I successfully sent nearly 100 individuals to Navy OCS/ODS -- AMA

Capt MJ said:
@lyz
I am sorry you are having this recruiting challenge, as you seem to be well-qualified. While awaiting a response from @USNA_STEM_Prof , I went poking around on my own. Quite properly, you are trying to deal with going through the “front door” via Reserve officer recruiting.

I thought about other doors where you might diplomatically knock, stick your head in and ask for lateral help. The link below is for the MyNavyHR page for the Reserve CEC Officer Community Manager. All Navy officer communities have an OCM, who role it is to focus on community career development, end strength, etc. In essence, they set the intake goals for the Recruiting arm to reach, in quality and quantity per FY. They have a vested interest in seeing well-qualified people come into their community. There is a link on the page below which takes you to an email for the actual OCM. If you cannot get anywhere through Recruiting contacts, you could ask for advice for how best to resolve your situation. A concise, well-written email, stating upfront what help you need, with a few bullets in your background, something roughly like…

“I am contacting you for advice on how to break through a CEC Reserve Officer accession logjam, having tried without success to ascertain my status with regard to my current application and ODS. I recognize the Community Manager is not the responsible Navy Reserve recruiting entity, but I am at a loss as to how to move forward and would appreciate advice on steps I can take to keep my application active. I am motivated to join the Navy Reserve CEC community and believe I am a strong candidate.

My goal is not to get my recruiter in trouble, but I started my application in February of this year, and continue to encounter lost emails, missing documentation, unreturned emails and phone calls, and what seems to me like no forward progress.

Some key points:
- PE-licensed, 10+ years industry experience, Master of Engineering degree from X, 99 ASVAB, high PFA. Age:
- Was in USMC OCS through Jan 2023 but was dropped for an injury. Now recovered. Have sent supporting documentation.
- Have provided all requested documentation promptly.
- **Other bullet points that might help immediately clarify your situation, but don’t overdo it.

Again, I know the Recruiting process is not in your direct control, but I would welcome your insight as to how I can successfully get my application into consideration and be in the best possible place to hope for acceptance and eventual orders to ODS.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide. I can be contacted at (email) and (phone). My last four of my SSN are X, for identification purposes. (Assume you have had to supply your SSN and DOB.) “





As I said, this is knocking on a door on the inside of the house, but you never know what help you might find. Keep n mind too that the govt FY ends on Sep 30. FY 2024 starts 1 Oct with new recruiting intake goals. There is no way of knowing how the needs of the Navy are playing a role into how and when your package will get reviewed.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your response!

I actually found this exact person’s contact information by digging around a couple days ago, and am awaiting a response from them. I really appreciate your well-thought-out email example.

My recruiter finally texted me back this morning (9/25/2023) to tell me that my waiver requests have been sitting on Big Navy’s desk for the last month, and who knows what the outcome will be.
My waiver requests were for 1) 1-2 letters of recommendation (I had already provided 5 from grad school thru my working career, including one from the USMC Captain who got me selected last year; so not sure why they needed more); and 2) a psych eval for an eating disorder I had when I was a teen (I’m now in my 30s and received a clean bill of health from the psych). From anecdotes I’m finding online, my waiver requests should be a breeze to obtain approval for, but I guess there’s still a chance that Big Navy won’t like something in my application. But please set me straight if my impression is totally off!

I requested resources and a timeline for the CEC interview process, and received a curt “there are no CEC resources” response from my recruiter. Hoping the CEC OCM may have something I can use to prep. I’m desperate to serve and I feel like the longer I wait, the harder it will be to get in and succeed.

Thank you again!
 
Okay, one thing a military officer becomes good at over years of service - knowings things are written down somewhere - policies, guides, instructions, manuals, etc.

Dive in:

The above is one of the many resource links listed at the bottom of the OCM link I provided above. Work your way through those.

And, this is from another forum, a few years old, but with some specifics:

Reserve CEC

How's it going guys? I was just curious if anybody know what reserve CEC officers actually do? I've read the descriptions online and have received some vague answers from people. What I mean is do they get directly attached to a Seabese unit with some cool frontline experience or will it be 100...
www.airwarriors.com


Glad you heard from the recruiter!

Reality check: a govt shutdown could impact any federal civilians involved in your application process. Pace of work could become more glacial.

Just press on.

One more thought. Are you anywhere near a Navy Reserve Center or NOSC? You could go on a hunt to find a currently serving CEC USNR officer to gain insights. Also check social media like Facebook and Instagram for reserve unit pages for Reserve Seabee units.

Scroll down this link and look for Navy Reserve Centers:
www.defense.gov

A-Z List

An alphabetical listing of Defense Department and military websites and social media pages.
www.defense.gov

They may not have Reserve CEC/SeaBee/NavFacEngComm units attached there, but they might help you find one and you continue the hunt.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: lyz
Capt MJ said:
Okay, one thing a military officer becomes good at over years of service - knowings things are written down somewhere - policies, guides, instructions, manuals, etc.

Dive in:

The above is one of the many resource links listed at the bottom of the OCM link I provided above. Work your way through those.

And, this is from another forum, a few years old, but with some specifics:

Reserve CEC

How's it going guys? I was just curious if anybody know what reserve CEC officers actually do? I've read the descriptions online and have received some vague answers from people. What I mean is do they get directly attached to a Seabese unit with some cool frontline experience or will it be 100...
www.airwarriors.com


Glad you heard from the recruiter!

Reality check: a govt shutdown could impact any federal civilians involved in your application process. Pace of work could become more glacial.

Just press on.

One more thought. Are you anywhere near a Navy Reserve Center or NOSC? You could go on a hunt to find a currently serving CEC USNR officer to gain insights. Also check social media like Facebook and Instagram for reserve unit pages for Reserve Seabee units.

Scroll down this link and look for Navy Reserve Centers:
www.defense.gov

A-Z List

An alphabetical listing of Defense Department and military websites and social media pages.
www.defense.gov

They may not have Reserve CEC/SeaBee/NavFacEngComm units attached there, but they might help you find one and you continue the hunt.
Click to expand...
Incredible, thank you!!
 
lyz said:
I saw your AMA post and 1st of all wanted to thank you for offering.
Click to expand...
@lyz -- First, @Capt MJ nailed it (as always). Second, it really does break my heart and piss me off to read what you're dealing with. Frankly, half the successes I found in recruiting came from the back that a lot of my competition was as you described.

A few comments to follow, some of which are supposition, others are suggestion.

Supposition: Some recruiters are really bad about telling applicants they aren't qualified, instead just dangling them along. Now, you sound very qualified and heck, you shipped out with USMC, so I doubt that's it. However, if there is something in your application making you non-competitive for CEC (again, I doubt it), that could explain it, though I'd still say the recruiter is doing a poor job. The Navy RC CEC PA has all the minimum requirements.

Supposition: They don't need RC CEC Officers. I'd see this at times: extremely motivated and persistent applicants that were doggedly pursuing a certain community we had zero quotas for. But again, the recruiter should be communicating to you! However, this is where the advice from @Capt MJ comes in: the community manager can answer that question. A couple years ago in my pentagon gig I had instant access to that information and the community managers on speed dial -- sadly that time has passed.

Suggestion: To the point Capt MJ made, you need to shake some trees. The service you're receiving is unacceptable. Knocking some doors inside the house is one avenue and a solid suggestion, another would be calling the home-owner, by which I mean trying to work your way up the NTAG chain of command. The NTAG OPO, XO, CO (in that order) are individuals you could try and get a hold of. Of course there are formal complaint mechanisms as well. When I was a CO I would receive these at times, often somewhat spurious whining, but in other cases legitimate complaints of my staff that needed to be addressed.

I hope this helps. Feel free to respond here or DM for more.
 
USNA_STEM_Prof said:
@lyz -- First, @Capt MJ nailed it (as always). Second, it really does break my heart and piss me off to read what you're dealing with. Frankly, half the successes I found in recruiting came from the back that a lot of my competition was as you described.

A few comments to follow, some of which are supposition, others are suggestion.

Supposition: Some recruiters are really bad about telling applicants they aren't qualified, instead just dangling them along. Now, you sound very qualified and heck, you shipped out with USMC, so I doubt that's it. However, if there is something in your application making you non-competitive for CEC (again, I doubt it), that could explain it, though I'd still say the recruiter is doing a poor job. The Navy RC CEC PA has all the minimum requirements.

Supposition: They don't need RC CEC Officers. I'd see this at times: extremely motivated and persistent applicants that were doggedly pursuing a certain community we had zero quotas for. But again, the recruiter should be communicating to you! However, this is where the advice from @Capt MJ comes in: the community manager can answer that question. A couple years ago in my pentagon gig I had instant access to that information and the community managers on speed dial -- sadly that time has passed.

Suggestion: To the point Capt MJ made, you need to shake some trees. The service you're receiving is unacceptable. Knocking some doors inside the house is one avenue and a solid suggestion, another would be calling the home-owner, by which I mean trying to work your way up the NTAG chain of command. The NTAG OPO, XO, CO (in that order) are individuals you could try and get a hold of. Of course there are formal complaint mechanisms as well. When I was a CO I would receive these at times, often somewhat spurious whining, but in other cases legitimate complaints of my staff that needed to be addressed.

I hope this helps. Feel free to respond here or DM for more.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply!!

I finally got a message back that my med waivers that had been with Big Navy were finally approved. My recruiter is now reaching out to the CEC to schedule an interview for me — based on experience, I actually have no faith that this is happening, and I will have to keep texting and calling to make sure it actually does.
I keep asking my recruiter about FY24 CEC Board schedule and available slots but get no info back. My recruiter was very upfront with me the first and only time I met them in person (Is this lack of facetime normal? I was invited to / required to be at USMC Officer poolie, TDG, PFT, and OCS Q&A events almost weekly so I might not have a realistic benchmark) — my recruiter has never gotten a CEC RC application before in their 2 years of this job, and mine is their first. The recruiting team doesn’t know the RC CEC process at all, and I have to do the research and investigation myself while the recruitment team handles the application. This is fine… as long as they actually handle the application. But it was 7 months of me begging and chasing them down (I called the local enlisted recruitment office, the random USN recruiter who texted me expressing interest in enlisting me not knowing I was already trying to get into the USN, this recruiter’s CO, and the NTAG lead for the Carolinas) to get things moving along. I sometimes wonder if this is part of it — are you determined enough to keep after it to secure a commission? Prove that you want it badly enough. Water under the bridge now, I can only hope to give future CEC hopefuls some firsthand anecdotes about the process when my time comes.

I wish there was someone I could talk to about the RC CEC quotas for the upcoming FY, what I can do to prep for the interview(s), what else I can do to increase my chances at getting a direct commission offer, etc.

Thanks again for your insight — beyond valuable!
 
lyz said:
Is this lack of facetime normal?
Click to expand...
For Navy (in my experience), yes. USMC runs a tight crew and keeps their people very engaged. For Navy, while I was very communicative, I frequently didn't need to speak to my applicants for long periods of time, though I at least did a quick monthly check-in with those waiting for boards or results.

The CEC process is more involved and somewhat low-need, so it doesn't surprise me that they aren't familiar with the process. I focused on active recruiting, though I did put in a few RC individuals, and even active CEC was a minority of my people. Still, the interview will be just that -- an interview with a CEC officer.

Read up on the community, the nature of the work, and be ready to discuss why you'll need minimal guidance and be ready to lead a rough and tumble group of RC Seabees. I saw many applicants go blindly into interviews, as if they'd interview for a civilian job having read nothing about it or the company.

I'm seeing if I can pull quotas to give you an idea. Will respond if successful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lyz
USNA_STEM_Prof said:
For Navy (in my experience), yes. USMC runs a tight crew and keeps their people very engaged. For Navy, while I was very communicative, I frequently didn't need to speak to my applicants for long periods of time, though I at least did a quick monthly check-in with those waiting for boards or results.

The CEC process is more involved and somewhat low-need, so it doesn't surprise me that they aren't familiar with the process. I focused on active recruiting, though I did put in a few RC individuals, and even active CEC was a minority of my people. Still, the interview will be just that -- an interview with a CEC officer.

Read up on the community, the nature of the work, and be ready to discuss why you'll need minimal guidance and be ready to lead a rough and tumble group of RC Seabees. I saw many applicants go blindly into interviews, as if they'd interview for a civilian job having read nothing about it or the company.

I'm seeing if I can pull quotas to give you an idea. Will respond if successful.
Click to expand...
This makes me feel a lot better. I will do just that. I’ll learn everything I can about the community, the traditions, the leadership expectations, and how I can best fill any gaps where they may need it most. Thank you!!
 
lyz said:
This makes me feel a lot better. I will do just that. I’ll learn everything I can about the community, the traditions, the leadership expectations, and how I can best fill any gaps where they may need it most. Thank you!!
Click to expand...
If you have lingo like "Mobile construction battalion" and understand the various enlisted ratings that make up the Seabee sailors, you'll be well ahead of most I suspect.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lyz
lyz said:
This makes me feel a lot better. I will do just that. I’ll learn everything I can about the community, the traditions, the leadership expectations, and how I can best fill any gaps where they may need it most. Thank you!!
Click to expand...
Plus, you could google on the structure of RC CEC. Where are the various NCHB units, their leadership structure, etc. Again, no one expects you to be an expert, but some general familiarity goes a long way, especially since you presumably don't need to brush up on your civilian qualifications you're bringing to the table.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lyz
USNA_STEM_Prof said:
Plus, you could google on the structure of RC CEC. Where are the various NCHB units, their leadership structure, etc. Again, no one expects you to be an expert, but some general familiarity goes a long way, especially since you presumably don't need to brush up on your civilian qualifications you're bringing to the table.
Click to expand...
This is great, thank you!
 
USNA_STEM_Prof said:
I was an officer recruiter that found tremendous success through hard work, candid conversations, and genuine investment in the young men and women that came to me. Between those I sent to OCS and the hundreds more that weren't eligible, I have a lot of experience and want to assist. Granted, the recruiting environment / market now is much different than in 2013-2015 but many of my observations apply.

I got nukes, SWOs, pilots, intel, and even a SEAL into OCS. Ask me anything!
Click to expand...
Hi, just got selected as a navy officer. It is allowed for me to ask my detailer if I would like to go to a certain region for my first assignment? Or would I just accept whatever will be assigned? Thanks
 
sam.lee said:
Hi, just got selected as a navy officer. It is allowed for me to ask my detailer if I would like to go to a certain region for my first assignment? Or would I just accept whatever will be assigned? Thanks
Click to expand...
Depends on your community. There are usually detailing "business rules" and they change depending on current NPC policies and desires of big Navy and the individual community. For example, there was a big change to OCONUS detailing recently. It can be a challenge to keep up with the web of NAVADMINs, MPMs, and instructions. General rule is to start from bottom-up, with most recent instruction taking precedence, e.g. PERS-4 memo from October 2023 supersedes NAVADMIN from 2021 supersedes MILPERSMAN from 2012. Higher level guidance generally leaves holes for lower echelon guidance to fill.

Check the MyNavyHR website for detailer and OCM guidance. Some communities also use tools like MilSuite to disseminate information that doesn't fit onto the public facing websites.

In general, there's usually either location preference or job preference. For slating, you would rank the available billets (i.e. 1-25) and then specify if you'd like to prioritize location or job in the context of that ordering.

If EFMP or co-lo applies, they will take priority over anything else (if co-lo is requested). I have seen mil-to-mil couples opt not to request co-lo because they know it will have career impact to be in an "undesirable" billet or to miss a milestone for the sake of co-location.

When in doubt just ask the detailer. Give them a week or so to respond; it's always some kind of board season over there.
 
Last edited:
sam.lee said:
Hi, just got selected as a navy officer. It is allowed for me to ask my detailer if I would like to go to a certain region for my first assignment? Or would I just accept whatever will be assigned? Thanks
Click to expand...
@nuensis hits a lot of solid details.

I'll approach this differently: what community were you selected for? Aviation? SWO? Intel?
 
Hello! I realize you made this AMA a couple of years ago, so I apologize if you weren't intending to still be answering questions by this point. But I wanted to ask about my situation, or lack thereof I should say. I want to join the Navy as an officer after I complete my degree. But I'm unsure of a few things, so if you'll allow, I'll describe my circumstances.

I'm a 35 year old male who is married and has a 7 year old daughter. I currently have one fall semester left to complete my Associate of Science degree in Psychology. I intend on transferring to a 4 year university to complete my degree in Psychology. I wanted to join and utilize the NROTC scholarship, but discovered that I have aged out and am no longer eligible. I understand the Navy has the Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program (BDCP) as well, that I am very interested in as an alternative to the scholarship (as long as your university does not have an NROTC program, which two universities near me do not). I'm also aware that to qualify you must already have 60 credit hours or be in your sophomore year (as I said, I'm about to finish my associates and would intend on applying after I am accepted as a sophomore at a 4 year university). From what I can find, there are no age limits for the BDCP itself, but there are for specific Program Authorizations (PA). If I stay on track, I would complete my bachelors degree in December of 2026, at which time I will be 37 years old (I'm a late bloomer, I know).

Yesterday, on the Navy.com website I used the chat feature to ask some questions about the BDCP. Once I told them my age and degree major, I was promptly told I've aged out of ALL PA's. So basically, sorry about your bad luck. I checked the PA's on mynavyhr and found several where I would still meet the age limits. So now some confusion has been created. Essentially, I want to know if there are any career paths still left open to me as an officer at my age, and if so, which ones? Also, outside of what's listed on the Navy recruitment site, are there any additional criteria for eligibility for the BDCP that I should be aware of or additional sources of information on it that's more detailed? Lastly, I'm aware that much of what I'm asking about would vary based on which community or PA's I choose or am eligible for, but would my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology be acceptable (yes I know STEM degrees are preferred, but I did find a few Pa's that state they're not required) or considering my age and degree of choice, am I a lost cause at this point?

Thank you for any help!
 
luc said:
Yesterday, on the Navy.com website I used the chat feature to ask some questions about the BDCP. Once I told them my age and degree major, I was promptly told I've aged out of ALL PA's. So basically, sorry about your bad luck. I checked the PA's on mynavyhr and found several where I would still meet the age limits. So now some confusion has been created. Essentially, I want to know if there are any career paths still left open to me as an officer at my age, and if so, which ones? Also, outside of what's listed on the Navy recruitment site, are there any additional criteria for eligibility for the BDCP that I should be aware of or additional sources of information on it that's more detailed? Lastly, I'm aware that much of what I'm asking about would vary based on which community or PA's I choose or am eligible for, but would my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology be acceptable (yes I know STEM degrees are preferred, but I did find a few Pa's that state they're not required) or considering my age and degree of choice, am I a lost cause at this point?

Thank you for any help!
Click to expand...
Nope, whoever was manning the chat feature was wrong. Plenty of PAs that allow for up to 42, especially since BDCP targets a lot of IW communities. Age waivers are also possible depending on the circumstances. Your degree would still be considered STEM, but some communities prefer specific majors.

Talk to a recruiter, then an officer. A local recruitment office might not have an officer assigned, they're usually at a higher level, but some might roam between stations once in a while.


 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top