Need advice on a HUGE promotion opportunity.

[Branhammer]

Sorry in advice for the length of this thread.

I'm currently a GS-9/E-5 Air Technician in the ANG and am sitting in an E-7 slot, which means that in this job, I will never go higher than MSgt. Nothing wrong with retiring as a MSgt though.

I have recently been made aware of quite possibly the biggest opportunity I will ever have in my life. The Vice Commander of the AMXS just took a command position over in the personnel section, meaning that there is a full-time GS-12 position open in my unit. At first I just assumed that one of the traditional part-time officers would get the job and I'd have NO chance at it, but it has been open to anyone in the unit who meets the credentials to apply. The Group Commander has even sent out several emails to everyone in the MXG drawing attention to it. I figure if they just wanted to give the job to someone who is already an officer, they'd keep it low-key and not send an email to everyone in the group every week.

I want that job. Whoever gets it will be a GS-12 sitting in a Lt. Col slot. Once the person in the job has gained enough experience and ranks up to Major, the title will change from Vice Commander to Commander.

I've spoken to both the Group Commander and my Chief, and both have strongly encouraged me to throw my name in the hat. I know there will be lots of competition, but I only know of one other guy who is going for the job. He's a traditional part-time officer (O-2) and he is currently doing the job as a fill-in. At first I thought that would make him the obvious choice, but I'm not so sure. When I got my current job, I was in a totally different AFSC. The guy who was filling in was already in this AFSC and had been doing the job for a year, and I was still selected over him. So, I'm not counting myself out.

My Group Commander told me that if I apply I WILL get an interview. I

f I'm selected, they will obviously send me to OTS and tech school. I'd be gone for about 6 months.

I was AD before I joined the Guard and was assigned to a CSAR unit. We only deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan at the time I was with the unit and it was a much higher-pressure environment than the KC-135 unit that I'm part of now. When I was responding to red-balls in Iraq, it was a real-world, life-saving mission.

The officer who's filling in for the job now has never been AD and has never been on a real-deal deployment in the Middle East. I have. I have thrived in a high-pressure environment where minutes were literally the difference between life and death for someone out in the field. I think that needs to be the point I focus on during my interview. I think I bring something to the table that no one else in this unit can.

Also, I'm 32 and I believe the officer filling in is 27. I'm not sure if that matters, but if I had to guess, I'd say him being younger gives him an advantage in this particular situation. Not to mention he is already a 1st Lt.

I need all the advice I can get, especially from anyone who has been full-time ANG or a commissioned officer. What can I do to even the playing field with someone who has such a clear advantage over me?

This is probably my last chance at becoming a full-time commissioned officer and it is the biggest opportunity of my life.

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Weather Man]

MSgt Nesius says go for it and good luck!

 

[Branhammer]

MSgt Nesius says go for it and good luck!

Thanks man. I have to admit I'm somewhat intimidated by the whole thing. Never thought I'd get a chance like this.

 

[ssj4sadie]

I'm not sure what your question is? I guess things are different in the guard world...But you have talked to your group CC about this as an E5 and he says go for it. You wouldn't get that sort of privledge as active duty unless you were command staff or Chief's aid. You would be stupid not to go for it.

 

[Branhammer]

I'm not sure what your question is? I guess things are different in the guard world...But you have talked to your group CC about this as an E5 and he says go for it. You wouldn't get that sort of privledge as active duty unless you were command staff or Chief's aid. You would be stupid not to go for it.

I was active duty for my first enlistment, and yes, the ANG is a totally different world. In my current job, my immediate supervisor is a chief and then the next up is the Group CC, so I see her and talk to her every day. That makes it a lot easier to have those kinds of conversations.

Last week I rebuilt my entire resume from scratch and turned in the best one I've ever written to apply for this job. Like I said in the OP, I'm hoping that my AD time and deployments with a CSAR unit will give me an edge.

Being that I'm 32 and only just now about to put on E-6, I had pretty much accepted the fact that I will most likely retire as an E-7 with the goal of trying to make Chief (E-9). So, it will be insane if I land this job and become a CO. It will definitely be more than I ever thought I could accomplish.

 

[ssj4sadie]

Well then good luck!

 

[JetmechF16]

Absolutely take advantage of any initial commissioning opportunities that come your way in the Guard, they are few and far between. In our unit, pretty much your only hope is to grab a pilot UPT spot (if you aren't too old) or an Intel Officer position. Most others require that you are already commissioned.

Not to burst your bubble or anything, but in my unit if they were advertising hard for a spot like that (especially an O-5 billet) it means they need interview fodder to make the selection legitimate for the O-2 already doing the job. Hopefully that isn't the case in your unit.

Good luck!

 

[Branhammer]

Absolutely take advantage of any initial commissioning opportunities that come your way in the Guard, they are few and far between. In our unit, pretty much your only hope is to grab a pilot UPT spot (if you aren't too old) or an Intel Officer position. Most others require that you are already commissioned.

Not to burst your bubble or anything, but in my unit if they were advertising hard for a spot like that (especially an O-5 billet) it means they need interview fodder to make the selection legitimate for the O-2 already doing the job. Hopefully that isn't the case in your unit.

Good luck!

Well, unfortunately, I was disqualified for an interview because my time in the Avionics shop was not considered applicable and I've only been in my current job for 2 years. 3 years of applicable experience was required, so I kind of got my hopes up for nothing. But in the end, that Lt. DID get the job, despite some pretty highly qualified enlisted guys interviewing. So, maybe my unit IS like that.

What sucks is that I can't apply for a traditional CO position. It just wouldn't be worth it to leave my full-time technician job to become a part-time officer as few and far-between as full-time officer jobs are in the guard. I do not want to take a part-time commissioned job and have to start searching for full-time civilian employment. TBH, I love my current job and I don't like working for civilian companies. The military just seems to be the right fit for me. And my current job is not a dead-end job. I can always work toward becoming a Chief/superintendent one day.

 

[JetmechF16]

I hear you, at least you're in a MSgt slot for now! I was a technician for 8 years (5 LWOP due to being activated), ultimately had to resign the position since I cross-trained when our F-16s were retired.

 

[Branhammer]

I hear you, at least you're in a MSgt slot for now! I was a technician for 8 years (5 LWOP due to being activated), ultimately had to resign the position since I cross-trained when our F-16s were retired.

Yeah I feel pretty fortunate and I love my job other than that one weekend a month that causes me to have to work 11 straight days haha. But I used to do that all the time in AD, so it's not a big deal. I have around 25 years ahead of me before retirement, so I'm sure there will be other opportunities.

What was your job?