DCO Interview Panel for Intel/Cyber what should I to expect?

[MilitaryHusbandFed]

I finally have a my interview panel coming up in the next week or so and I just was wondering what to expect when I go? What kind of questions should I be prepared for? Is this a technical interview or a conversational one? What subjects might be covered? Is there anything they are looking for in particular?

I'd like to go in armed with as much knowledge as I can since I've been pursuing this for almost a year now and I'd hate to blow it on the final stage.

Designators I'm going for 18150 CW, 18250 IP, 18350 INETEL, 18850 MCWO

Thank you.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I finally have a my interview panel coming up in the next week or so and I just was wondering what to expect when I go? What kind of questions should I be prepared for? Is this a technical interview or a conversational one? What subjects might be covered? Is there anything they are looking for in particular?

I'd like to go in armed with as much knowledge as I can since I've been pursuing this for almost a year now and I'd hate to blow it on the final stage.

Designators I'm going for 18150 CW, 18250 IP, 18350 INETEL, 18850 MCWO

Thank you.

According to your profile you're 48. Are you prior service? Otherwise you're not eligible due to age.

 

[Southie0174]

I had this very same thought and question not too long ago. I studied all of the common scenario-based questions, such as: Tell me about a time you..., or describe how you resolved a conflict, etc.

What I found was that none of those questions were asked. Be prepared to be yourself. They are assessing your ability to think on your feet in a nerve wracking situation, among other things. If this goal of joining the USN is a passion, your answers will flow out and speak for themselves. I had several separate interviews, as it is difficult to get them all in a room at the same time. Mostly conversational, they have your kit in front of them, so they may ask you to elaborate on your resumé or motivational statement.

Do some self reflection on your reasons for joining, do everything you can to interview in-person, make sure your suit is squared away, and don't try to BS any answers.

Last thing - be patient. Nothing moves fast. Something I wish I knew.

Hope that helps, and best of luck!

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Your recruiter should have been briefing you on this, and besides the age thing the DCO program is designed to line up with what you have been doing in the civilian side, it would be unusual for your civilian experience to line up with all of those designators.

 

[MilitaryHusbandFed]

Your recruiter should have been briefing you on this, and besides the age thing the DCO program is designed to line up with what you have been doing in the civilian side, it would be unusual for your civilian experience to line up with all of those designators.

All I can say about my civilian work is that it does line up for the Cyber side of things.

The age thing isn’t an issue as they already granted an age waiver due to my qualifications

 

[MilitaryHusbandFed]

I had this very same thought and question not too long ago. I studied all of the common scenario-based questions, such as: Tell me about a time you..., or describe how you resolved a conflict, etc.

What I found was that none of those questions were asked. Be prepared to be yourself. They are assessing your ability to think on your feet in a nerve wracking situation, among other things. If this goal of joining the USN is a passion, your answers will flow out and speak for themselves. I had several separate interviews, as it is difficult to get them all in a room at the same time. Mostly conversational, they have your kit in front of them, so they may ask you to elaborate on your resumé or motivational statement.

Do some self reflection on your reasons for joining, do everything you can to interview in-person, make sure your suit is squared away, and don't try to BS any answers.

Last thing - be patient. Nothing moves fast. Something I wish I knew.

Hope that helps, and best of luck!

Thanks for this. Gives me something to think about and get ready for.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

All I can say about my civilian work is that it does line up for the Cyber side of things.

The age thing isn’t an issue as they already granted an age waiver due to my qualifications

You sure about that? PA (at least for Intel) clearly states only prior service beyond 42.

 

[kaldor2c7]

All I can say about my civilian work is that it does line up for the Cyber side of things.

The age thing isn’t an issue as they already granted an age waiver due to my qualifications

Just be yourself and speak to the questions in relevance to your civilian cyber work. Don’t expect it to be scripted, because it won’t be. And of course be prepared to speak to your leadership style through demonstrated prior experience and ideology. Good luck!