Concerns about ALO Interview

[dirtyflaco]

I had my ALO interview done just a few days ago, but I am concerned about how it went.

The interview only lasted about 25 minutes. I was not asked nearly as many questions as I anticipated and I feel as though I didn't get to say everything I wanted to say. My ALO actually did seem impressed with my academics, extracurriculars, and leadership, and they even told me directly that they think I'm a strong candidate. Apart from my concern with the length, I also noticed that my interviewer submitted the interview evaluation form just an hour after the interview. From what I've read on these forums, most people did not have their interview checked off on their portal for multiple days or even weeks.

I have been thinking about these concerns since the interview and want to know if I should be worried or not.

Thank you.

 

[bethf]

You said the ALO verbalized that you were a strong candidate and seemed impressed with your stats. I wouldn't worry about the timing of the entry of the interview to your portal. Maybe the person is a fast worker. The alternative would be waiting and waiting for the green check, which is no fun. Please don't worry about something you can't control. Move on to your next task and do your best!!! For the record, my DS had an interview with the PMS for AROTC that lasted less than 30 minutes. He just landed a 4-year scholarship in the 1st board. Your ALO probably heard all he/she needed to hear. Best of luck!!!

 

[dirtyflaco]

You said the ALO verbalized that you were a strong candidate and seemed impressed with your stats. I wouldn't worry about the timing of the entry of the interview to your portal. Maybe the person is a fast worker. The alternative would be waiting and waiting for the green check, which is no fun. Please don't worry about something you can't control. Move on to your next task and do your best!!! For the record, my DS had an interview with the PMS for AROTC that lasted less than 30 minutes. He just landed a 4-year scholarship in the 1st board. Your ALO probably heard all he/she needed to hear. Best of luck!!!

Thanks for the response, and congratulations to your DS! That is assuring. I agree that I should not worry about the things I can't control. Now I just have to prepare for my MOC interview

 

[bethf]

Thanks for the response, and congratulations to your DS! That is assuring. I agree that I should not worry about the things I can't control. Now I just have to prepare for my MOC interview

You've got this!! You've come to the right place to get encouragement!

 

[Thegirlinthefireplace]

Thanks for the response, and congratulations to your DS! That is assuring. I agree that I should not worry about the things I can't control. Now I just have to prepare for my MOC interview

I had my last one this morning. They are definitely intimidating, but you'll do great. Good luck!

 

[hopefulmama1218]

Does a check mark with ALO means positive or just neutral? How would you know if your ALO interview went well? Will ALO interview affect your appointment or early notification? Will they recommend early notification, regular selection or late selection?

 

[AFrpaso]

Does a check mark with ALO means positive or just neutral? How would you know if your ALO interview went well? Will ALO interview affect your appointment or early notification? Will they recommend early notification, regular selection or late selection?

Does a check mark with ALO means positive or just neutral?

Neutral. Just that the interview was completed and the evaluation was submitted by the ALO.

How would you know if your ALO interview went well?

Some ALOs might communicate that a candidate did "well" at the end of the interview, but it's not required for them to do so. You will not be able to get a copy of the submitted evaluation.

Will ALO interview affect your appointment or early notification?

Will the interview affect your appointment? Absolutely. Early notification? That I do not know.

Will they recommend early notification, regular selection or late selection?

The evaluating ALO does not make recommendations concerning the timing of an appointment offer. The admissions office decides that stuff.

 

[flieger83]

I thought I'd drop my $1.18 into this. (I have an interview scheduled for later this evening.)

My interviews run from 45-90 minutes. Why so long? I get "in-depth" with the candidate. We start with just some gentle conversation, a "get to know each other" period. And then the conversation continues. If I do it correctly, and I've gotten pretty good at this over 28 years, the candidate really won't feel like their being interviewed. We just have a fun conversation...and in that conversation, the questions I want answered will be answered, most times without the candidate realizing it.

And at the end, I always say: "Well, I think I've got most of what I need, so here's the HARDEST question: are you ready?" And they look nervous, and then I say: "SO, what do YOU want to ask ME?" And we go from there.

The ALO Evaluation Interview is not designed to "weed 'em out!" When I train a new ALO, I tell them that this is their opportunity to "paint a picture" for the admissions team that describes the candidate better than the "lines on a computer screen application." Give the reviewer a mental image of the candidate to make the evaluation process more personal. The candidate wouldn't be at this stage if they were not a good candidate, so let's get past that and tell USAFA "who this person is."

And when I do my write-up, yes I am honest. Yes, most times the writeup is a glowing tribute to a really excellent candidate. But not always. There are those times when I'll say "Not the strongest in this area, needs some more maturing..." and similar statements. That's in each of the areas we evaluate. And then, at the end, there's a section for us to comment "on anything." And that's where I will, if I believe it's warranted, put a statement like: "MUST OFFER APPOINTMENT!! DO NOT WAIT!" or "Fine candidate, but if not selected for direct appointment, should be TOP OF THE LIST for PREP SCHOOL/FALCON FOUNDATION!" And similar comments.

And the last thing I do is ask the candidate to hang onto my email and when a decision is made, either by them or USAFA, to please drop me a note and let me know. ALOs rarely get that information.

Steve
USAFA ALO

 

[agmp183]

I had my ALO interview done just a few days ago, but I am concerned about how it went.

The interview only lasted about 25 minutes. I was not asked nearly as many questions as I anticipated and I feel as though I didn't get to say everything I wanted to say. My ALO actually did seem impressed with my academics, extracurriculars, and leadership, and they even told me directly that they think I'm a strong candidate. Apart from my concern with the length, I also noticed that my interviewer submitted the interview evaluation form just an hour after the interview. From what I've read on these forums, most people did not have their interview checked off on their portal for multiple days or even weeks.

I have been thinking about these concerns since the interview and want to know if I should be worried or not.

Thank you.

Who was your interviewer if you don't mind me asking?

 

[dirtyflaco]

I thought I'd drop my $1.18 into this. (I have an interview scheduled for later this evening.)

My interviews run from 45-90 minutes. Why so long? I get "in-depth" with the candidate. We start with just some gentle conversation, a "get to know each other" period. And then the conversation continues. If I do it correctly, and I've gotten pretty good at this over 28 years, the candidate really won't feel like their being interviewed. We just have a fun conversation...and in that conversation, the questions I want answered will be answered, most times without the candidate realizing it.

And at the end, I always say: "Well, I think I've got most of what I need, so here's the HARDEST question: are you ready?" And they look nervous, and then I say: "SO, what do YOU want to ask ME?" And we go from there.

The ALO Evaluation Interview is not designed to "weed 'em out!" When I train a new ALO, I tell them that this is their opportunity to "paint a picture" for the admissions team that describes the candidate better than the "lines on a computer screen application." Give the reviewer a mental image of the candidate to make the evaluation process more personal. The candidate wouldn't be at this stage if they were not a good candidate, so let's get past that and tell USAFA "who this person is."

And when I do my write-up, yes I am honest. Yes, most times the writeup is a glowing tribute to a really excellent candidate. But not always. There are those times when I'll say "Not the strongest in this area, needs some more maturing..." and similar statements. That's in each of the areas we evaluate. And then, at the end, there's a section for us to comment "on anything." And that's where I will, if I believe it's warranted, put a statement like: "MUST OFFER APPOINTMENT!! DO NOT WAIT!" or "Fine candidate, but if not selected for direct appointment, should be TOP OF THE LIST for PREP SCHOOL/FALCON FOUNDATION!" And similar comments.

And the last thing I do is ask the candidate to hang onto my email and when a decision is made, either by them or USAFA, to please drop me a note and let me know. ALOs rarely get that information.

Steve
USAFA ALO

Thank you for the response! I believe part of what is worrying me is that the interview did NOT feel like a fun conversation as you and many others have noted. My interviewer never really commented on my answers and just went through a list of questions. That could just be their style or they may have been bored to death, but I hope it isn't the latter. I believe I have impressive extracurriculars and good academics and I don't think that she could have been as bored as to end the interview early.

Thank you for mentioning that the interview isn't supposed to be a way to weed out candidates, and rather to boost them. Despite the short and 'interrogation-like' interview, the verbal feedback I received from my ALO is giving me peace. I've got my fingers crossed that nothing negative was written on the report!

 

[hopefulmama1218]

Neutral. Just that the interview was completed and the evaluation was submitted by the ALO.


Some ALOs might communicate that a candidate did "well" at the end of the interview, but it's not required for them to do so. You will not be able to get a copy of the submitted evaluation.


Will the interview affect your appointment? Absolutely. Early notification? That I do not know.


The evaluating ALO does not make recommendations concerning the timing of an appointment offer. The admissions office decides that stuff.

Thank you for such comprehensive response! I do hope my DS impressed his ALO and will get the big boost he needs for USAFA appointment. He was shortlisted and interviewed by our Senator which is a total surprise to us. Hopefully he'll get the nomination soon from either our Senator or Congressman. Another thing I have in mind is that if the candidate is a principal nominee, will that boost as well his appointment?

 

[Capt MJ]

Thank you for such comprehensive response! I do hope my DS impressed his ALO and will get the big boost he needs for USAFA appointment. He was shortlisted and interviewed by our Senator which is a total surprise to us. Hopefully he'll get the nomination soon from either our Senator or Congressman. Another thing I have in mind is that if the candidate is a principal nominee, will that boost as well his appointment?

IF the elected official uses the principal nomination method and IF the candidate is qualified medically (DoDMERB Q or waiver), athletically (CFA) and academically/scholastically (all the other evaluated stuff), then USAFA is forced to offer an appointment to that candidate, no matter how USAFA ranks them against other nominees on the slate. And, USAFA can choose other fully qualified nominees off the slate and offer them appointments, but charge them to nom authorities they control.

Good luck!

 

[justdoit19]

To add, if your person is not the principal nominee, and another person is, that doesn’t equate to ‘no chance of an appointment for your person’. The principal nominee may not accept, or be fully qualified (as discussed above).

Most do not us the principal method. Some do one year, and not another. Don’t worry yourself about this piece.

 

[BBQ-Devil]

My interviews typically last about an hour +/-. I normally will schedule a short pre-interview with the candidate to discuss the actual interview and answer any questions they may have since unfortunately many have had little contact with their Mentor ALOs. As Steve mentioned above, I try to make the actual interview more of a conversation and less of an "interview" as I find I can get more out of a candidate if we can break the ice and get the nervousness out of the way.

Each ALO will be different in how fast we get the review posted to the portal as we are all volunteers. When a candidate pops up in our portal for evaluation we are given 3 weeks to complete the interview and submit our report back into the system. I think most of us try really hard to stay within that timeframe.

On a personal note, I always try to have my evaluation posted within 48 hours of the interview.

 

[Ender's2ndInCommand]

I had my ALO interview done just a few days ago, but I am concerned about how it went.

The interview only lasted about 25 minutes. I was not asked nearly as many questions as I anticipated and I feel as though I didn't get to say everything I wanted to say. My ALO actually did seem impressed with my academics, extracurriculars, and leadership, and they even told me directly that they think I'm a strong candidate. Apart from my concern with the length, I also noticed that my interviewer submitted the interview evaluation form just an hour after the interview. From what I've read on these forums, most people did not have their interview checked off on their portal for multiple days or even weeks.

I have been thinking about these concerns since the interview and want to know if I should be worried or not.

Thank you.

That is kind of funny, actually. I had my ALO interview just yesterday and it lasted only 30-35 minutes. It was kind of abnormal for me because my previous interview (BGO) before that lasted roughly 2 hours. I had the same concern as you, but he seemed pretty impressed with my achievements and my responses to his questions. My BGO liked to talk and I had more questions for him, so that is one reason why the interaction lasted as long as it did compared to the one with my ALO. Best of luck to you!

 

[dirtyflaco]

That is kind of funny, actually. I had my ALO interview just yesterday and it lasted only 30-35 minutes. It was kind of abnormal for me because my previous interview (BGO) before that lasted roughly 2 hours. I had the same concern as you, but he seemed pretty impressed with my achievements and my responses to his questions. My BGO liked to talk and I had more questions for him, so that is one reason why the interaction lasted as long as it did compared to the one with my ALO. Best of luck to you!

Even more funny now that I just completed my BGO interview an hour ago. The BGO interview lasted 2 and a half hours I still feel as though the BGO interview went better but I don't think I really messed up with my ALO interview. I think it was my ALOs style. Hopefully.

 

[hooorahhhh]

On the flip side, I did not think I expressed myself as a strong candidate during my interviews (FFR and BGO). I felt like I gave textbook responses and lowkey monotony answers, however, I'm at the best position I can be right now.

 

[Navygirl.28]

I had my ALO interview done just a few days ago, but I am concerned about how it went.

The interview only lasted about 25 minutes. I was not asked nearly as many questions as I anticipated and I feel as though I didn't get to say everything I wanted to say. My ALO actually did seem impressed with my academics, extracurriculars, and leadership, and they even told me directly that they think I'm a strong candidate. Apart from my concern with the length, I also noticed that my interviewer submitted the interview evaluation form just an hour after the interview. From what I've read on these forums, most people did not have their interview checked off on their portal for multiple days or even weeks.

I have been thinking about these concerns since the interview and want to know if I should be worried or not.

Thank you.

I wouldn't be worried. Mine went in very quickly swell and he verbalized that I did a good job.

 

[Avenger2027]

I asked this question under the ALO Mentor but was hoping to get feedback from one of the ALOs (@flieger83, @Academician or @Capt MJ) on the forum. The answer I got referenced the Gain Service Academy Admission information, but I am not sure how accurate that site is. "What impact does the ALO Evaluator interview have on you receiving an appointment if you do well or poorly during the interview? Thank you

 

[flieger83]

I asked this question under the ALO Mentor but was hoping to get feedback from one of the ALOs (@flieger83, @Academician or @Capt MJ) on the forum. The answer I got referenced the Gain Service Academy Admission information, but I am not sure how accurate that site is. "What impact does the ALO Evaluator interview have on you receiving an appointment if you do well or poorly during the interview? Thank you

Hi!

Okay, let's take your question: "What impact does the ALO Evaluator interview have on you receiving an appointment if you do well or poorly during the interview? "

Let's take this piece by piece. The interview is subjective. The evaluator ALO has his/her set of questions (or not, they may just take them as they come) that they will "probe" the candidate with. I have a list of questions that I send the candidate prior to our "meeting." It gives me some "meat" for the writeup and gets the candidate thinking.

From that point on...the interview is what it is. How the candidate responds to the questions, what they have told me, what they offer up...all of that is factored into the ratings I give. At the end of the day, I have to rate the candidate in nine areas:

Character/Core Values
Self Confidence
Human Relations
Planning/Organizing
Communicative Skills
Leadership
Motivation toward the USAF
Any additional factors I wish to add/comment upon
Overall recommendation

What impact does the interview have. Let's cut to the chase: can an ALO torpedo a candidate? The honest answer is yes. HOWEVER, in 28 years of being an ALO, I've done this exactly twice. In both instances the candidate lied to me, at least twice. In each instance I gave that person the opportunity to "recant/retract/change" and yet they doubled-down.

The role of the evaluator ALO is NOT to "weed out the weak." Far from that, our role is to complete the "picture" admissions has of the candidate. We supply the mental image that the paperwork might not. In that case, we have to be subjective: is the candidate nervous? Are they so gung ho that they're responses as a bit...flubbed due to nerves? And the like. Let's face it, we all get nervous and second/third guess our answers. That's completely normal! I try to structure my interviews more as a casual conversation...we'll talk about flying, deployments I've had, things I did silly at the academy that they should avoid, etc. All the while I'm asking them questions, very conversationally, and I'm getting the information I seek; many times without them realizing it.

And after all that, I choose the rating I give and complete the form. Will my evaluation "ruin" their chances or "ensure" their chances? My ego would love to say yes, but in reality, no. It will help or just clear up questions. It almost never hurts unless the record just isn't there in which case, the ratings will be low, but that's not due to the interview.

Does this help?

Steve
USAFA ALO
(Evaluator and Mentor)