job code and it may be included in the next update. In the meantime, try My Next Move for Veterans from the Department of Labor.
These are starting points for your resume. Only include skills and experience you actually have, and adjust the wording to fit each job you apply for.
This tool includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database and the O*NET military crosswalk by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Drakov Industries has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
What Your Results Include
Every job in the translator gives you the same core pieces, so you can go straight from your results to your resume draft.
Civilian job titles to search for. These are the titles civilian employers actually post. Use them as search terms on job boards and LinkedIn, and consider adding one in parentheses after your military title on your resume. My guide on using LinkedIn as a veteran shows how to work these titles into your profile headline too.
Resume keywords. These are the skills and terms that hiring managers and applicant tracking systems (ATS) look for. As I explain in my resume translation guide, the software often can't make the connection to your military experience unless those exact words appear on your resume.
Sample resume bullets. Each job comes with four bullets that start with a strong action verb and describe results, not just duties. Anything in [brackets] is a placeholder for your own numbers, such as how many people you led or the dollar value of the equipment you were responsible for.
Software and certifications. For some jobs, you'll also see the software used in the matching civilian roles, or a certification that civilian employers recognize. I only listed certifications where there's a clear civilian standard, so many jobs won't have one. My article on certification programs for veterans covers which ones are worth your time and money.
How to Use Your Results on Your Resume and Cover Letter
The translator gives you a starting point, not a finished resume. Here's how I recommend putting your results to work.
Start with the job posting, not the keyword list. Read the posting first, then pick the keywords from your results that also appear in it. A resume packed with every keyword reads like a list, and it won't be tailored to the job you want.
Only claim what you actually did. Not every keyword or bullet will fit your experience, even within the same job code. Two people with the same MOS can have very different careers. Cut anything that doesn't describe your work, because a hiring manager will ask about it in the interview.
Fill in the brackets with real numbers. Civilians understand numbers. Compare these two versions of the same bullet:
BEFORE: "Managed inventory worth [$ value], maintaining 100% accountability through regular audits."
AFTER: "Managed inventory worth $1.8 million, maintaining 100% accountability through 12 quarterly audits."
The second version gives a hiring manager something concrete to compare against other candidates.
Make the wording your own. The sample bullets are written to be edited. The same caution I give about AI tools applies here: if your resume sounds like everyone else's, it won't stand out. Adjust each bullet so it reflects your specific role, unit, and results.
Carry the same language into your cover letter. Pick two or three keywords from the posting and your best bullet, and build your cover letter's middle paragraph around them. My veteran cover letter guide includes a template that shows where they fit. Then practice saying the same things out loud, using my job interview tips for veterans, so your resume, cover letter, and interview all tell the same story.
Where the Information Comes From
The translator is built on free, public data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The O*NET military crosswalk links each military job code to its closest civilian occupations, and the O*NET 31.0 Database describes the tasks and software used in those civilian jobs.
Raw government data isn't written for resumes, though. It tends to list generic skills like "active listening" that appear for nearly every job, so I rewrote everything into plain, specific resume language. For combat arms and intelligence jobs, like infantry, armor, and artillery, the O*NET database has no civilian task data at all. Those are often the hardest jobs for veterans to translate, so I wrote their keywords and bullets based on what the work involves in practice.
Don't see your job? The translator covers the most common jobs in each branch. For any other code, try My Next Move for Veterans from the Department of Labor. To explore which civilian career fields fit your military job, see my guide to translating your MOS, AFSC, or rating into a civilian career.
One more note: federal resumes follow different rules than private-sector ones. If you're applying for government jobs, read my article on veterans' preference in federal hiring before you start.
Conclusion
Your military job already gave you the skills civilian employers want. The translator gives you the words to describe them. Look up your job code, pick the keywords that match the positions you're targeting, and turn the sample bullets into your own results. Then use my resume and cover letter guides to put it all together.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Translating your service into a civilian career is easier with someone in your corner. Schedule a free consultation to talk through your goals.