SWO Letter and Application Review

[stearmann4]

We've got a great team here, having been on selection boards myself, and in the same office I have a very experienced CW4 SP on my staff that was the Chief of Warrant Officer Recruiting, we get the opportunity to review several applications and talk about what we see. I thought I'd pass this on since it's appears to becoming a trend;

 

An aspiring WO (NCO) gave us his application to review with the understanding that it was ready to submit after some tweaking. It probably took us longer to red-ink the spelling, grammar and structure mistakes then it did to write it. When we gave it back and told him it was entirely unsatisfactory his response was "Well, that was just my rough draft."

 

So here's the lesson - the reviewing WO is not your high school English teacher, we don't have time to go through several revision processes in lieu of you re-learning English, while your fix your documents incrementally. Its especially odd when the same candidate is looking for us to write them an A+ letter of recommendation. You'll hear it time and time again, while the educational requirements are somewhat less than our commissioned brethren, the products we produce are expected to be every bit as professional, and it starts here. If a LT turned in something like that to a BN Commander, his career would effectively be over. My biggest mentorship advice is if you ever want to be taken seriously in the Army or civilian sector as a leader and an officer - master the written word. Its the biggest impression you never get to do over.

 

When you write your "Why I want to be a Warrant Officer" essay, resume, or summary and give to a SWO for review, you're not looking for them to make up for the years of high school English you slept through. Use the internet, spell check, and every other resource available today, to include peer reviews, and make sure its as perfect as you can get it. I still make several revisions to documents and have a friend look at them before I hit "send." I always expect to find some minor mistakes, but at that point its supposed to be mentoring and fine tuning.

 

Submitting a WOC application is tedious, time consuming, and purposeful by design. If you weren't aware, it's intended to be the first filter for potential candidates who aren't self motivated, or resourceful enough to complete the process correctly.

 

Mike-

[Gramps]

Echoing what Mike said, if you're seeking a letter of recommendation from a Senior Warrant Officer, you'll

absolutely want to make sure to present as close to a final version of your entire application as possible:

• Why I Want To Be An Army WOFT Aviator essay
• Resume
• Current letters of recommendation
• SIFT score
• ASVAB scores
• APFT score

Personally, I had these documents spiral bound. If you'll be meeting/interviewing with the SWO(s), also do

the following:

• Mail your application at least a week ahead of time, in addition to bringing copies with you in person. This will allow the SWO(s) to read over and become familiar with your background and qualifications ahead of the meeting/interview.
• Be prepared to answer standard interview questions (i.e., practice your answers in advance, but try not to sound like you're just reciting them)
• Wear a suit (civilian) or dress uniform (military)
• Show up at least 20 minutes early
• Be yourself
• Send professional thank you cards afterward

Good luck!

 

Chris