Meeting with CW5 Thursday

March 9, 2016

Hey guys, just wanted to start off by saying this site and the input of everyone so far has helped me so much just by what I've read off of my Google searches. This is my first post on here and I'm excited to get some good input. I also want to apologize in advance of this question had already been asked and answered in a different thread.

I'm a memeber of the TX ARNG currently getting pushed through the interstate transfer program as I have just moved to Mississippi. I'm meeting with a CW5 Thursday to talk about getting transfered into the aviation unit here, as well as SIFT, WOCS, etc.

My main question (and I know this sounds rediculous, but I am sort of a stickler for doing things perfect or not doing them at all) is what should I wear? I talked to an E7 readiness NCO here and he said I should weary ACU's, since after all it will be a military job, but I wasn't sure if I should wear formal civilian attire instead, seeing his how it will be obvious that I'm not coming from drill or any armory that day. Also, by formal civil attire I mean a suit and tie.

Thanks in advance for any info!!

March 9, 2016

I don't think I would go full on suit.

Dress shirt, khaki dress pants, your go to tie.

That's what I'd do but I'm not in the military.

March 9, 2016

I would say go in Regular ACU's with whatever badges you are authorized to wear. Then again I'm not in or know anything about the NG. Maybe someone in the NG can chime in on this.

March 9, 2016

If you are in the military, meeting someone in the military, about military business... it makes sense to be in ACUs. I would just make sure its my sh*t hot set, not the set I wear in the motor pool.

March 9, 2016

I agree with above. ACUs. You're best set. Unless they have a different uniform for the day. Some places wear ASUs on a certain day (Walter Reed NNMC did it on Friday.)

March 9, 2016

This is going against everyone else's posts but I am Reserve and any meeting I have outside of drill, I am in nice civilian attire unless it is specified beforehand. I'll add that all of my meetings are with NCOs or Officers, not CW5s. If you already have advice from an NCO in your unit, I would say go with that but also know that it would not be uncommon for you to go in civilians.

March 9, 2016

Thanks everyone for your input!

I'm still on the fence as to what to do though. I completely understand going in ACU's, but as pirate was saying since it will be outside of drill, and not specifically specified, I'm leaning more towards nice civies.

March 9, 2016

If you can find out what he will be wearing, I would wear the same.

March 9, 2016

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March 9, 2016

You can never over dress for an interview, especially one in which you have one shot at success. If you were coming to be interviewed by me I wouldn't be offended by a presentable set of ACUs, but a perfect dress uniform immediately tells me you came to win. If you were a civilian, I would expect a a coat and tie or business attire.

Mike-

March 10, 2016

If I was a guardsman/reservist not on orders, and this wasnt a legitimate formal board style interview, I would just wear nice civilian attire.

March 10, 2016

I'm Guard, I'd wear a nice set of ACUs.

Clean boots, nice blouse job, collar lays flat, not stained, you get the idea...

When I was a PFC doing my LOR interviews with my commander and a command CW5, I wore ACUs. No problems.

You're over thinking it a little. You've already proven you can be a Soldier, he's probably going to be more interested in your personality than how you dress, you're already in the Guard.

PM me if you need anything.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Yamer

March 10, 2016

For my CW5 interview I wore full service dress and tried to look as sharp as possible. My goal was to show him how serious I was without having to say so. In full service dress there is no question about how serious you are. Good luck regardless!

March 10, 2016

I know everyone has their opinion, but Stearmann4, has been on the opposite end, the one doing the interview. If it was me I would follow his advice.

March 10, 2016

I agree with Stearmann4 as well. When I met with my CW5, I showed up at the pentagon in full ASUs ready to rock. I was the only butter bar walking around there and the only person in dress blues. It definitely made an impression.

March 10, 2016

Look at it like this. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

March 10, 2016

I agree with everybody regarding the fact that you can't be overdressed for an interview. Even in the civilian world this is true. I've always overdressed for job interviews and have yet to go to an interview where I wasn't offered the position. I even partially based my hiring of employees based on how they dressed. If somebody can take the time to look/dress right for an interview, it tells me they're serious about the job and what they want out of it. This may be different from the Army way of life, but I imagine the principles are still the same.

March 10, 2016

I emailed mine and picked up my Letter a couple weeks later. Then again I had been flying with him for about 6 years.

March 10, 2016

Thanks to everyone again on the suggestions. I ended up haveing a last minute (civilian) meeting this morning, so I went with the civies. I really was over thinking it a bit. It was super informal, nothing was said or implied, other than during the whole "this is a competitive field and we're looking for squared away soldiers" part of the interview,he did mention that I looked like a "very clean cut young man". So that's good. All in all it went very well, and actually while I was in the middle of typing this he called me back to tell me that he has my flight physical scheduled for next week.

Since I am in the NG, and transferring from another state, they are slotting me in a crew chief slot until I can take the SIFT and I AM selected for WOCS. He said it could be as far as next year due to funding. Fine by me, it gives me more time to guarantee an awesome test score, as well as finally give me an excuse to bump up my pt a few points to get to 300.

March 11, 2016

Thanks to everyone again on the suggestions. I ended up haveing a last minute (civilian) meeting this morning, so I went with the civies. I really was over thinking it a bit. It was super informal, nothing was said or implied, other than during the whole "this is a competitive field and we're looking for squared away soldiers" part of the interview,he did mention that I looked like a "very clean cut young man". So that's good. All in all it went very well, and actually while I was in the middle of typing this he called me back to tell me that he has my flight physical scheduled for next week.

Since I am in the NG, and transferring from another state, they are slotting me in a crew chief slot until I can take the SIFT and I AM selected for WOCS. He said it could be as far as next year due to funding. Fine by me, it gives me more time to guarantee an awesome test score, as well as finally give me an excuse to bump up my pt a few points to get to 300.

Do you know what airframe you are going to be a crew chief for?

March 11, 2016

Napoleonpp - he said most likely UH-60's, or possibly MH-47's as well. I know the funding is getting really bad lately and they're talking about having to absorb the AH-64 pilots into their ranks.

He called one of the companies while I was there and asked if they had any slots open for "Crew Cheif". Which is a little confusing to me, I always thought you had to go the repair route and get selected for crew chief position. Any ideas on that?

March 11, 2016

Napoleonpp - he said most likely UH-60's, or possibly MH-47's as well. I know the funding is getting really bad lately and they're talking about having to absorb the AH-64 pilots into their ranks.
He called one of the companies while I was there and asked if they had any slots open for "Crew Cheif". Which is a little confusing to me, I always thought you had to go the repair route and get selected for crew chief position. Any ideas on that?

What's your MOS now? Side note its CH-47 not MH-47, not a big deal but before someone busts you out in person. Yeah I'm not sure how they would do that without you being a maintenance guy. I'm not familiar with the NG and how they usually do things either though. I've heard of regular army units using other MOS' as door gunners on deployments, but they weren't certified crew chiefs. My old unit only allowed maintenance guys to volunteer to be crew chiefs and we wouldn't allow another MOS as a door gunner. I used to be a crew chief on 47s, and they were the best years of my life. Even as a new pilot I look back and miss the deployments and flights.

March 11, 2016

What's your MOS now? Side note its CH-47 not MH-47, not a big deal but before someone busts you out in person. Yeah I'm not sure how they would do that without you being a maintenance guy. I'm not familiar with the NG and how they usually do things either though. I've heard of regular army units using other MOS' as door gunners on deployments, but they weren't certified crew chiefs. My old unit only allowed maintenance guys to volunteer to be crew chiefs and we wouldn't allow another MOS as a door gunner. I used to be a crew chief on 47s, and they were the best years of my life. Even as a new pilot I look back and miss the deployments and flights.

lol - I was actually reading about MH's when I typed that. Must have just been on my mind. I'm an 11B now. He said the schooling for it was around 4 months, so he may have meant going 15T, then jumping straight into crew chief. They may be short on man power. I'm meeting back with him for the physical and ill get more in depth with my questions. Most of our conversation about crew chief took place over the phone, when he called to tell me that he scheduled the physical.

I'm so new to this aviation business that its scary. I've always wanted to fly, since I was little, and always looked to the skies with wonder and curiosity, but never really pursued any of it (other than watching a lot of science and military aviation shows and going "oh man, that's cool"). Don't get me wrong, I loved the Infantry! But now that its not as full on like it was a few years ago, I'm really looking to transition into something that I love and can make a career out of, not just something that proves how "tough" I am.

March 11, 2016

Oh ok. I believe AIT for 47s was about 6-7 months from what I remember, not sure about 15T. If you want see if they can send you to SERE school as a crew chief. I'm not sure if it's required as a crew chief in the NG. I went through as a PFC and it was way better since you can play the rank card, unlike going through as a WO1 I'm sure.

March 11, 2016

Napoleonpp -

Yeah I definitely wouldn't mind getting it out of the way, and I hate to say it but I'm kind of looking forward to sere and really testing myself.

Do you know much about the physical? I only ask because he played it up to be this huge thing that a lot of people have issues with and fail. I'm in perfect health, 20/20 vision, always passed my FMR hearing tests, and recently had an EKG done for the hiring process with a local PD which showed no abnormalities. I don't know how much more in depth it goes than that. He told me that it's done in house with a flight surgeon, and they try to do everything they can to get people through, but some things just cannot be overlooked.