Why military experience gets lost in hiring
Each branch describes its jobs with its own codes, titles, and acronyms. A résumé keyword filter looking for “aircraft mechanic” or “supply chain” won’t find “2A353” or “92Y20”, and a recruiter who doesn’t know the codes has no way to tell an entry-level technician from a supervisor with ten years of experience.
The result is that qualified candidates get screened out or offered roles below their level. The good news is that the codes follow consistent rules, and once you know them you can read a military résumé as precisely as a civilian one.
Every military job has two parts: the MOS/AFSC/Rating and the level
When you read a military résumé, separate two things:
- The MOS/AFSC/Rating is the occupation: what the person was trained and assigned to do, such as aircraft engine repair, supply, or emergency medicine. The Army and Marine Corps call it an MOS, the Air Force an AFSC, and the Navy and Coast Guard a rating.
- The level is how senior they were. It shows up as a paygrade (E-1 to E-9), a rank title, and in some branches a skill level written into the code itself.
Two people with the same MOS/AFSC/Rating can be very different hires: one may be two years into the job, and the other may run the shop.
How each branch codes its jobs
| Branch | What the job is called | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) | Two digits and a letter | 15B Aircraft Powerplant Repairer |
| Marine Corps | MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) | Four digits | 6217 Fixed-Wing Aircraft Mechanic, F/A-18 |
| Navy | Rating | Two or three letters | AD Aviation Machinist’s Mate |
| Coast Guard | Rating | Two or three letters | BM Boatswain’s Mate |
| Air Force | AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) | Five characters | 2A3X3 Tactical Aircraft Maintenance |
Army MOS
An Army MOS is two digits followed by a letter. The digits name the career field and the letter names the job within it. For example, 15 is aviation, so 15B is Aircraft Powerplant Repairer and 15T is UH-60 Helicopter Repairer.
On a résumé or evaluation you’ll often see a longer version, such as 15B30 (sometimes written 15B3O). The digit after the MOS is the skill level, which tracks rank: 1 for junior soldiers (E-1 to E-4), 2 for sergeants (E-5), 3 for staff sergeants (E-6), 4 for sergeants first class (E-7), and 5 for the most senior NCOs (E-8 and E-9). The characters after that are qualification identifiers; 0 or O means none. Extra training, such as an aircraft type or an instructor qualification, is marked with an Additional Skill Identifier (ASI).
Marine Corps MOS
A Marine Corps MOS is four digits. The first two are the occupational field: 03 is infantry, 04 is logistics, 06 is communications, and 60 to 66 cover aviation maintenance, avionics, ordnance, and aviation supply. The last two identify the job, so 6217 is a mechanic on F/A-18 fighters.
Every Marine has a primary MOS, and many also hold additional MOSs that record extra qualifications or duties, such as instructor or recruiter. A résumé that lists several four-digit codes is usually showing this, not separate careers.
Navy and Coast Guard ratings
The Navy and Coast Guard call an enlisted occupation a rating, written as a short abbreviation: AD is Aviation Machinist’s Mate, HM is Hospital Corpsman, IT is Information Systems Technician, MK is Machinery Technician.
Combine a rating with a paygrade and you get the sailor’s rate, which is how most sailors describe themselves:
| Written as | Paygrade | Title |
|---|---|---|
| AD3 | E-4 | Petty Officer Third Class |
| AD2 | E-5 | Petty Officer Second Class |
| AD1 | E-6 | Petty Officer First Class |
| ADC | E-7 | Chief Petty Officer |
| ADCS | E-8 | Senior Chief Petty Officer |
| ADCM | E-9 | Master Chief Petty Officer |
So “AD2” means an aviation machinist’s mate at the E-5 level. Some ratings are split into service ratings (Aviation Boatswain’s Mate has ABE, ABF, and ABH for launch equipment, fuels, and aircraft handling), and at the most senior levels some ratings combine. The Navy also records specific qualifications with NEC (Navy Enlisted Classification) codes, which work much like the Army’s additional skill identifiers.
Air Force AFSC
An Air Force Specialty Code has five characters, and each one means something. Take 2A3X3, Tactical Aircraft Maintenance:
- 2 is the career group (here, logistics and maintenance).
- A is the career field (aerospace maintenance).
- 3 is the career field subdivision.
- X stands in for the skill level.
- 3 identifies the specific AFSC.
On a résumé the X is replaced by the airman’s skill level: 1 is helper (in training), 3 is apprentice, 5 is journeyman, 7 is craftsman, and 9 is superintendent. 2A353 is therefore a journeyman in tactical aircraft maintenance, qualified to work independently. A code ending in 00, such as 2A300, is a chief enlisted manager, the most senior level of a career field. A letter at the end, called a shredout, can name the aircraft or system the airman worked on.
Paygrade and rank
Paygrade is the same across every branch, from E-1 (newest enlisted) to E-9 (most senior enlisted). Rank titles are not, and that causes real confusion: a Staff Sergeant is an E-6 in the Army and Marine Corps but an E-5 in the Air Force. When in doubt, ask for the paygrade.
| Paygrade | Army | Marine Corps | Navy and Coast Guard | Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-4 | Specialist or Corporal | Corporal | Petty Officer Third Class | Senior Airman |
| E-5 | Sergeant | Sergeant | Petty Officer Second Class | Staff Sergeant |
| E-6 | Staff Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Petty Officer First Class | Technical Sergeant |
| E-7 | Sergeant First Class | Gunnery Sergeant | Chief Petty Officer | Master Sergeant |
| E-8 | Master Sergeant or First Sergeant | Master Sergeant or First Sergeant | Senior Chief Petty Officer | Senior Master Sergeant |
| E-9 | Sergeant Major | Master Gunnery Sergeant or Sergeant Major | Master Chief Petty Officer | Chief Master Sergeant |
E-1 to E-3 are junior enlisted members still learning their trade. From E-4 or E-5 up, members are noncommissioned officers (petty officers in the Navy and Coast Guard), responsible for other people as well as their own work. This guide covers enlisted service; officers and warrant officers use separate codes.
What the experience means in civilian terms
Responsibilities vary by MOS/AFSC/Rating and unit, but these patterns hold across the services:
- E-1 to E-4: skilled technician. Formally trained in their MOS/AFSC/Rating, often for months, and qualified on specific equipment and procedures. Works under supervision to documented standards. Comparable to an entry-level or experienced technician.
- E-5 and E-6: lead technician and first-line supervisor. Still hands-on, and also leads a small team or shift, trains newer members, inspects and signs off work, and is accountable for equipment, safety, and readiness. Comparable to a senior or lead technician, crew lead, or first-line supervisor.
- E-7 to E-9: senior manager. Runs sections, departments, or whole organizations. Plans work and schedules, sets priorities, manages training programs and evaluations, and advises officers on operations and personnel. Comparable to a supervisor, manager, or operations manager, depending on the size of the organization.
Military work is also documented and inspected to a standard many civilian employers would recognize: maintenance records, technical manuals, quality assurance checks, and safety programs are part of daily work in most technical fields.
Decoding real examples
| On the résumé | What it means |
|---|---|
| 15B30 | Army aircraft powerplant repairer at skill level 3 (staff sergeant, E-6): repairs and inspects helicopter turbine engines and supervises repairers. |
| 2A353 | Air Force tactical aircraft maintenance journeyman (5-level): a crew chief qualified to inspect, service, and repair fighter aircraft independently. |
| AD2 | Navy aviation machinist’s mate, Petty Officer Second Class (E-5): maintains aircraft engines and related systems, and typically leads a small work team. |
| 92Y20 | Army unit supply specialist at skill level 2 (sergeant, E-5): runs a unit’s supply, property accountability, and inventory records. |
| MSgt, 3P0X1 | Air Force master sergeant (E-7) in security forces: senior manager in security and law enforcement operations. |
Common mistakes when screening veterans
- Matching on rank titles. The same title can mean different paygrades in different branches. Compare paygrades instead.
- Searching for civilian job titles only. Add the MOS/AFSC/Rating codes for the roles you hire to your searches, or use a crosswalk to find them.
- Treating combat or operations MOS/AFSC/Ratings as having no civilian skills. Many of these members have led teams, managed equipment and logistics, run security, or coordinated operations under pressure.
- Assuming a clearance is current. A security clearance is tied to a position and can lapse after separation. Ask about its status rather than assuming.
- Overlooking certifications. Much military training lines up with civilian licenses and certifications, and many service members earn them while serving. Ask what they hold.
How to confirm a candidate’s training and experience
- DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) lists the member’s primary MOS/AFSC/Rating, paygrade, and dates of service.
- The Joint Services Transcript records military training and occupations, with recommended college credit, for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Air Force members use the Community College of the Air Force transcript.
- The Verification of Military Experience and Training document (DD Form 2586) summarizes a member’s military jobs and training in civilian language.
- For credentials tied to an MOS/AFSC/Rating, the Department of Defense’s Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) (opens in a new tab) site lists the civilian certifications related to each code, and the Department of Labor’s O*NET military crosswalk (opens in a new tab) links codes to civilian occupations.
Looking up any code on CivLaunch
CivLaunch has a page for each of 610 current enlisted MOS/AFSC/Rating codes in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Each one has a plain-language description and the transferable skills it builds. You can type the full code from a résumé, such as 15B30, 2A353, or AD2, and the search finds it.
Hiring and want your roles in front of service members? Email [email protected].