Although I am used to dealing in military jargon, I have been told that working in corporate America is like picking up a new language. I would imagine this is fairly dependent on the sector in which one is working -- is the defense and aerospace arena that much different?
Answers
Hi Marcus,
I work in aerospace and defense. I don't think our corporate terminology is much different from others. We turn nouns into verbs in order to leverage, incentivize, and affinitize things. We have presentations, decks, and pitches (all euphemisms for Power Point). And we have literally a database full of project and product related jargon. Some of them you'll be familiar with (PMO is still the project management office) while others I still have to look up on our internal web site (is "GMD" ground-based midcourse defense or the guided missile division). Take a look at some articles posted on LinkedIn about business to see how things are characterized. For specific terminology like acronyms, don't be afraid to ask. I sit in meetings all the time where people have to clarify what something means.
Good luck, and thank you for your service.
Marcus, my advice is, "be specific." Whatever your target company is, invest time to research it. Look for the company's internal publications because those will be most likely to be rife with the very jargon you seek to learn. Additionally, visit its website, download its annual report, scan LinkedIn profiles of people who work for that company at all levels (this can be especially helpful in divining the company's "rank" structure and organizational layout). Look at PR Newswire press releases, too.
It's like that age-old saying: "If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it must... work at AFLAC.
No matter which direction you look, every company is going to want to hire someone they feel will "fit in." They want someone they see as one-of-them -- "Talent" who will smoothly assimilate into their culture, while bringing individual competencies capable of improving the bottom line.
That being said, you need to research every serious job opportunity. Scan the announcement for "Keywords, " and look up what they mean. Not only will this allow you to tailor your resume to the job announcement, but it will allow you to tailor your vocabulary to improve your performance in an interview.
If you need any additional help, send me a personal message and I will provide you with some useful tips and techniques.
It all depends on the industry you pick, my friend. Give me a few industries you are seeking and I'll do the best I can.
Dan
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