Translating your military CV for civilian employers
How to rewrite your service history so a civilian hiring manager actually understands what you can do.
5 min readLast reviewed May 2026
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The translation problem
You spent ten years building skills the Army didn't write down in English. Now you're applying for jobs against people who've been working a civilian CV for the same period. The skills are there — the words aren't.
Three rules for translating
- Replace ranks with team sizes. "Section Commander, 8 personnel" tells a hiring manager something. "Corporal" doesn't.
- Replace operations with outcomes. "Led recovery operations under live fire" becomes "Managed high-pressure logistics in a remote environment, delivering on time despite resource constraints."
- Replace JPA acronyms with their civilian equivalents. SJAR → annual performance review. JPA → personnel management system.
What to lead with
Most hiring managers spend 8 seconds on a CV. Lead with:
- A 2-line summary of who you are and what you bring.
- Three measurable wins from your last role (numbers, scale, results).
- Then your timeline.
What not to include
- Your service number.
- A list of every course you ever did.
- Phrases like "thrives under pressure" — show it, don't claim it.
Where to go next
We can run through your CV with you — and we'll tell you what a civilian hiring manager will actually read. Book a CV session →
Still need help?
Speak to a trained advisor. Free, confidential, and judgement-free — for anyone who has served, is serving, or is family of someone who has.