What would you think of a Senior NCO Board Preparation Guide?

2014-02-27T01:41:14-05:00

I've been thinking of this for awhile now and have not seen or heard anything like it. If something exists please enlighten me. I'd like for responses to be as blunt as possible.

When prepping for the board it took me a full month of research to fully grasp everything needed to have a pristine packet sent to the board. There were many questions that S1 could not help me with and multiple CSM/SGM's gave different advice on my packet.

We all know and understand that the phrase - "It's the bullets, Sergeant" ultimately make up the decision of your future outlook. The problem with that is to even get to that point without being looked frowned upon you need to have certain things met.

- DA Photo that is not jacked up

- ERB that is updated

- All of your relevant documents uploaded into OMPF

They will still check your evaluations out, however it could give a negative vibe to board members if your packet lacks scrutiny and review on your part. You would think that this is a simple process but it simply is not. It takes a significant amount of time and scrutiny to get right.

The question,

What interest would there be in a book or guide that covers everything leading through your career, up to the point of board review?

There are a dozen or more DA PAMs, Regulations, etc. and guidelines in the eMilpo FG that everyone should know and understand. My job as a (hopefully) future SFC and higher is to mentor my NCO's on this and guide them in the right direction when preparing for boards. There are also countless power point slides that have valuable information in some on one topic while others cover something else floating on the internet.

I was thinking about taking the time to actually create one to be reviewed here and scrubbed but I am left with a time tested ultimatum.

I took the time to research all of this and focus on my career, should I hold everyone else to the same standard and let them do it on their own?

What do some of the senior's here on Rallypoint think? Younger NCO's? Would you be interested in something like this?

I am expecting a few responses to be "You should get promoted with the system before you think you know it first" and I am alright with that as it's a legitimate claim.

Blunt responses if it's negative, being nice takes took much time.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2014 3:31 AM

2014-02-27T03:31:08-05:00

I think it would always be a good idea to make a preparation guide to help soldiers prep for a board.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Feb 27 at 2014 9:19 AM

2014-02-27T09:19:38-05:00

<div>I don't believe a guide would be the answer...factors change too often.  Many (even most) Soldiers do not remain proactive in their careers when it comes to maintaining/updating their records.  Buying a reference book that they would simply skim through prior to a board, wouldn't be the answer.<br></div><div><br></div>HRC provides detailed (not individual specific) AARs for centralized promotion boards; if Soldiers took the time to read these remarks before even being considered for a centralized promotion, they would do their careers a great service.<div><br></div><div>Also, the Army G-1 posted CMF specific NCOPD Guides that should be utilized for specific career footprints. (http://www.ArmyReenlistment.com/ncopd-guide.html)<br><br>With all that being said...if the book was 'packaged' well and marketed correctly (and placed in clothing sales), you would be able to capitalize on NCOs looking for a shortcut.</div>

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2014 8:47 PM

2014-10-02T20:47:54-04:00

I like the idea. Particulars may change, but the essentials - some of which you mentioned in your post, SFC Steven Harvey - will likely always apply.