RALLYPOINT LAUNCHES NEW “CAREER CORNER” FEATURE WITH FIRST SET OF PARTNER COMPANIES

After surging past our 10,000th new military member, RallyPoint is excited to announce our newest feature, which gives military personnel the power to efficiently compare their best military assignment options with their best civilian opportunities — and to do all of this in private.   This new feature is our first step toward fundamentally transforming the way US service members make decisions about their careers, whether they decide to stay in or get out of the military.   

RallyPoint promotes the power of relationships to help our members make the best decisions, by connecting our service members to the organizations they care about — whether it’s military units or private sector employers. 

To launch our employer pilot, we carefully selected group of trusted partners.  We specifically selected companies that represent a wide range of industries and have sufficient employment opportunities to cover the wide variety of skill sets and geographic needs of our growing military member base, which now spans from E-1 to E-9, and O-1 to O-8, covering all military components.  

Employer interest has been overwhelming, and we over-subscribed for our initial pilot program. We are also adding more military friendly employers to the waitlist of companies standing by to participate in the pilot program’s next phase, which will make it even easier for military members to find the career opportunities they really want, both inside and outside the military.

MOVING TO SCHOFIELD BARRACKS? MILITARY MEMBERS SAY TO LIVE IN THESE PLACES, AVOID OTHERS!

If you’re moving (or PCS) to Schofield Barracks, you’re moving to the most geographically isolated group of habitated islands in the world — welcome to Hawaii!  This isn’t a bad thing (you’re in paradise), but it can be very challenging to understand what to expect, and make the best decision for your military housing situation, because not much precise, up-to-date info exists out there — and when you try to find it, people try to sell you stuff.  Not me!  So, let me give you my advice on best practices and the mistakes you’ll regret making!

Bottom line up front — live on the North Shore (or you’ll never forgive yourself)!

Oahu is beautiful, sometimes beyond words.  Spend as much time out in nature as possible, especially on weekends.  I spent time living both inland and on the water.  I’m telling you — live by the water!  If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life (seriously).  Take advantage of Hawaii’s beaches and nature.  You joined the military for adventure, anyway! ;-)

Great, so where should I live on the North Shore?

Deciding to live on the North Shore gives you a few general options.  Every place else would be too long of a commute (I’ll explain more), and just not worth it since it’s a small island and you can drive anywhere you’d like on the weekend anyway.

Your options on the North Shore are essentially:  Haleiwa, Waialua, Mokuleia, and Pupukea.  Check out this map as I explain more.

HALEIWA
Pros —

• 10-15 min commute both ways to/from Schofield.  
• You can enter/exit the base at the gate with the LEAST amount of traffic build up — don’t underestimate how nice this is!
• Walking distance to Oahu’s famous (for good reason) north shore beaches
• Tons of beach-related stuff to do — come on, get a nice tan!  Go to some of the best snorkel/surf spots on earth.  Ride your bike there.
• Opposite of city living — it’s quiet and non-industrial
• Easy drive to Schofield’s commissary to get groceries, etc.

Cons —

• Tourists get bused up to Halewia from Honolulu almost every day.
• Halewia can feel very touristy on the main strips — lots of quasi-aloha junk for tourists in TOmmy Bahama shirts to buy.
• Not as close to the beach as Mokuleia or Waialua (although it’s a close call)

WAIALUA (** AUTHOR’S CHOICE!! **)

Same pros-cons as Haleiwa (its closest comparison), except for these points…

• Waialua is quieter and more removed from the tourist scene — you can really get away from it all
• You’re a little bit closer to the water

MOKULEIA

Same pros-cons as Waialua (its closest comparison), except for these points…

• 5 min further drive (at least) to Schofield
• Even more removed from Haleiwa, which is nice — but you’ll have a further drive to Halewia if you need to make a quick run for groceries or to a restaurant

PUPUKEA

Same pros-cons as Haleiwa (its closest comparison), except for these points…

• Closer to awesome surf spots like Pipeline, Sunset, and Waimea Bay.
• Longer, more tedious drive to/from Schofield.  The road is 2 lanes — 1 lane each way.  There’s one road you can take, basically.  Traffic can get bogged down badly during rush hour by Waimea Bay as you head due northeast from Halewia.  Living here would add at least 10 mins each way to your commute.  On the way home, you may even add something like 30 mins due to traffic.
• Pupukea is actually more up in the foothills that look down on the coastline.  There is an “Upper” and “Lower” Pupukea.  Lower doesn’t have many options (small supply), and Upper is a windy uphill drive to get to your place.

Finally, it’s critical to connect with military people at Schofield prior to moving out there.  There’s really only one place on the internet that is for current military personnel only — and that’s RallyPoint.com, the first-ever professional network for the US military.  I would check out the site (it’s free) and search for Schofield Barracks, HI — and then see everyone who is (or used to be) stationed at Schofield Barracks.  Their advice will be invaluable!

MORE INSIGHTS FOR SOON-TO-BE JUNIOR OFFICERS, FROM RALLYPOINT MEMBERS CURRENTLY WEARING THOSE BOOTS

We hope you are enjoying our Thought Leaders blogs, which now focus on advice from junior officers to pre-commission cadets who will soon enter the force! Here are a few more:

From 1LT Zachary Lewis, US Army:
The greatest challenge for newly commissioned Officers is balancing the authority and responsibility of the position with the fact that most of the Soldiers that they will be charged with leading are much more experienced and knowledgeable.  

My advice is to report to your new unit with an attentive attitude and a quiet demeanor.  Take some time to learn about how the unit operates, the personalities of your various Soldiers, and how you can add value to the team.  I’ve seen many new Lieutenants get this wrong by showing up overly eager to prove themselves.  Their intentions are good, but they are quickly discredited as the “know-it-all” Lieutenant by their new Soldiers.  Pick and choose your spots, especially early on in your tenure, and your Soldiers will be more likely to respect you and listen to what you say.

From 1LT Joseph Raines, US Army:
I would have to say get to know the paperwork that is behind everything you do in the military. Keep a binder with tabs for everything in the military from certificates, 1059s, counseling statements…. everything!

Are you interested in contributing to this series?

You can even do so anonymously, if you’d like!  Just email thought-leaders@rallypoint.com!

REVIEW OF RALLYPOINT NETWORK

RallyPoint launched in November of 2012 and has quickly become the US military’s largest online professional network. We often get unsolicited feedback from our members, and just wanted to share a few of them with you here:

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Having just been invited, I wanted to say that the interface for this website is very clean and efficient. It seems to be, in many ways, a networking website completely optimized for the military community. I will highly recommend it to my peers.

- 2nd Lieutenant (Air Force)

I love the concept of RallyPoint…like most good ideas, it’s one of those things I hear about and then wonder “How come this didn’t exist before?”

- Captain (Army Reserves)

I LOVE RallyPoint! Information is power and the information in the databases of RallyPoint is robust and accurate and the CONNECTIONS you make will enhance your competitiveness tremendously. As a Battalion Commander, I promote RallyPoint to my young officers and wish that I had this awesome tool when I was a junior officer. If you’re not taking advantage of this app, you’re missing out. Spread the word to your peers — like the telephone, it’s more powerful when there are many others that join in. Thank you RallyPoint!

- Lieutenant Colonel (Army)

It’s a great idea! I think this could be more than just a military version of LinkedIn!

- Master Sergeant (Marine Corps)

The RP Universe feature is absolutely amazing. To see every unit in all branches broken down in such a simple format is awesome! The amount of time and effort put into its creation is evident. Great job!

- Cadet (USMA)

At the end of my career, I couldn’t agree more about the network of relationships in the military.  It is really amazing how we are all connected in some way. Looking forward to seeing where RallyPoint goes!

- Sergeant First Class (Army)

I’m incredibly impressed by RallyPoint - what a great idea, and a great resource for all of us. I’ve definitely had a ton of instances where I would have loved to have access to something like this. - Captain (Army Officer) I’ve joined RallyPoint and I must say that it really looks amazing. It really seems similary in quality if not better than Linkedin and Facebook.

- Captain (Air Force)

I think the site is a great idea… Whether staying in or getting out, networking is highly valuable and can open a lot of doors. Best of luck getting the site off the ground and I will certainly spread the word as best I can.

- Commander (Navy)

I just recently found out about RallyPoint and think it sounds like an amazing and very much needed platform.  I would have loved the opportunity to utilize something like RallyPoint while serving on active duty, not only to look for career opportunities for me personally, but also to potentially recruit certain skills our organization needed.  As an HR officer I know how difficult and confusing the PCS process can be. Anyways, needless to say I’m a big fan! 

- 1st Lieutenant (Air Force)

Great site! HHOOAH! Keep it going.

- Command Sergeant Major (Army)

What you are doing is incredible and brave so I can only hope and pray for your success with this thing in the future!

- 2nd Lieutenant (Air Force)

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Visit RallyPoint.com to learn more

OPEN LETTER TO NEW JUNIOR OFFICERS FROM 1LT CLARENCE DOSSIE (MI, FORT HOOD)

Welcome to the profession of arms!

First, I would like to thank you for deciding to commission in a time of war. As a leader, much is expected of you. Here is a bit of advice from my experience that ought to help you succeed:

You must lead from the front. Never expect a subordinate to do a task that you are not willing to do yourself.  Remember your task is to lead and serve your Soldiers while accomplishing your mission.  

The Army is changing so be prepared to change.  Remember always that you are a leader of Soldiers and you are always being evaluated whether good or bad.

Humble yourself and learn your craft.  Your Soldiers are subject matter experts so learn from them. You shouldn’t attempt to be a subject matter expert upfront, as you’ll most certainly get caught in the weeds. Your Soldiers rely on you to lead them and set the example.  

Counsel your Platoon Sergeant. Give clear guidance of what your expectations are. Your mission has to be nested with the leaders above you (i.e. Battalion Commander, Company Commander).  This will be the mission you give to your subordinates.

Learn from your Platoon Sergeant.  He/She has lots of experience which will be valuable for you as you develop as a leader.

Know the equipment that your are signing for.  Know exactly what’s on your hand receipt.  Know the capabilities of the equipment and how it works.  Know the different MOS’s of your Soldiers and what capabilities they bring to the fight.  Trust me, once you understand your Soldiers and your equipment you will now know your own capabilities - and your limitations.  This knowledge will lead your training plan as you prepare your platoon for war.

If you should have any questions or concerns I can be reached at clarence.e.dossie.mil@mail.mil.  Good luck!

Very Respectfully,
Clarence Dossie
1LT, MI
BN S2
163rd MI BN, 504th BfSB

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1LT Dossie is a specially selected “Thought Leader” on RallyPoint.  If you would like to contribute in this series of professional military discussions, please write to thought-leaders@rallypoint.com and we’ll get you involved ASAP!

TAKING THE LEAD: 7 STEPS TO DEVELOPING A MENTOR

In our last entry we explained the career advantages to mentorship. Many respected military and civilian leaders appreciate both the career and personal rewards of having a mentor. General Colin Powell has his famous Rules for Picking People: “Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.” With those rules under your belt, here are our seven steps to turning that into action.

Phase I: Know what you want.

What are you passionate about?  What did you envision yourself doing when the recruiter was pitching the military to you?  It is critical to do some soul-searching in this phase, find out what motivates you, and decide what job would be a good fit for both you and the military. This can be the most difficult challenge in the process as it will ultimately serve as your North Star. If you aren’t sure, then that’s ok too. A good mentor can help you refine and articulate your goals. Decide on a direction and begin to pursue it.

Phase II: Collect the data.  
Now that you know what you want, it is time to ask some questions.  Go online, ask your peers, or call a personnelist to find out where the assignments that best fit your personal and professional needs are located and under which commands they fall.  If you know someone currently sitting in your desired position, be sure to poll them on how much they enjoy it and ask what challenges they are facing, if any. In-residence professional military educational institutions are also excellent resources for understanding your next career move.  In most cases, you will be part of a class made up of hundreds of officers or enlisted personnel with a wide range of career field and location-specific experiences.  Take full advantage of these opportunities if you get the chance. 

Phase III: Select a Mentor.  
Mentally rank your chain of command and unit leadership based on how much influence they have.  Rank these same individuals on how approachable they are, and identify the top candidates you have had the most positive professional and personal interactions with.  Rank and select your top potential mentors based on this list.

The late General Norman Schwarzkopf was recently remembered, among many superlatives, as more than a public role model but also a loyal and caring champion for his troops, mentoring many throughout their careers.

Phase IV: The Approach.  
Remember, mentors are not formal appointments. Initiate conversation with your potential mentor by asking if he has time for a few questions about his professional background and previous assignments.  This gets your foot in the door.  If he is perceived to be too busy or does not give you a follow-up time to talk, revert back to the list you created in Phase III until you find an approachable candidate.   

Phase V: Ask questions, listen, and learn.  
Go in armed for success.  Blow your mentor away with the data you collected on possible assignments and available career options. It’s acceptable to let it be known you are there seeking guidance to nurture your future. Ask come critical questions: What did your mentor really enjoy doing? What were some of the pitfalls she experienced throughout her career? How high are the promotion rates in the various career fields?  Are there jobs that seem to be heading to a dead end in the military and are likely to be cancelled? These are some of the questions that can help determine whether a career path is right for you.

Phase VI: Brainstorm and select your ideal assignment.
Communicate your skills and passions to your mentor, and ask for help in brainstorming the units and positions in which you can make the biggest impact.  This brainstorming can also be done alone, but it helps to have an experienced individual to bounce ideas off of and get accurate information.  Using all the collected data, pin down your top assignment with your mentor’s buy-in.  Again, make sure this is something that will benefit the military as well as yourself.

Phase VII: Closing the Deal.
At this point, be prepared to move on in the process with or without your mentor’s assistance. Not every mentor puts in the time to actually get you that dream assignment. If this is the case, update your online development plan, provide sound justification for your decisions, and show how the military will be better off if you are granted the desired assignments.  

If your mentor intends to help you network a follow-on assignment, be prepared for several interactions with his professional network of colleagues. Much like the civilian world, expect phone and in-person interviews to find out if you will be a good fit. Many gaining unit commanders want to see how well your personality will fit within his or her unit.  Once selected, let your mentor work the matching game with the gaining unit’s leadership.  Celebrate this successful appointment with your friends and family only when you receive official signed orders.

WHO’S GOT YOUR SIX? A MENTOR CAN HELP WITH YOUR NEXT PCS

By Brandon Charters, RallyPoint USAF “Thought Leader”

Most military personnel, even general officers, have experienced the muddy and convoluted military assignment process.  In the Air Force, when it comes to getting the best PCS opportunities, we’ve all heard some version of this widespread truth: “The only way to get a great follow-on assignment is to be an Executive Officer.” 

No wonder these Executive Officer positions are so competitive, especially in the last 18 months on a duty station. Your commander has just enough time to socialize your name amongst his network of contacts before you gain orders to a new duty station.

This practice, however, is not something you learn from a recruiter or formalized training.  It is instead something you discover over time when you repeatedly see these Executive Officers deployed to assignments at CONUS bases, or sent to Hawaii on an early PCS. 

There are other ways to gain an upper hand in future career moves within the military. Think about who’s got your back, or as if commonly said within our military, who’s got your six?  One of the best avenues is to find a mentor who has traveled this road – the road you’re hoping to be on.

Why are mentors important?

Working assignments in the military can be an intimidating process that requires the support from someone who has walked the walk … and who has your back.  Execs have a distinct advantage of working closer to the decision-makers in the chain of command; this is a critical element of influencing your next assignment.

Mentors can give one of two things, depending on their willingness to help: advice or empowerment. Almost any military supervisor will give out quick advice and instruction, but empowerment through mentorship comes by way of guidance given over time, and networking actions that can generate a coveted by-name request.

With sequestration and draw-downs in personnel on the rise, we are doing more with less.  It can feel daunting at times having to keep up with current ops tempos, let alone use valuable time and energy planning any kind of career path. Yet human resources/personnel commands require you keep your development plan up to date. This can get overwhelming without someone with experience to help make sense of it all, which is why mentorship is so important.

How do I find one?

Your integrity, character, reputation amongst your peers and performance within the unit directly impacts the type of mentorship you will receive.  If you are lucky, a mentor may find you first. You may have been supported and nurtured by a senior officer already, who is now happy to guide you in your career planning.

But that’s not always the case. As you seek a mentor ask yourself some key questions:

• Who are your unit’s decision-makers?
• What assignments have they held? 
• Have they enjoyed their career?
• Do they keep their office door open?

If you answered yes to the last two questions, you may have found a great potential candidate.

There is a reason that mentors are rarely assigned – the forced mentorship can often feel like both parties are just going through the motions to check a proverbial box.  This model has been implemented in both the military and corporations with limited success.  

Keep an eye out for our next blog post which will offer step by step guidance in finding and nurturing a mentorship.

5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO FURTHER YOUR MILITARY CAREER

A military career can sometimes leave one feeling powerless.  Even when you’ve put in an all-star performance at your current position, it can feel like there’s not much you can do but wait for your next assignment.

Wrong! 

Even within the DoD’s rigid personnel structure, there is still plenty that you can do to influence your both your next assignment and your overall career arc.  Here are a few tried and true techniques you can implement today: 

1.  Find a mentor.  Mentors are critical to any career.  Seek one out, and when you’re in the position to do so, be one.  You’d be surprised at how many senior officers and NCOs are willing to offer up their experience and advice; they’ve all hit roadblocks they wish they could have avoided and are happy to help others avoid the same pitfalls.  All it takes is scheduling a meeting and asking some basic questions you have about your future in their unit.  Even if you don’t feel senior enough to be doling out advice of your own, remember it’s all a matter of perspective.  If you’ve completed boot camp, initial specialization/entry training, PCS’ed, or changed jobs just once, you have a wealth of knowledge to lend the new O-1 or E-1.  Be on the lookout for our upcoming blog post with even more tips on how to approach a potential mentor.

2.  Become an expert at something – anything – and share the wealth.  You’ll be handed dozens of jobs throughout your military career. Some out of left field, some you’ll train your whole career for, some you will despise, and some seem like a gift from above.  Whatever your job of the moment, own it and challenge yourself to be the very best at it.  Some of your most valuable skills will be picked up during these quickly lived jobs or in boot camps and training courses.  As military professionals, we have to rely on each other as a team of resident experts.  A critical skill you’ll learn from the beginning of basic training is to discern who is good at what and learn to succeed with what you have.  Networking for military professionals is no different.  Identifying your skills first allows you to own them and offer them up to train others.

3.  Maintain a positive attitude, no matter how bad your job seems to be.  Being seen as likable and trustworthy is important for networking and career development, whether in the military or in the civilian job market.  If you do your best at even the worst jobs, you’ll be surprised what good opportunities will come your way. I’ve seen commanders assign newly in-processed Lieutenants and Airman to ‘Snack-O’ duty just to see how they handled it. In some of my units, there were $700 million acquisition programs and complex orbital space missions handed down to young and fairly green Lieutenants.   The filter our commander used was to see how a new troop would handle balancing a $30-45 budget consisting of Snickers and Coke.  Those that kept the snack room stocked and cared about the wellbeing of their Squadron got the high profile programs with TDYs to Kauai.  Those that didn’t got to count missile parts in unattractive temporary duty locations.

4.  Take full advantage of Professional Military Education in residence.Not only is it a good way to beef up your resume and position yourself well for promotions, but it’s an excellent way to create breathing room while gathering information and thinking about the next stage of your career. Not to mention, you make valuable connections that will serve you for a long time to come. There isn’t a better melting pot of people excelling at their careers than at SOS, ACSC, and AWC. These have become highly competitive schools to get in-residence. While there, expose yourself to as many people and career fields as you can; you’ll run into them again in the field or civilian world.

5.  Build your personal network, and don’t be afraid to use it.  On active duty you are subjected to various deployment and permanent change of station cycles; there may even be job cycles or duties internal to your unit that rotate on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. The best way to get the most attractive jobs or duties is to ask the current job holders what they think about the position and how long they have left to fulfill their commitment.  As soon as they PCS or move on from their job, you should be the first one volunteering for that open position.   If you collect the right information on the best available jobs, you can be in the driver’s seat instead of waiting for something to get flowed down from personnel command.  You’ll often have to look outside your unit to find the most complete information.  RallyPoint, the private professional network for current US military personnel, can help you discover (and filter by PCS date) who you know through your own connections, across all branches of the DoD.

Summary

In short, the best way to shape your military career is leverage those with more knowledge and experience, while humbly offering up your skills and spare time to help make others stand out.  It’s the best way to gain respect from your peers and commanding officers, and fits in with the military’s values of bettering your unit, because what’s ultimately best for the service and your country…and as it turns out, is also best for you.

USAF EARLY LEAVE REQUESTS & THE IMPACTS OF SEQUESTRATION

By:  Brandon Charters, RallyPoint USAF “Thought Leader”

We are hearing a lot about Sequestration now, leaving many of us to ask– what is that, and what does that mean for me?

Amidst these budget cuts and the Government furlough environment, we are watching the Air Force approach another Force Shaping exercise. The USAF is tasked with reducing its size by around 3,000 service members by the end of the fiscal year. Based on a department of the Air Force’s presentation to the Armed Services Committee in 2012, here the FY13 budget includes a total budget authority request of $34.2 billion for active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve military personnel. This budget includes a 1.7% military base pay increase, a 4.2% increase in the housing allowance and a 3.4% increase in subsistence allowance.

For those who remember past Force Shaping exercises from the mid 2000’s, this scenario appears to be somewhat different, although it is still early in the process. There are currently no voluntary separation incentives being offered like many of us had seen in the past.  Previously, personnel command offered VSP (voluntary separation pay) to encourage airmen to leave the service early.  In 2006, depending on how close you were to retirement age, the bonuses were quite large.  Even CGOs were able to secure $60K or more in VSP funding. This sort of VSP isn’t on the table yet and doesn’t seem likely to materialize in 2013.

That said there are still some usual first steps of Force Shaping that you can expect to be available. For instance, there will be early retirement options available in certain overmanned career fields. In FY 2012 they included, among others, Tactical Aircraft Maintenance (technical and master sergeants only) and Radio Frequency Transmission Systems (technical and master sergeants only), although this year’s positions may be quite different.

The Palace Chase program will also be offered again.  This program allows active duty members to move into Guard and Reserve positions, ultimately saving the DoD more funds over the long haul. Drop the major service commitments on overmanned career fields and see who wants to leave. Will there be additional cuts? The DoD senior leadership seems to be saying no.  

Lots of things weigh into a decision to leave early.  How close to the 20 mark are you? Is your career field likely to pop up on future Force Shaping exercises? How well are you stratified?  How is the morale amongst your colleagues, leadership and airmen? What’s your deployment tempo like? It’s incredible how often some career fields were deployed over the last few years.  There isn’t a perfectly uniform distribution of deployment cycles in the USAF and you have to be willing to keep up with the current ops tempo inside your AFSC.

What happens if you do leave? As an effort to reduce veteran unemployment and comply with the White House Veterans Employment Initiative, the Air Force is ensuring the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is making the jump easier for airmen and their families.   From filing disability claims with the VA to getting military skills translated on civilian resumes, TAP has come a long way within the Air Force in just the last 10 years.  On many bases TAP is a week-long instructional event supported by commanding officers and supervisors.  I hear this not the same case for Army troops but it’s getting attention from high levels and should be seeing some significant upgrades. 

I’m interested in hearing thoughts from those on active duty: How are you interpreting the new budget constraints and how it will ultimately impact your job and resources?

Brandon Charters is a “Thought Leader” in the RallyPoint community, specifically focused on USAF issues.  RallyPoint is the private professional network for US military personnel.  Service members use RallyPoint to influence their own military careers over time, and to connect with military personnel just like them from all branches.

Are you a Thought Leader, too?  Email aaron@rallypoint.com to take part in this blog series!

HOW TO FIND THE BEST PCS ASSIGNMENTS

Have you ever wondered how some people get the best PCS (Permanent Change of Station) assignments, and you got stuck with one of your last choices?


Have you been advised to never put your most  desirable choices near the top of your wish list because you are destined not to get your top choice? The reality is that someone will get their top choice, so how do they do it? How do you get that choice PCS assignment in interesting commands, exchange programs in Australia, the White House, or top performing units? Someone has to get them… is it luck? No, it’s about initiative. Here is a 5 step guide to finding the best PCS assignments

Note: This approach will work better in some branches and communities within the military, as different communities have different degrees of flexibility. However, the only way to ensure it won’t work is if you don’t try.

1. Find out what assignments are becoming available

The biggest hurdle to landing the best PCS assignment is often just knowing where they are. Your branch manager/monitor/detailer is unlikely to call you and tell you that a new position is available in London, for example, or in your speciality’s most prestigious unit - so you can’t just wait for options to come to you - you have to seek them out. 

To find the best assignments, tap into your network. RallyPoint is the best way to discover those opportunities, but you can also reach out to your mentors, former leaders, and friends who are just a few years ahead of you. Beginning about a year before your PCS date, ask others about interesting opportunities, and have them ask their friends for you as well. By using RallyPoint, your 50 contacts can turn into 2500 contacts asking on your behalf, if all your friends/mentors ask their friends/mentors. RallyPoint will also show you all PCS openings of other RallyPoint members around your next rotation date. Sooner or later you’ll find a few assignments opening up around the time of your PCS date that you find interesting or compelling for your career. Congratulations, you’ve just overcome the hardest step!

2. Reach out to the person holding the assignment to learn more about the role

Now that you know of a few assignments that you find interesting, you’ll want to learn a lot more about them, and learn from the people in those assignments. How did they get the assignment? Likely they went through many of the steps described in this article, and you can learn a lot from them. 

Remember not to just ask questions like “how do I get this job?” - that makes your call/emails seem pushy and inappropriate. Instead, ask broader questions like “How do you like the position?” “How do you like the unit”? and “What recommendations do you have for somebody like me who is interested in these kinds of roles?” Asking open ended questions turns the conversation into a mentor-mentee relationship, and something that military personnel should always be willing to do is be a mentor - so make it easy for them - and listen.

If you cannot directly reach somebody in the role you are interested in, find the closest person possible… perhaps somebody else in the same unit or an adjacent unit, and learn from them. Use RallyPoint to find the right people to connect with.

3. Find out what best qualifies someone for the role you are interested in

Now that you’ve learned about some interesting roles, and  spoken with either the person holding that role or somebody else in that unit, you need to be honest with yourself to see if you qualify for that role. Does it require a special skill or school that you need? Perhaps you still have time to attend that school/training so you can be competitive for the assignment? Perhaps it requires something that is not realistic, like a certain foreign language skill that you can’t learn overnight. Study military profiles on RallyPoint to get a better sense for the kinds of background and qualifications people in that unit of interest have.

Either way, when you find out what best qualifies somebody for that PCS assignment, be honest with yourself if you can be competitive for it. If you cannot, then gracefully continue to explore other options. If you can, then you’re in luck and can continue to step 4.

4. Get a warm introduction to the unit you are interested in joining

The best PCS assignments are not assigned by random lottery - they tend to be heavily influenced by the gaining unit leadership and the efforts of the person or people interested in that assignment. In other words, the assignment process is competitive, and it’s often determined well before you ever have your conversation with your career manager. If you have ever wondered how some of those choice PCS assignments are filled, now you know. 

What you want is a warm introduction to the decision makers in that unit, to see if you can be considered for the position. What is a warm introduction? Well, let me first describe a cold introduction…. have you ever received a call from a telemarketer who called you out of nowhere with something to sell? If you have, your first reaction was likely to want to hang up and to become upset that somebody just wasted your time - no matter what the other side was trying to sell. That is a cold introduction. Now imagine your friend calls you and says “hey, I just bought this product and it’s great! I liked it so much that I asked that they send you a free sample as well.” Then if that same product rep calls you, you would be much more willing to listen to what they are pushing because of the endorsement by your friend. This is a warm introduction. People are much more likely to listen to people they don’t know if they come recommended by somebody they do know, or if they have mutual people or experiences in common.

Perhaps your old mentor or friend is now serving in the unit you are interested in, or perhaps in an adjacent unit and he/she can still get an introduction for you. It doesn’t really matter how you get the warm introduction, as long as you do  - while respecting your chain of command.

Once you get that introduction, you will want to make yourself known to the decision maker… whether that is a staff section leader, a senior NCO, or the XO/CO himself. Don’t just “ask” for the position - instead, show them your maturity and professionalism by relating to them the research you have done about the position, the qualifications you understand the position requires, and the qualifications you posses that you believe would make you competitive for the role. Express your interest, remain respectful, and accept feedback. If the role is not spoken for yet, and you present yourself professionally, it is very much possible the other side will suggest that you would be a good fit.

5. Keep your chain of command informed and discuss the assignment with your assignments officer

Ultimately it must be your branch/monitor/detailer who assigns you the PCS orders, and as we all know, the needs of the military comes first. That said, the best positions need to filled as well, and steps 1-4 described above is often how this happens. 

Take initiative to contact your career manager early and remain respectful; keep them informed of the conversations you’ve had, the interest you have, and hopefully the mutual interest from the other other unit. Perhaps they also made a “By Name” request for you - meaning the gaining unit called your career manager already and asked for you by name - that is a very compelling driver of action in your favor. In all this, it’s important that your career manager understands that you place the needs of the military first as well, and that you feel you have found a position you are strongly qualified for, and that receiving this assignment would benefit everyone, not just you and your family, but also the gaining unit due to your qualifications and fit.

If you get the position of your dreams, remember your lessons and make sure to mentor those that come after you - so that they too can best align their skill sets and interests with the roles they are assigned. If you don’t get it the first time, you would have still gained an expanded network, a better understanding of the system, and a greater knowledge of different roles and opportunities - which you can certainly leverage for your next PCS move. The broader your network, the more reach and influence you can have on your own career.

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By RallyPoint.com - The professional network for US military personnel. Empowering military members to connect, collaborate, and discover new career opportunities.