From the last few boards, it seems like prior service is held in pretty high regard by the selection committee. Being a pilot and being a naval officer are two separate things, so someone who already knows what the game is will be ready for what the navy will expect from them as a sailor in addition to being an aviator.
So from my understanding when it comes to the motivational statement it depends on the route you take to submit your package. I know as someone submitting a fleet package (1420.1b) my application states 500 words or less. As a civilian going through a recruiter, I have heard that you have no word limit.
That's a 4,500 character limit to include spaces, and is a reduction from the 6,000 character limit from a year and a half ago. As far as I know, the 4,500 character limit is in use as of Spring 2020 for civilian applicants.
I think it depends on the nature of the content. Embellishing isn't good, simply based on the definition of the word so I would agree to not embellish yourself. I chose to use all 4,500 characters for my motivational statement and it was chock-full of quantifying numbers and statistics. If the statement is lengthy but provides quantifiable data as to why you should be selected over someone else then I think that is just as impactful as a short and to the point statement.
repeated submissions with no improvement can lead to a DNR (do not return).
There's a physical limit on the application, it's whatever you can fit into that particular section. if your statement still doesn't fit after trying all sorts of spacing hijinks you will need to trim it down.
M-I-Z!
