I frequently encounter job seekers who wish to change career fields or industries/sectors. I have found, though, that even within fields that would seem to be very similar, there can be significant differences in how terminology is used, often to refer to the same thing. Because employers–including human beings like hiring managers or recruiters, as well as recruiters who use computerized keyword searches via their Applicant Tracking System software–are looking for candidates who appear on paper to be as similar as possible to the job they are recruiting for, it’s crucial to translate the wording on your resume to look like your future job.
One common transition is between global health or international development, and domestic/US-based public health or healthcare. Global health/international development has its own long list of jargon terms, so someone switching from global to domestic work has to translate their wording. Here is a jargon translator to use. By the way, I learned how to build tables using HTML to write this post. You’re welcome.
| GLOBAL | DOMESTIC |
|---|---|
| M&E | Program Evaluation |
| business development | grant writing |
| USAID | federally funded |
| malaria, TB | infectious disease, tuberculosis, vector-borne disease |
| MOH or Ministry of Health | Health Department, Government stakeholder |
| resource-limited | low-income |
| clusters, hubs (in UN humanitarian agencies) | groups, programs, stakeholders |
| IDPs | refugees, asylees, displaced persons |
| INGO, NGO | nonprofit organization, community-based organization, CBO |
| GBV | domestic violence |
| deployments, missions | programs, projects |
| WASH | environmental health, water quality, sanitation |
| civil society organizations | local government agencies, nonprofit organizations |
| HQ, country office | headquarters, local chapter/local office |
Heather Krasna, PhD & Associates 