1st board-JUN2017.
- 50 OAR, had a million LORs, no interviews, too long mot sta (whole page).
Detailed physical activities and used APSR space for extra curricular activities.
Applied for CW, Intel, IP. ProRec N.
2nd board-SEP2017
50 OAR; same LORs; SWO O5/Intel O5/ O4 interviews (9,10,8 scores); revised mot sta but still long. Same physical activities and APSR info.
Applied for Intel, IP. ProRec N
3rd board-MAR2018
- Retook OAR, up to 53.
- Trimmed LOR to 2 (Made sure they were the most relevant, highlighted my leadership skills and not the just the typical praises because everyone will be rooting for you, honestly.)
- Kept two O5 interviews, dropped O4 (apparently a score less than 9 negates your app. Can anyone verify?)
- Mot sta is more direct, limited to half the page, 4 paragraphs
- Same physical activities, trimmed extra curricular activities and made it more cohesive. Highlighted the ones that are eye catching and worth remembering.
Applied for CW, Intel. ProRec Y CW.
When I first started this process in Dec 2016, my OR has only been recruiting for 3 weeks. I was initially not confident with my OR because I want a seasoned recruiter, but we gave each other the chance to learn together. (1st test to being an officer, I guess.) I did a bunch of research (airwarriors, thank you!) and shared everything I found with OR.
After 2 rejections, I finally sat down with OR and double checked every box to ensure the right choice was selected. (Keep in mind I threw a bunch of pity parties first prior to opening my mind for major revisions and another shot at rejection. Lol.) Turns out there were a bunch of errors, including my race and degree, that we could have rectified before, esp the part when the processor did not include my masters degree in my app. (I'm talking about the face sheet.) Not my OR's doing but it could've been double checked by all of us, including me. Those details/checkbox you think won't matter actually do. Mistakes happen as this a very routine paperwork task and ORs handle a million candidates with deadlines every week. No one is perfect so be understanding and provide solutions.
For my mot sta, I sought help from grad school librarians, which I should've done in the first place. And that's high caliber, free consultation.
For my interviews, as soon as I got a contact info for the CDRs, I emailed them directly to get an interview, cc'd my OR. One CDR was in Australia so we did it telephonically, the other one is a very busy OIC. Made an appt, waited almost an hour in the office because OIC was in a teleconference. I wanted this so bad if I had to wait the whole day I would've. Patience
Long story short (I know. Freaking novel!), learn to work with your OR. Broaden your patience. Reach out to others if needed until you find answers. I messaged a bunch of people here, some responsive, some won't have the time as this site is not attached to their hips. My OR may have been new and it was a blind leading the blind situation but somehow, it worked out. Can't say it'll be the same for everyone, but regardless of the results, you wanna be able to tell yourself that you conducted due diligence in presenting an error free application to the best of your ability. And never play the blame game. I had to endure a bunch of rejections from at least 10 Sheriff offices, FBI, NCIS, and 2x from this board, but here I am. Sometimes, some things are meant to be, while some aren't. Timing is everything. And that's life, as cliched as it sounds.
Anyway, I thought I should share my timeline and some of the hurdles. This whole opening up is new to me because I don't like keyboard confrontation. Hope I don't sound a know it all. Just want to share a different perspective and some valuable tips/resources. Feel free to shoot me a message if you need help.
Now, I'm gonna hunt down fellow CW peeps. Please send them my way if you know anyone legit.
)/State Senator 10+ times lol)
