Prior enlisted:Interview process and CO reccomendation

[Gabby Lynn]

Yea well my senior enlisted definitely aren't too happy with me right now. Saying I spend too much time on my package and not enough time being an engineer. Which I can agree in a way I have way more potential and can really succeed as an engineer but I just want to do officer as I am working on being an engineer.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I can imagine SWO and pilot types not reviewing kits seeing how they just take and deal with the numbers later. IDC and AMDO do. I should have specified.

yes AMDO is the other one, they are really good about communicating what is going on, Pilot/SWO/NFO/CEC/Supply are the ones that I was referring to, those make up 95 or so percent of all OCS billets

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Yea well my senior enlisted definitely aren't too happy with me right now. Saying I spend too much time on my package and not enough time being an engineer. Which I can agree in a way I have way more potential and can really succeed as an engineer but I just want to do officer as I am working on being an engineer.

I would like to see them go up to a male sailor and say "PO XXXX you are spending to much time working on your package" that just opens up a whole bunch of questions

 

[usnavymle]

Yea well my senior enlisted definitely aren't too happy with me right now. Saying I spend too much time on my package and not enough time being an engineer. Which I can agree in a way I have way more potential and can really succeed as an engineer but I just want to do officer as I am working on being an engineer.

Make sure that time spent on your application doesn't take time away from your current job. Being only a PO3, the selection boards aren't going to have much to work with in the way of your evals, so it's in your best interest to make sure the ones you do have/get reflect just how much of a hard-charger you are. Listen to your Chief and LPO, and give them your time while you're on shift. Then, when the work day is over, spend as much of your time as you can on your application. Things like officer interviews may fall within working hours, but the essays and such can all be done on your own time.

How much of your own time you spend on this process will be a direct reflection of how badly you really want to become a Naval Officer.

 

[Gabby Lynn]

Yes I definitely understand that. I really dont spend tons of time on it at work however I think since I speak about it or carry my books it can give me a bad image. But I am willing to turn that around completely so people dont see it that way. How many times did you apply and what rate were you every time you applied if its more than once? I know its hard for PO3 but I am willing to try my hardest and put myself out there and maybe just by a chance they will be willing to give me a shot. I am just curious about past selection rates like how many peole apply and actually get accepted. I know thats hard to go by but its just a thought of how the selection rates are going just to have an idea.

 

[Chad Cooper]

Just remember to breathe and be confident.

For the 3 interviews I started with an LT I worked with a little and asked if he would be willing to help me with a package. He seemed very eager and was adamant that he was going to help me or at least find one of his colleagues if he was too busy. Just ask around and towards the end of the interviews ask if they have anyone else in mind who they know that might be able to help. And the totally understood the whole rank thing and helped me grab the attention of my higher ups for interviews. I was surprised by how time consuming the process was as well but also found out that everyone wants you to succeed and while they wont hold your hand, if they see the determination and smartness about how you go along your package they are usually willing to add their 2 cents, it all helps.

I got a Pilot, NFO and AMDO for interviews and each time asked if they knew anyone else in their respective communities, went through a few interviews and selected the best. When applying for multiple designations make sure you area able to articulate why you want to be in each community because they are vouching for you to enter their community and in fact replace them one day so they want to know where your head is at and only have a short time to get to know you.

The one major common factor between the three interviews and CO's interview is that they want to know you are in this for the right reasons. They want to see that you are driven to get a commission and lead Sailors in a larger capacity than you already are. Not that you just want to be a pilot or SWO and this is the only way since you already have a Bachelors and cant do STA-21 or too little time for LDO. They will ask you tough questions like if their are no Pilot spots would you go SWO or are you here to just fly. Like Sharkbait said make sure you know about the job you are applying for and the pipeline of training, they can tell if you've done your research. Prove to them that you deserve a commission because you've already displayed outstanding leadership in your shop or with a command collateral duty. These interviews and most importantly CO's rec weigh heavy and can speak volumes about your package. Dress sharp, follow up, ask questions of your interviewer; "How did you get your commission? Whats been a major turning point in your career? What are you end goals and where do you see yourself in 5 years?". If you're married they will probably ask if your family is supportive of your choice.

Draft your interview for the CO. Try and see if any of the wardroom at your command went through OCS or STA-21 and still has a copy of theirs so you can get and idea of what one should look like. It seems counter intuitive because it is supposed to be the "CO's recommendation" but in actuality its like a giant eval, you gotta talk twice as much about yourself and fill in the gaps because even though you work for him he doesn't see you every day. Route it up your chain with the rest of your package so it is the last thing that gets done. This lets your CO view your whole package before he signs off on it.

It will get kicked back a handful of times, this process will be frustrating and you will get bad gouge from people along your way. No one will hold you hand and one of the best places you can come to find out what you need to do is right here on these forums.

Best of Luck

My interviewson went the same way. They want you to hit a wall then see how you deal with it. Do you give up or go over. I'M a little more brash so I go through the wall. One question I asked all 3 interviews was how do they think can I improve not just my package but my board skills as well. Ask them how they thought you did. They don't get that very often and it catches them offguard. Good luck on your package. It's worth the effort.

 

[dbluestyle]

1. How did your interviews go? What kinds of questions did they ask and was it a hard to get through?
I had pretty good interviews so far. It is not hard to get through if you are just honest and follow your experiences and the things that you wrote in your statements.

Make sure you know why you want to be an officer (This is the most common questions in every single interview appraisal). Additionally, I got questions like:

How do you manage your time in a daily bases? Work, workout, study, (if not on deployment, family)

What can you tell me about the recent changes to the PRT standards? (I like it, this is good for body builders and people that get outstanding scores on their PRT's)

What are the strengths and weaknesses you’ve seen in a leader so far in your Naval career?
Integrity, hard work, good listener, caring, etc.
Lazy, lairs, doesn't listen, doesn't care, etc.

What does your signature means to you? I have a Bruce Lee quote in my signature:
"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."
― Bruce Lee
I basically told him that it does not matter the kind of obstacles we get in life, we just have to keep moving forward and never give up.

2. Did you totaled draft your COs recommendation and then give it to him to read and fix or did he write it himself and then add it to your package?
Yes I drafted the CO recommandation. I am about to submit my package as soon as my CO approves it. I’ve been working on it since February this year.

 

[WxCPO]

Agreed.

As a Junior Enlisted however, I was warned not to go around the Senior Enlisteds even though they could not add value to the kit.

This is for all future priors who are reading this for tips.

You should not and (will more than likely be told by any competent Officer) will not circumnavigate your Senior Enlisted. As for not being able to add value to your package – that’s an ignorant statement.

I don’t know one Chief who can’t look at a collateral duty and pullout the leadership attributes from said duty – which is what you need to do for your package. An Officer or Junior Enlisted that has been in for less than four years has a tough time and lacks a seasoned perspective to effectively portray those attributes. We do this all the time for Sailors = evals.

Also, most have no idea the amount of knowledge the CPO may have – we have tons of prior Chiefs now in the LDO/CWO & Commissioned ranks and still have them as contacts. They all had to complete packages and compete at the next level. My wife was a prior enlisted now Commissioned Officer and I guarantee I know more about an OCS package than any Naval Academy graduate or civilian OCS accession (many different requirements/areas of interest).

Lastly, you may be hungry and want your package to be spectacular, but work time is work time. Part of this process is to dedicate your personal time for your professional goals. If the CPO says your package preparation is cutting too much into your duties – TAKE THE HINT! Remember, CPOs still evaluate your performance and your evals are part of the commissioning package. If your evaluations are lacking in areas because you ignored your duties for your aspirations – that is and will be counter-productive.