Why is it that Civilian Soldiers/Military believe their rank in service is relevant to what position they hold in civilian jobs?

SPC Bassett, that is a great question. It holds relevance because, depending on the rank it determines or gives a general idea to the employer what level of management experience, responsibility, maturity, and leading capacity one can offer or bring to their respective employment field. It also holds a little weight in determining the kind of stewardship they can bring to the job in terms of future recruiting, marketing, and leadership endeavors. Hope that answers your question.

I once knew a PV2 (E-2) MP, who had to arrest an officer on Fort Bragg for DUI back in the 80's. He got the "Do you know who I am...?" speech, to which he replied "Unfortunately Sir, you have your rank confused with my authority..." My friend had been a civilian police officer for years before joining the Army!

Never thought of it but when I went reserve both my civilian grade and military rank pretty much went in parallel. Started out as a GS-12 on through GS-15 (Capped 14) equivalent and wound up retiring as an O-6. Looking at our military organization, the job, span of control, etc. were similar in the O-4/5 range. So there's an official crosswalk chart for officers/GS so I guess they can figure out who sits where for a dinner that won't happen. Interesting thing is I wound up mentoring a number of MILs in my civilian role because I wasn't their military chain, hence they felt more comfortable. I did have a problem with reservists who wanted to wear their military rank at work. Some did feel they were cheated out of civilian promotions. I just focused on doing a good job regardless of what I was wearing and it appears the rest took care of itself.

I worked for Paragon (federal security contractors) where there's a great mix of LT's, Sergeants, and Specialists. My wife's a Sergeant, so I understand where you are coming from probably more than I'd like to.

New sergeants (E5's) are typically more than happy to pull rank, because it's a new thing to them. It's only after, when they learn that rank is not applicable outside of their scope of duty, that they start to wise up and use it sparingly. Especially in the National Guard, where it's seldom ever used appropriately.

The only way to handle this in the civilian sector is respectfully. Although they do not have military authority over you in your civilian sector, telling them to 'fuck off' may be tempting, but it's not a good idea.

If I were you, memorize your post orders, conduct your job by the book and leave no room for their complaints. Be proactive in trying to outrank them in the civilian side, because that's what matters more. The irony of someone you lead who outranks you in the military is worth the effort.

In reality, it doesn't matter what company you work for, or if your co-workers are military or mere civilians. You will always bump into certain individuals who think that they are better than you; because they have a degree, because they have a higher vocabulary, because they make more money, because they have more muscle, because they have more rank-- it doesn't matter. It's all in the mind.

There is no alignment between Military rank and Civilian duties. If someone is a Tech in a Guard/Reserve unit and they espouse rank during the week (as a civilian), they are wrong. If they are senior in grade and assert their rank while in other duties it is an "Ethical Dilemma" on their part.

years ago in the AL ARNG, we had an E4 that owned his own business. dude was just in the guard because he was a patriot and felt it was part of his civic duty to serve. Our BN CO was actually an employee at the company this E4 owned.

Because they mistakenly believe that their rank translates directly into a civilian job. Unless you also have education, qualifications, or experience in that job, your rank means nothing. A friend of mine retired and thanks to his degree and engineer license worked as the director of construction for a big company. His former battalion commander worked 2 levels beneath him and thought he could say or do what he wanted because the director was one of his former lieutenants. My friend sent a subordinate manager (he didn't even go himself) to tell him to quit the pushback and get with the program or he would be out of work.

If this is strictly about government positions I really dont have any constructive input. But I do have input for the regular civilian world.

My time in the army was relatively short, and I've been out twice as long as I was in. During that time I've worked my way up in my chosen career the old fashion way - hard work and grit. I am always happy to hire veterans, especially retirees. But I do not have the patience to deal with vets who have a chip on their shoulder - and there are many. Recently I fired a retired Air Force E7 because he somehow felt he out ranked me. While it is true that the work ethic, discipline, and leadership abilities learned over the course of a military career are great assets, one does not start out on top in a civilian career after the military. While he was in earning rank, I was out here learning this trade. Skills learned in the service can take one very far in the civilian world, but military rank does NOT have its privileges in the civilian workforce.

I was a little confused about SPC Bassett's question even after reading her additional information. There are several cases in my experience where a military person (NCO or O) can supervise government civilians or contractors. First, if they are the person in charge of an office, department, or functional area to which a government civilian is assigned, then they may have supervisory responsibility and authority. The civilian employee should know exactly who is their supervisor and their supervisor's supervisor. Second, if the military person is a contracting officer or the contracting officer's technical representative, he/she may be allowed to exercise some routine control over contract employee activites; however (this is a major point), the contract employee's corporate supervisor (team leader, project manager, etc.) normally directs day-to-day work and is ultimately responsible for their performance. If a civilian or contract employee is having a problem with a military member who is not their supervisor, he or she should talk with their real supervisor about the situation. Normally this can be resolved among the NCOs or Os when everybody understands who is responsible for whom.

Looknig at this another way, some employees are hired into corporations because of their expertise and experience which may be associated with their past military rank. I had a business associate once who had a hard time getting a management position because she had retired from active duty as an E-6. She was looked on as a "technician" by many of the corporate managers, all of whom were retired officers. After retiring she had earned her bachelors and masters degrees and some technical certifications. She finally moved into a management position when she went to work for a company that did almost no DoD work and most of the managers were not veterans.

I'm a former USAF Sergeant. I shared an office with a retired USN Master Chief for a while. He had the WORST case of "chief syndrome" I ever saw. He would always say "Go do this". I would say "Bill, we are not in the Navy, I'm not an able-bodied seaman.. GO DO IT YOURSELF".