NROTC Officer Interview Advice

[Meowspike13]

Good evening y'all, I hope that everyone is doing well. I have a NROTC Officer Interview tomorrow that will be held over Zoom while I am at school. To prepare for this interview, I have a long white sleeve shirt with tie and casual/formal pants ready for the interview. I have also sent some awards and other documentation to my NROTC coordinator in order to help facilitate the interview.

Per the title, I am asking for advice for this NROTC interview. I have read many articles on how to prepare for this interview however I am still unsure about some aspects. How can I further prepare myself for this in the coming hours for this interview? Would it be appropriate of me to have some questions to ask the officer towards or at the end of the interview? Should I ask how I summer cruises may differ from service academy summer cruises?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Herman_Snerd]

Good evening y'all, I hope that everyone is doing well. I have a NROTC Officer Interview tomorrow that will be held over Zoom while I am at school. To prepare for this interview, I have a long white sleeve shirt with tie and casual/formal pants ready for the interview. I have also sent some awards and other documentation to my NROTC coordinator in order to help facilitate the interview.

Per the title, I am asking for advice for this NROTC interview. I have read many articles on how to prepare for this interview however I am still unsure about some aspects. How can I further prepare myself for this in the coming hours for this interview? Would it be appropriate of me to have some questions to ask the officer towards or at the end of the interview? Should I ask how I summer cruises may differ from service academy summer cruises?

Thank you so much in advance!

Would it be appropriate of me to have some questions to ask the officer towards or at the end of the interview? Very much so. Shows interest, organization.
Should I ask how I summer cruises may differ from service academy summer cruises? Honestly you can learn about that outside of your interview by researching NSI, cortramid, Summer cruise options and Annapolis summer trainings/ Plebe summer, etc.

You're ready with being dressed well - be on-time, eye contact, actively listen, pause when you need to organize a response. Be yourself - all good points raised by others too on related threads - YOU GOT THIS - good luck and let us know how it went/ what you learned that might help other interested candidates and families.

 

[AN21]

Good luck today! Asking thoughtful questions is always a good idea. Also, don't be afraid to take some time to think before you answer - wanting to fill the silence is natural when you're nervous, but don't start talking right away just for the sake of answering a question quickly. Think over the question and gather your thoughts. You got this!

 

[Meowspike13]

Thank you so much for the advice @Herman_Snerd and @AN21, it helped calm me down a bit when doing the interview.

I think the interview went very well despite some problems with Zoom. While going through the interview, he asked questions like:
"Why do you want to go into the Navy?"
"What are the traits of a good leader?"
"What do you want to be when you're in the Navy?"

I would mention other questions but they were really catered to my personal interests and experiences.

Some advice for anyone preparing for your interview is to:

• Send your personal awards/achievements and volunteer documentation to your NROTC coordinator; it can only help you send those so that the interviewer can actually ask you questions about your life.
• Be sure to also include LEADERSHIP POSITIONS with your extra curricular activities (as long as you have held or are currently holding that position).
• Like much of the advice mentioned above, don't be afraid to think about your answer after they ask the question. There were a few moments in my interview where the interviewer asked me a question which made me truly think back to my experiences/knowledge.
• Be respectful by addressing them with "Sir" or "Ma'am"
• Asking questions about the NROTC program or other things like that definitely help you set yourself apart from other applicants that may just not ask any questions.
• The last one that comes to mind is: Remember that they are another human being LIKE YOU. They are not some person that was just born with the uniform on, keeping that in mind helped me calm myself a bit instead of being so tense and trying to come up with an answer to impress them.

Thank you again so much for the advice and let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[AROTC-dad]

Thank you so much for the advice @Herman_Snerd and @AN21, it helped calm me down a bit when doing the interview.

I think the interview went very well despite some problems with Zoom. While going through the interview, he asked questions like:
"Why do you want to go into the Navy?"
"What are the traits of a good leader?"
"What do you want to be when you're in the Navy?"

I would mention other questions but they were really catered to my personal interests and experiences.

Some advice for anyone preparing for your interview is to:

• Send your personal awards/achievements and volunteer documentation to your NROTC coordinator; it can only help you send those so that the interviewer can actually ask you questions about your life.
• Be sure to also include LEADERSHIP POSITIONS with your extra curricular activities (as long as you have held or are currently holding that position).
• Like much of the advice mentioned above, don't be afraid to think about your answer after they ask the question. There were a few moments in my interview where the interviewer asked me a question which made me truly think back to my experiences/knowledge.
• Be respectful by addressing them with "Sir" or "Ma'am"
• Asking questions about the NROTC program or other things like that definitely help you set yourself apart from other applicants that may just not ask any questions.
• The last one that comes to mind is: Remember that they are another human being LIKE YOU. They are not some person that was just born with the uniform on, keeping that in mind helped me calm myself a bit instead of being so tense and trying to come up with an answer to impress them.

Thank you again so much for the advice and let me know if you have any other questions!

It is very thoughtful of you to report back and offer your own tips and insights here.

Well done!

Good luck!

 

[AN21]

Glad to hear it went well! And you're absolutely right about remembering that they're human, too - I have to remind myself of this sometimes, and it helps me, too.