My son is interviewing with our Senators and Congressmen for a service academy appointment; some of these interviews will take place in front of a panel of military brass. Any recommendations?
Look the part. Clean shaven. Short hair. Suit or coat and tie. Polished shoes. Belt to match. Black. No bow ties.
“Yes sir” “No sir” “Please” “Thank you”
Stand and sit straight. Do not cross legs. Do not put hands in pockets.
Shake hands firmly and look them in the eye when doing so.
That’s the easy stuff.
Brush up on foreign affairs and military and diplomatic problem areas and policies.
For example he should have a position on the repeal of DADT, etc.
When I interviewed for my scholarship, back in 1979, I was asked what the difference between South Africa and southern Africa was. It was the only question for which I did not have an answer so I responded, “I don’t know.” The only other question I recall was to tell them what I thought about the transition from the draft to an all-volunteer Army. I don’t recall my answer.
My belief is that they will be looking for honesty, genuineness and some understanding of academy life. They will want to hear something akin to a calling to serve. The academies are tough and he needs to have done his homework so that he can relate a full understanding of what he is asking for.
Good luck and God bless him.
I’m sure you are on top of this, but I’ll say the obvious things here anyway…
Conservative suit & tie, clean shave, nice haircut, no piercings/jewelry.
Like any interview, plan for the usual/expected questions and have some prepared answers ready to go; speak of accomplishments & strengths is numbers and metrics, not in ambiguous descriptions.
Avoid things like “I’m going to be a fighter pilot” or “I plan to be Chief of Staff someday” - people sometimes think these grandiose statements indicate confidence and go-get-'em eagerness, but they generally have the opposite effect. Instead, the tone should always go back to his desire to humbly serve our country as an officer in whatever assigned capacity. Special Operators are “The Quiet Professionals”, USAF Weapons School graduates are directed to be “Humble Servants” to the military community, etc - you see the theme there. The bottomline line is that BAMFs never need to proclaim themselves as BAMFs, and the brass in attendance will be able to see that (and be impressed by it!) in your son if he plays that all right - hopefully, that makes sense…
That being said, there’s of course nothing wrong with indicating a particular interest, if asked. Just don’t overdo it, and always circle back to the desire to serve as an officer first.
I’m sure others will have good inputs too - good luck to your son!
Cheers, Chris
Ah, one more thought…
I’m guessing each of the services is still doing this (I got out in '05, so I’m a bit out of the loop) – find out what the “Core Values” (or equivalent) currently are for that branch, and try to incorporate those things whenever possible. Back in the day in the Air Force, they were “Integrity First”, “Service Above Self”, and “Excellence In All We Do”. Being able to rattle those off, and speaking to / personalizing those concepts in his responses will help go a long way.
Cheers, Chris
Edit: didn’t intend to respond specifically to Brick’s excellent advice there - this was just a general addition to my previous comment
I agree with Hydro. Make sure those concepts are interwoven into his answers and that they are heart felt. It should not be a memory test of mottos, etc. but a reflection of the Branch’s values, goals, mission, etc. that mesh with his values, goals, etc.
Everything hydro said is spot on. Other questions like the DADT repeal they may hit on are the fact that he would indeed be joining the service during a time of war, and one that is divisive at that. When I interviewed in ‘02 they went straight to the fresh Afghan and impending Iraq wars noting that we were one of the few classes in recent memory to enter knowing we’d graduate into a shootin’ match. They may also ask how he would feel being offered a shot at the Prep School rather than the Academy right away. Above all, like Hydro said, be real, well spoken, clean-cut and humble. Everything can change midstream and then change back. He should want to be an officer first and all the rest second.
So is he going to stay local?
I don’t remember being asked about military policies (and I’m certain I wasn’t asked about my opinion of them…ever… even when I was on active duty unless it was an anonymous survey), but at my interview for the appointments (it was all congressional staffers who interviewed me) I remember being asked about what was going on the world. Does he understand the conflicts and the impact of the conflicts.
No, he wants to head east; West Point first, Annapolis second, USAFA third.
There is some football interest in him too. Some from USAFA but mostly from the Ivy Leagues; Penn, Columbia, and Princeton. If he goes Ivy League he will try to go ROTC.
Thanks, he knows quite a bit but he and I will be discussing the conflicts in more depth.
With the questions regarding the wars it was less a matter of opinion and more a reality check. I would imagine questions about DADT and other policies, should they arise, would be along the same lines - as in “we need to know that these things wouldn’t be a barrier to your service and ability to lead.”
If you don’t mind, what’s his attraction to WP and Navy?
The service academies have a liaison officer program that should be helping with the interview prep. Find a good ALO and take advantage of their services.
Annapolis and West Point … 200 years of tradition unhampered by progress.
drn92
That being said, there’s of course nothing wrong with indicating a particular interest, if asked. Just don’t overdo it, and always circle back to the desire to serve as an officer first.
I interviewed back in 1971-72 (USAFA 1976), but this was absolutely correct then, and I’m sure it hasn’t changed.
Concur with AT. Express a desire to serve Country and military in best manner possible. Duty.
The academies are in the business of producing 2LTs (or ensigns in the case of the sea service) not 3 or 4 star flag rank officers. You’ve received some good advise but I’d be leary of going to deep into policy issues as cadets and O1 & 2s don’t make policy they just follow lawful orders. I was certainly never asked any deep policy questions in the course of my interview process. Now I grew up in CA and despite my most valiant efforts was a pretty pedestrian candidate amongst that pool so it helped greatly when my Dad’s construction job took us to MS my junior year of HS whereupon I found myself suddenly to be a A+ level student and candidate.
Your regional academy rep will be a great source of relevant prep for this interview process. I graduated from USMA in 82 and played FB there when our moto was “we may not be big but we’re slow” and I still think I have Mat Suey’s footprint in my chest from when we played Penn State. Also went back to torture/teach cadets military history from 92-95 so have seen things from that side too.
am back and forth between Qatar and Afghan for a while so contact is intermittent but happy to answer any specifics via PM
best of luck to your Son
v/r
I concur with Steve. Your son should have a decent grasp of current events, and should be able to express his opinions, but this isn’t a Primary debate. He doesn’t need to have a full platform of beliefs and policy stances. He needs to be able to make clear that he is well rounded, interested in more than just a particular sport or niche interest area. He needs to express his desire to serve and to lead.
I also concur with contacting your local liaison officers. Although i bypassed some of that in my application process, the Blue and Gold officers for USNA were very helpful to a lot of my classmates; ushering them through the nomination and application processes. I’m sure the other Service Academies have similar programs.
Lastly, in the day and age of Twitter and Facebook, I would encourage your son to get online and do some research. The Academies all have websites and social networking sites, and there are numerous alumni sites where folks are more than willing to offer advice. He doesn’t need to be the historical expert on Annapolis, but it would be good if he knew something background about the Academy he’s interviewing for.
Back when I was interviewing, they wanted to know why you wanted to go to an academy and they did not want ot hear it was to save your parents money.
Have your son hone up on why he wants to go to a military academy.
I have been waiting to answer you so I could ask my son again on his interest in West Point and Navy over USAFA?
He has a few friends that have gone to the USMA and the long grey line piqued his interest. He is interested in Special Ops and has some idea, right or wrong, that the physical rigors are more substantial at West Point, which thrills him. All three service academies are close and I think he is less inclined, not much less, with USAFA because he grew up literally looking at it outside his bedroom window. His parents would prefer USAFA but he does not listen to us 
My Blue and Gold officer was amazing. Good enough, in fact, that she did more to help me get to USAFA than my Academy Liason Officer once she realized that was my #1 goal. Due to your proximity to The Zoo/Carson/Peterson/NORTHCOM and tens of thousands of retired military folks from all branches, I think your local liasons to all the academies would be top notch rather than my hit-or-miss experience. Like others have said, find those folks and put them to use.
There’s also a book called The Air Force Academy Candidate Book: How to Get In, How to Prepare, and How to Survive and one for each of the other academies. I and my parents read it before and during my application process, and it had some great information. ~$20 on Amazon.
Thanks everyone for your input. We are in the throes of the football season (ranked ninth in the state going into the 5A playoffs) with a pretty heavy academic load trying to get him up to speed for these interviews. (It is a busy and exciting time.) I will definitely share all of your thoughts in this thread.
Agree with all the tips from others. The only thing I remember from my interview was sitting with all the other candidates in front of the panel for about an hour.
Just like a job interview, it might be a good idea to “rehearse” some talking points for the inevitable “tell us about yourself” question. Practicing helps keep the nerves down!
Also, remember to sit up straight and not fidget, even when not being talked to. He needs to have confidence in his abilities and desire to be a leader and not get intimidated by the other candidates.
Best of luck to your son!
Ann
USMA 2000
New year means that appointments and acceptances are nigh: any good news?