Have you ever seen job titles like academic adviser or student services specialist and wondered what they mean? You’re not the only one. Colleges and universities frequently use job titles that sound vague: coordinator, specialist, analyst, or adviser. While many veterans, service members, and spouses have precisely the skills schools are looking for: leadership, process management, communication under pressure, it’s hard to feel like a good fit if you don’t understand the job title.

This article serves as a guide for decoding the most common administrative and staff roles posted on HigherEdMilitary and how the valuable experience you gained during service translates to these roles. Most higher education job titles consist of two components. The noun (advising, financial aid, communications) indicates the role’s function. The suffix (coordinator, specialist, director) suggests the role’s scope.

Coordinator: Responsible for managing a program or office. Oversees program budgets and records, implements policies, coordinates communications, schedules and organizes program events.

Specialist: Has specialized knowledge in a given area and is responsible for a defined set of tasks. Handles a specific project, set of policies or an area of compliance. Becomes the go-to expert for a given area.

Analyst: Researches and collects raw information in order to find patterns or trends that can assist in decision-making and planning.

Adviser: Front-line service role. Guides students through the decision-making process and helps them achieve their desired outcome.

Now let's look at some real-world examples from HigherEdMilitary and decode what those roles do, which military skills translate to them, and the resume keywords to use when applying.

1. Administrative support specialist

Translation: The operational glue of a team or office.

Day-to-day: Managing calendars and logistics, processing documents, answering questions, routing and tracking issues and tasks.

Military skills: Staff work, request routing, maintaining records, anticipating organizational needs.

Resume keywords: operations support, scheduling, documentation, coordination, customer service.

2. Program coordinator

Translation: Plans, organizes, and oversees the execution of a program.

Day-to-day: Coordinate events and services, manage communication and dissemination of information, track program participation, maintain timelines.

Military skills: Training planning, event coordination, operations planning, logistics.

Resume keywords: program operations, event planning, reporting, process improvement.

3. Academic adviser

Translation: Case manager for student academics, guides students through degree programs.

Day-to-day: Build student degree plans, interpret policy, help students find and choose their path, connect students to services, document interactions with students.

Military skills: Mentorship, counseling, planning within constraints, creating documentation.

Resume keywords: advising, caseload, retention, policy, student success.

4. Admissions counselor

Translation: Aids and guides prospective students from interest to enrollment.

Day-to-day: Outreach, follow-ups, provides information, application assistance, explaining entry requirements, assessing transfer credits.

Military skills: Recruiting, briefing, building relationships, pipeline management, representing an organization.

Resume keywords: outreach, recruitment, enrollment, pipeline management.

5. Admissions recruiter

Translation: Manages and recruits prospective students usually from a given region, assists in strategy planning to attract students.

Day-to-day: Provides recruiting presence in a region, meets enrollment goals, runs events, partners with schools.

Military skills: recruiting operations, goal-driven work, outreach, independent execution.

Resume keywords: territory management, conversion metrics, strategic outreach, partnerships, enrollment goals.

6. Financial aid counselor

Translation: Accurately and compassionately helps students understand and navigate financial aid awards, scholarships, loans and the rules governing their use.

Day-to-day: Explain student aid packages, assist students in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), collect and verify documents, determine student eligibility,interpret policies and regulations.

Military skills: Compliance, attention to detail and accuracy, handling of sensitive information.

Resume keywords: compliance, documentation, counseling, customer service.

7. Student services specialist

Translation: Problem solver for student-facing processes.

Day-to-day: Troubleshooting accounts and records, interpreting policies, coordinating offices and services, leading campus tours.

Military skills: Follow-through, problem-solving under pressure, documentation.

Resume keywords: case resolution, process navigation, records, policy.

8. Veterans and military specialist

Translation: Supports military-affiliated students and helps the institution serve them.

Day-to-day: Guidance, advocacy, connecting students to resources, coordinating resources for students.

Military skills: Military culture fluency, benefit use, navigating processes, program coordination.

Resume keywords: military-connected students, student support, coordination, advocacy, compliance.

9. Military education coordinator

Translation: Coordination and outreach focused on military-connected learners.

Day-to-day: Build and maintain partnerships, supports onboarding pipeline, coordinate services and events, manage communication.

Military skills: Managing relationships, liaison, community engagement, event logistics.

Resume keywords: partnerships, outreach, onboarding, military community.

10. Post-award specialist

Translation: Managing funding and compliance after grants are awarded.

Day-to-day: Tracking expenses, preparing for and supporting audits, maintaining documentation, coordinating reporting and compliance.

Military skills: Audit preparedness, program administration, compliance and risk management.

Resume keywords: post-award, grant management, compliance, reporting, audit support.

Now that you’ve seen some real-world examples of how to decode job titles in higher education, let's cover some tips to help you implement what you’ve learned. On HigherEdMilitary, you can start with broad category filters, administrative, faculty, and executive to narrow things down before refining your search with keywords.

It can be helpful to familiarize yourself with job title keywords and what they map to. If you are more interested in student-facing roles, use “adviser” or “counselor” as key terms in your search. If you are looking for roles in compliance, use key terms such as “grants”, “sponsored programs,” or “post-award” in your search.

Once you have narrowed down the role titles you want to apply for, rewrite your resume bullets using the keywords in the job description and the language of higher education: caseload, compliance, coordination, process involvement, documentation and training. You’re not changing your history; you’re writing your valuable military experience in terms that higher education hiring managers and committees understand.

Article Topics

Job Search Advice Working as a Veteran in HigherEd Workplace Inclusion

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