what to say for introductory statement during nomination interview

supergirl

5-Year Member
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Sep 14, 2010
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son has interview with MOC panel this saturday morning. the letter requests he take a few moments to describe to the panel why they should consider recommending you for an appointment. should my son state why he wants to go to the af academy during this introductory statement or highlight the things on his resume that support him deserving the nomination or both?? any thoughts are welcome!! the interview is 20 minutes in length so he only as a few moments to make that initial statement count.
 
When I sat down, they simply said "So.. tell me about yourself" :eek:
But I figured they would have plenty of time to iron out my resume, so I explained why I wanted to go to USNA.
I just explained my intentions; Id wanted to go to USNA since forever, and I've done nearly everything possible to get an appointment.
Good luck!:thumb:
 
My son had his last Saturday and he said they started off the same way, "...tell us about yourself." He is in the Army Reserve and ROTC in college, so it was easy for him to talk about his experiences there and how it has led him to West Point, etc., etc. Honestly, he didn't prepare any statements or rehearsed answers and he felt it went very well. The officers all shook his hand and told him he did a good job, and he left feeling very good about it. I think the moderators are right. They have said to just answer honestly and they will know that. Don't try to tell them what you think they want to hear, because they have heard it before.
 
supergirl and CE15, I still wonder though if they are looking for the answer to the question (without asking it directly) 'what will you make of this after you get in?" It's great to talk about how much you've done getting here. It seems obvious that you've done what it takes to get that far as you are now in the interview for the job, but what is your goal once you arrive? What will become of their investment in five or ten years? Are you wiling to invest in them as much as they are willing to invest in you? What can you bring to the role of United States Military Officer?

I think it's important to understand that the Service Academy is not the end game. It's only the first move. They may be asking "have you given sufficient thought to what it means after you graduate 'college'?" Do you really want to salute other people in uniform, follow orders as well as you can give them? Can you spend the next ten years or so doing this?

It's not easy, but I hear it is quite an adventure. Good luck in your interview. :thumb:
 
The 2 most common questions asked by a MOC is:

1. Why do you want to go to the "...... Academy"?
2. Why should we choose YOU to be the one who gets the nomination?

Answers:
1. Explain your goals. (Hint: The academy is not a goal; it's a track for you reaching your goals)
2. Explain how your goals will be beneficial to the military and with you serving your country.
3. Explain how the academy is the BEST way for you to reach your goals and be the best asset you can be to the military and our country.

I can't be specific, because I don't know your individual goals. However, here is an example: NOTE: It seems long, but speaking it is only about 1:30. (Minute-thirty seconds). And again, it's just an example. Combining your goals; wanting to serve the military; how they compliment each other; and being modest/humble while at the same time mentioning your interests. At the end, generically mention your multiple accomplishments so as to LEAD THE PANEL into asking you some more questions. Again, this is only an example. Don't critique it for grammar, content, or anything else. Simply saying that in a MINUTE and a HALF, you should be able to combine your career goals with serving the military, and how your attending the academy will help these 2 things compliment each other.

"Good morning Sir. Thank you for taking the time to interview me and giving me the opportunity to apply for a nomination. I've always been interested and intrigued with technology. It's my career goal to work in the Satellite Communications field. Through my meetings with foreign exchange students in my school, as well as my studies in world history and government, I have also come to realize that even with all our problems, we still live in the greatest country in the world. The thought of being able to serve my country while at the same time working in the technology fields, seems to be the ultimate career for me. While being in the military and serving my country is definitely something I plan on doing, no matter what happens, I feel that attending West Point/Annapolis/etc... will prepare me best. I want to be able to motivate and lead other military members into being the best that they are capable of. I believe that it's been that leadership and attitude that has made our military the best in the world. And to preserve our country and the constitution, I believe that we need to ensure that we maintain this quality military; and I want to be part of that....... I know you have a lot of applicants stating their case for receiving an appointment. I don't know their backgrounds, future goals, or motives; but I do know mine. Working in a career that motivates me, while serving our country, which has provided so many opportunities to me and all citizens, would not only be a dream come true, but an honor and responsibility that I take very seriously. The experiences I've had on athletic teams, clubs, and such, have enforced my desire even more to be part of one of the best teams. Our Military. And the Air Force academy will help me to become the best leader I can be."
 
Thanks Mike,

Son has an interview with his MOC next week. I supplied him a printout of your example and encouraged him to be properly prepared for the interview. This site is a great resource for parents. I enjoy being able to supply him with advice directly from ALOs and other experienced folks since I have never gone through the process myself. What he does with the advice is up to him, but I want him to have the opportunity to perform his best throughout the candidate process. . .

Again, thank you,

:thumb:
 
Thank you so much for your advice. we also printed out your 3 points and response for our son. also gave him a list of the commontly asked interview questions and possible responses suggesting he put them into an military point of view. he is not nervous - is used to talking to adults thru volunteer work, many boards of review in scouts including eagle, job interviews, Boys State interview, plus has already had the ROTC interview and ALO interview. he has an LOA so we assume the ALO interview went well. the info on this site has been a huge help in understanding the process, the variables that go into decisions etc... we don't want him to rehearse answers just not get broadsided by a question. will post an update on how the interview tomorrow goes to help someone else.
 
update on interview

son thought the interview went well - heard one of the panelists say " this young man impressed me...." as he closed the door. did not hear the rest of the sentence but he thought that was a good sign. interview took all of the 20 minutes. he had written up bullet points of things he wanted to say in his introductory statement but did not write it out so it wouldn't sound rehearsed. he said he covered all the points but he was nervous and if he had to do it again he would make it a little shorter because he felt odd "talking about himself for so long".

hardest question he got asked was a variation of the dilemma question: if given an order you don't agree with or felt was wrong, what would you do?

was asked to give 1 strength and one weakness and give an example. who is your hero? panel of 4 asked him a number of questions about his eagle project; volunteer work. did not ask any academic questions. He did not bring up his LOA at all - but the panel was aware of it because they congratulated him about it. he said he made a point to shake all of the panels hands in the beginning and at the end when he was finished- thanking them. it seemed to him that previous candidates may have only shaken the hand of the gentleman nearest to the door as he was the one who stood to greet son when he came in/ out. others seemed surprised to stand. they also seemed impressed that he had come from swim practice (time trials) to the interview (after a shower at home). keeping our fingers crossed - decision to be made by mid december.
 
supergirl, sounds like you have a well spoken young man there. It sounds like he did the best he had to offer. I think he'll do well in representing our country where ever life leads him.

Thanks for putting in the effort in raising him that way. :thumb:
 
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