CY 2011 DCO IW/IP/Intel boards: discussion and speculation

[Devil Duck]

(Former)USAF.Boom, hate to point out that you are in fact all of those things. Have a feeling I'll be reading about your exploits at some point in the future. I'll be able to tell my friends and family "I knew USAF.Boom back in the day, before he was. . . Continue to do good things.

 

[USAF.Boom]

Too kind sir. But I really was the "class idiot" when you look at me on paper. So those who beat their drums about education and all this other stuff, you need to be more than one thing. You need to be something. In my case it was a who you know (because of what you have done) sort of thing. My LOR is what got me in on my first board. I was in class with lawyers and ivy league professors and this and that. When it came to me I got to say, "I'm a paramedic, firefighter" (Oh, and I may do some political work) :0

But really, if you go into it as "I'm a lock " because I have this or that; you will have this or that, and no invitation to the game.

Oh, and Devil Duck....I hope you will be able to say that one day. but for right now, I will just keep saving lives and destroying careers.

 

[widi]

Too kind sir. But I really was the "class idiot" when you look at me on paper. So those who beat their drums about education and all this other stuff, you need to be more than one thing. You need to be something. In my case it was a who you know (because of what you have done) sort of thing. My LOR is what got me in on my first board. I was in class with lawyers and ivy league professors and this and that. When it came to me I got to say, "I'm a paramedic, firefighter" (Oh, and I may do some political work) :0

But really, if you go into it as "I'm a lock " because I have this or that; you will have this or that, and no invitation to the game.

Oh, and Devil Duck....I hope you will be able to say that one day. but for right now, I will just keep saving lives and destroying careers.

I want to encourage those who are just joining this board and may have not read the hundreds of posts that detail all the hard work and determination that successful candidates have put into the DCO process. There are countless confessions of extremely well qualified individuals who, after receiving non-select calls from their recruiters, buckle down and find ways to improve their packets two, three, and even five times. Das is an excellent recent example.

While I am in no way discounting USAF.Boom's credentials, I would suggest it serves applicants little good to believe that political connections trump hard work reflected by a history of success in and outside the workplace. Believing or even proposing otherwise cheapens the selection process and, ultimately, provides naysayers with a false external rationale for their unsuccessful bids at selection, obfuscating their need for introspection and self improvement, ideas for which there are shared a’plenty in this forum. Success is most often measured here through persistence.

Again, congratulations are in order to those picked up by the March board and best of luck to those preparing for September’s.

 

[mbstroz]

Well said widi.

 

[Jason Rivera]

Hello All,
New to the board...
Was just wondering if anyone had the statistics on how many applied to the Intel/IW/IP slots and how many made it. Also does the message for the selectees ever get released or only for the recruiters?

 

[mbstroz]

To Repost it:
There were 283 packages considered at this board, including 194 INTEL, 25 IW, 56 IP, and 8 OCEANO. The selections were 40 INTEL, 10 IW, 6 IP, and 0 OCEANO (tabled until next board because no quotas available). This is the last FY11 IDC DCO board.

I never saw anything on who got selected before

Board Reason for selections.
This is what I got back for
Intel
Selected applications possessed all of the following general attributes:
quantifiable leadership/supervision (military/civilian),
strong educational performance,
intelligence-related work experience,
civic/community involvement,
well-written motivational statements,
100% confidence NIRR OIC endorsements and outstanding panel interviews.
IW
Selected applications possessed all of the following general attributes:
outstanding appraisals (military),
professional letters of recommendation from direct supervisors,
type degree/level of education/GPA,
job experience (DoD/Govt. Employee/Contractor with Security Clearance),
significant leadership experience and strong motivational/personal statement.
IP
Selected applications possessed all of the following general attributes:
quantifiable leadership/supervision (military/civilian),
demonstrated educational performance,
work experience,
technical certifications,
civic/community involvement,
strong and well-written motivational statements,
outstanding interviews and recommendations.
Not Selected
Non-selected applications possessed one or more of the following general attributes:
less than 100% confidence NIRR OIC endorsement,
less than outstanding panel interviews,
lack of quantifiable leadership,
lack of demonstrated educational performance,
demonstrated poor writing skills and civilian employment/skill set not applicable

 

[IBU]

Just as an FYI for anybody looking to covert over to IS to make themselves more competitive for Intel officer in the future. I simultaneously submitted a conversion package for IS and DCO Intel. I called my recruiter this week to get the results for the March 21st board, he told me the board did not look at my package because my IS package was accepted on March 3rd. Due to this, I need to complete IS training before I can submit an officer package. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but for those of you considering doing something similar, don’t convert to IS right before the next board.

 

[Jason Rivera]

mbstroz, Thanks for the repost. I did not read all 9 pages prior to posting my question. I was just inquiring the statistics that I was up against. I had not done very much research and was a last minute entry to the IW field, where I surprisingly made it. I wish I had read some of these different forums, as it might have helped. Thank you again. JR

 

[Devil Duck]

Few quick points on LORs:
- Who you know truly helps
- In precedence, try to get: sitting members of congress, current or former cabinet members, current or retired flag officers, current members of the senior executive service, current senior officers in the field to which your applying
- These need to be folks willing to write a good letter, and make a few calls on your behalf.

Have seen some others who clearly had there packets pulled through the process. Although, it does help to be a current member of the IC and/or have an advanced/professional degree. Even the folks who had their packets helped along met the criteria outlined in post 176.

 

[das]

In case people are a little scared by Devil Duck's post, I would say that while "who you know" can help, most of my LORs were from respected people in my own environment who knew me well. That said, I did seek out and sit for two interviews with flag officers (as well as a number of O-6s), and I believe that having those assessments in my package helped greatly.

 

[dephyler]

- In precedence, try to get: sitting members of congress, current or former cabinet members, current or retired flag officers, current members of the senior executive service, current senior officers in the field to which your applying

This is actually more hurtful than helpful, unless they're close friends. A well written letter from a former Scoutmaster is worth much more than the letter from a Congressman that can't attest to your character. It'll get thrown out as a gimmick, and then you have one less LOR to back you up. So don't fall into that trap. However, If said member of Congress KNOWS you, then by all means, get a LOR from them. Just don't go petitioning your Rep or Senator because you think it'll help and you voted for him/her.

 

[mbstroz]

I had 3 LOR's for my last one and also requested a Senator consideration letter. It wasn't really a LOR as much as a hey, I approve of this person to be considered. I looked at as more of a I went the extra distance and tried to get more recommendations. I see your point on it but I think it shouldn't hurt if you have strong LOR's already to support your package.

 

[Jason Rivera]

My own experience of getting selected was:
3 LOR's:
One from an LT, who was an EMO for the subbase.
One from my counterpart who works as NUWC Periscope Representative. (Civilian)
One from a newly made ensign rad medical officer.

My interviews were with:
Two Captains in the Intel/IW field and one nuclear LTCDR that I work with.

Experience was:
Nine years active duty submarine radioman, two years as Periscope Representative.
11 years of a current TS clearance.
BS degree in IT
Currently working on two masters in CS and Engineering Management.

So as far as having big wigs write you an LOR, I think that sounds a bit overkill. Truly just make sure your package as a whole looks good. When talking about your experience, make sure you relate it to the field. One last suggestion, when doing your interviews, relax, everyone is human.... Just be respectful and honest...

 

[USAF.Boom]

I want to encourage those who are just joining this board and may have not read the hundreds of posts that detail all the hard work and determination that successful candidates have put into the DCO process. There are countless confessions of extremely well qualified individuals who, after receiving non-select calls from their recruiters, buckle down and find ways to improve their packets two, three, and even five times. Das is an excellent recent example.

While I am in no way discounting USAF.Boom's credentials, I would suggest it serves applicants little good to believe that political connections trump hard work reflected by a history of success in and outside the workplace. Believing or even proposing otherwise cheapens the selection process and, ultimately, provides naysayers with a false external rationale for their unsuccessful bids at selection, obfuscating their need for introspection and self improvement, ideas for which there are shared a’plenty in this forum. Success is most often measured here through persistence.

Again, congratulations are in order to those picked up by the March board and best of luck to those preparing for September’s.

Widi,
Suggesting that knowing someone in high places will not help you is crazy. I have been on the staff of a Senator, worked in politics for several years and also know Congressman on a professional level (and their staffers). I know, for a fact, that one of the LOR is what got my package looked at more closely (and maybe even selected). Since he basically controls the budget for the Navy, on a specific committee in Congress. So while you must have everything else to be competitive, there is no doubt that his personal recommendation was the thing that pushed me over. My recruiter's statement was, "we get LOR of Congressional members all the time, and they mean nothing, but yours was really different, you could tell he knew you and that he WANTED you to get selected". Oh, and to this date, I have never seen the letter he sent in.

He was following the process (without my knowledge) and knew I was selected days before anyone else did. He even sent a staffer (and friend) to my commissioning ceremony.

So when I say I was the "village idiot", (first insert sarcasm) and those in my class were much more educated and had much more to offer on paper. The RIA that I interviewed with told me during the interview that my lack of a high degree would hurt me a lot and would more than likely require that I get one and then apply again. But he said he would give me a recommendation based on my interview but not to be surprised if I didn't get picked up.

With that said, I also believe that I have more than proven myself capable to do the job since getting picked up.

But don't mislead anyone by saying that as long as you keep improving that you will get picked up. That is just simply not the case all the time. You help your chances greatly, but there are other factors always at play. And YES, political connections can "trump" "hard work". I know several people personally that have been commissioned because of their political connections. Thinking otherwise is simply not living in reality. Otherwise there would be no saying...."It not what you know but who you know...."

 

[das]

USAF.Boom,

I don't think anyone would dispute that an LOR from a high-ranking or well-placed individual will help. But the selection boards are really not going to make a selection decision exclusively on your connection(s) or lack thereof.

The results are out as soon as the board is complete, and while your recruiter or NRD may not have them immediately, no one knows the results until the board is complete -- if board deliberations leak out sooner, it is a serious breach and invalidates the selection results. I found out a couple of days before my recruiter, too, because I had someone in the community who was going to bat for me and wrote me a killer LOR for my last package. Is that what ultimately got me selected? Who knows.

I think everyone plays the "it's not what you know, it's who you know" game...that's why I went out and got two flag interviews in my community of choice (IW). Perhaps that helped just as much as an LOR from a Congressman on a Defense subcommittee. In the end, I don't know any one thing that got me selected, but I do know that I worked hard to improve all parts of my package and was told that one of the board members explicitly said "persistence pays off". In the end, I can't argue with success!