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

I worked in a retail store after I retired from a utility. We had a guy known as the Colonel , a retired Marine Full Bird. And another guy we called top. I had to tell both those guys , you’re not in command here , we are co-workers. They were both great guys and good workers however.

You believe that correlation between Mil/Civ all you want. Sorry sport. You're in a different world now. Try to keep that in mind. As a retired Sr. NonComm, I am happy to come to work, do my job, and go home without a worry in the world.

That is up to the employer to decide.I was on my first job Two months and the personnel manager offered me a foreman job.I asked why and he said you are already supervising the group and they don’t even know it. If we ran into a problem I would say why don’t we try this or that not even realizing I was leading anyone and no I never felt like I deserved anything special just because I served. The Supervisor promoted me and one guy didn’t like it.No one else seemed to care.

A much more accurate description would be to say that unless you are a Flag Officer, you are pretty much doomed.

If I understand your question correctly you are speaking military and civilian ranks in government service, not necessarily in the private sector. It'll depend on of it's a civilian agency or military command. I served in the Cities for for years and got my E4 on the way out. I later went federal law enforcement and ultimately ended up as a GS-13 1811 Special Agent writhing drug smuggling and trafficking cases. We had National Guard personnel assigned to our group as intel and support personnel with the highest rank being a Captain. As I understand it a GS-13 is the equivalent of a LtCol and that was accurate based on my experiences. I collected and disseminated intelligence, requisitioned specialised equipment, vehicles and aircraft for ISR and transport, worked human intelligence assets, sometimes worked light undercover, conducted on the ground surveillance in the roughest neighborhoods, developed operational leads, developed assault plans, made assault team assignments, executed the plan, interrogated captured subjects, developed more leads, and started tyre cycle again before ever going to court. I think based on the complexity of the job the comparison of O5 to GS13 is adequate. But it'll depend on career field.

Being a GS employee for the Air Force it seems that retired pilots are bad about this as well. They go as far as signing emails with their old call signs.

There are two realities-that in government (especially DoD) and the private sector. Having worked both I will say military rank plays a bigger role in expectations and placement in govt. In one application that was advertised GS-12/13/14, I sought to establish my initial placement at 13, or maybe 14, as I believed I was well qualified per the terms of the position description. I was summarily told they would NEVER place a former O-3 above GS-12. They were unflinching on this even though I had separated 16 years prior and was earning in the O-6 range in the private sector. Military transitioning to private sector should not undersell themselves. Your ingrained discipline, work ethic and leadership are head and shoulders above those who never served.

That’s why you go Signal.

IMO, at the heart of the issue about the military culture, is that it is a significantly insular subset of society. Well grounded types understand and accept this, and others can't, don't, or won't. Subsequently, there is a culture shock particularly with longtime service people who've minimally interacted in some capacity with the "outside" world during their service. Therefore it is a mental shock to that the "drop and give me 25 mentality" that doesn't scare or intimidate people in the civilian world. None of this is to say the fictional GySgt. Hartman's deameanor is evil, but in real life outside the military you have to get in where you fit in, or in another metaphorical sense when in Rome you have to be aware of doing as the Roman's do. This question posed brought back memories of a thought provoking discussion I was a part of while in the Air Force attending the 21st Air Force NCO Leadership School in 1975. The instructor then TSgt. Tolfa generically addressed this topic about being able to adapt to post military life at some point, and how to do it successfully. My hat is off to TSgt. Tolfa for initiating such a prescient discussion 43 years ago. Those who can't or won't make a concious decision to adapt to post military life not uncommonly, don't live very long after separation - or retirement - from military service. I am grateful for having had a military experience, and it favorably altered the trajectory of my life. With all that's said here, the bottom line is the outcome of the transition from military to civilian life is all up to the individual and how they choose to approach it.

There's an old saying in the mess hall."you're only as good as the last meal you made". It applies in the civilian sector. You can show up with a chest full of awards and rank. But they want to see what you can bring to the table. And you have to bring it every day.