Int Op trade tell me more and more reg force please

[ltmaverick25]

What do you think deal breakers would be in the interview?
What type of person would be poorly suited for this position?
20hrs a day 7 days a week, balls are you serious?

What in the way of domestic int is done, 
ie  terrorism on home soil, especially with the 2010 games so close.

Will my desire to be based in the town I live in be taken into consideration?

The QL5A has been revamped from what I gather,  When I am asked about what it is I know about the training can I say its a bit of a snafu or would it be best to describe the  training prior to decertification?


Thanks for making asking easy

B

I have never served as one of those interviewers so I cannot say for certain.  What I do know, based on what those same guys have told me is that 2/3 of your suitability score is determined before you ever walk in the door.  Your civilian level of education and marks, and your CFAT score make up 2/3 of the score.  The remaining 1/3 is determined by your performance during the interview.

As for deal breakers, if it were me, imaturity, lack of professionalism, and the inability to speak and respond well to questions would make it tough.  Int Ops need to be confident and be able to speak confidently in a room full of brass.

People with lack of initiative, lazy, or just plain dumb would be ill suited for this position, im my opinion.

As for the tempo in Afghanistan.  I havent been, I am just telling you what I have been told.  Remember, as an Int Op you are not involved in combat, you are not running around on the ground staring the taliban in the eye (for the most part anyway) but there are some very good people out there that are, and they are relying on guys like you to keep them alive with accurate, up to date, timely information and intelligence support.  I suspect that the overall tempo is fluid with some parts being as I described and other parts being a little less so, but you need to be prepared for the scenario I illustrated.

Domestic Int is handled by CSIS, RCMP and other government agencies.  The only time military intelligence is used domestically is if there is a request for the aid to the civil power.  In the case of the Vancouver olympics, such a request has been made and the military is playing a huge role in security.  The specific role that Int will play is not something to be discussed here.

No your desire to be based in your home town will not be taken into consideration.  Besides, you can always use the good ole need to know.  They dont need to know that until after the interview

When you are asked about what you know about the training, tell them what you know about the training, seems simple enough.  When there are areas that you dont know, say so and ask the interviewer for more info.

 

[ark]

I strongly suggest that you consider removing that link from your post.  The following warning on the first page of the document, I beleive to be applicable to this type of setting..

WARNING

ALTHOUGH NOT CLASSIFIED THIS PUBLICATION, OR ANY PART OF IT, MAY BE EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE TO THE PUBLIC UNDER THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT.  ANY ELEMENTS OF INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN MUST BE CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED TO ASCERTAIN WHEATHER OR NOT THE PUBLICATION OR ANY PART OF IT MAY BE RELEASED.

It is available at the Army Electronic Library public website.

 

[George Wallace]

It is available at the Army Electronic Library public website.

So?

Have you ever had a SECURITY Briefing?

 

[BradCon]

Great

Leave it to the FNG to play a role in creating a security issue.

I must say though, I had no idea the AEL existed before today, and my eyes and mind are tired from the incredible amount of info that is there.

I guess I can tell the interviewer that I engaged the population and was able to capture sensitive documents.

There is a lot to read if I am successful

Thanks

 

[ltmaverick25]

I didnt know that was there either.  If I were you I would not say anything about reading sensitive information during your interview.  Dont side track the interviewer from his routine.

 

[winnipegoo7]

Hello.  Please excuse my ignorance, but why can't the link to "B-GL-357-001 - FP-001" be displayed here? Did the Army Electronic Library make the publication available to the public mistakenly?

-Scott

 

[ltmaverick25]

Hello.  Please excuse my ignorance, but why can't the link to "B-GL-357-001 - FP-001" be displayed here? Did the Army Electronic Library make the publication available to the public mistakenly?

-Scott

Weather they made a mistake is more a matter of opinion then it is anything else.  I spent more time looking around and it is indeed a public open source of information.  I happen to think it shouldnt be, but, its not my call.

 

[EW]

I didn't know that was there either.  If I were you I would not say anything about reading sensitive information during your interview.  Dont side track the interviewer from his routine.

At the same time, you will likely be asked if you have researched the trade.  Keep to the facts and don't make a big thing about 'sensitive documents.'  That document is published to the 'public' side of the AEL.  Any chatter on these forums about the document/doctrine and how it is applied in real-world would be 'sensitive' and possibly classified - that is where the danger lies.  It would be a good thing for the interviewer to know that you have done your homework, and he/she will likely ask if you have any questions about the trade.  Keep your questions simple and in the scope of what you think the trade does.  That document is a good read for a general overview of the various intelligence disciplines.

 

[BradCon]

I will not mention that I read "sensitive documents".  I wrote that with a little bit of humor intended, not to stroke my own ego or data collection skills.

In the interim, my interview is tomorrow, and this board has helped me to better understand the role of IntOp as well as intelligence in general.

If I should not be successful in getting the position, what sort of action should I take next?
I am well prepared to take an infantry position, but of course would much prefer the former.
Any ideas?

B

 

[ltmaverick25]

You wont find out right away if you get Int or not.  The interview is really just the first step, not the last.  Though the rest of the steps are admin stuff done without you.

For now, I would put down only Int as a desired trade.  If you add 2nd and 3rd choices when applying for a competitive trade, you are likely to get pushed into your 2nd and 3rd choice.  Dont give them that option, unless they come back and say that you didnt make it this round.  Then you have a decision to make, wait for Int to open up again, or go with another trade in the meantime.  Only you can decide what is best there.

 

[BradCon]

Yes, I figure there will be some waiting.
What confuses me a bit though, is that a Cpt. at CFRC gave me some of his time and took care of my case personally and convinced me to put int op as my first choice, and he did say that it will be taken into account, whereas an Lt had earlier told me that preference order does not matter I did place infantry as a second choice, because I would like that job too, and experience in combat arms would be good for a transfer in 3 years or so. 

I'll be Keeping my fingers crossed for the extra wait....

B

 

[BradCon]

Was recommended for employment as an Int Op today....now just have to wait for the opening

I can't wait to serve!

 

[ltmaverick25]

Congrats on that,

See the easy part is over now!  Now the hard part starts, the waiting...  I am going through the wait game myself.  I will be doing a CT from reserves to reg force as an Int Officer and the trade is closed to CTs until April, so I have to wait until then for final word.  Did the CFRC give you any indication on when they are opening up Int Op again?

 

[BradCon]

I've got mixed messages....

One source at CFRC  says there's 25 int op spots left this year, my interviewer very kindly said there's none, and it will be early April before any spots open, also a little discouraging, was in the information that only 5 int ops last year came in from the street. I believe this year is different;  regardless  I hope I'm high on the merit list

So for the time being you'll find me doing PT and reading field manuals.

Thanks for the great info.

Cheers

 

[George Wallace]

Hate to say it, but you may be out of luck.  Hiring off the street may be put on hold or ceased altogether due to some of the major problems encountered in various aspects of their processing and training.

 

[BradCon]

Thanks George,

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. 
I don't know if this counts for anything but I do have three years towards a psych degree with a respectable GPA on my side.  I was informed that if I took the year to graduate, I could attempt to go  DEO to Int...
I thought that i'd try NCM for a few years before I try to wear any officer bars or a degree for that matter.

So what I'm asking is,
Does that three years mean that I'm still coming in off the street?

 

[ltmaverick25]

When we say coming in off the street, we are referring to civilians with no prior military experience.  So right now you are coming in off the street.  If you joined the army first, as a different trade and then transfered over to Int, you would no longer be coming in off the street...

The Int branch used to be a feeder trade only, meaning you had to have previous military experience to join Int.  However, recruiting was pretty difficult like that so they changed it.  Now it seems that bringing in guys with no corporate knowledge is presenting problems of their own so who knows what will happen.  All you can do is go with what you know now.  Keep pushing your app until you get in or the CFRC says no, then re evaluate from there.

Like I said this is the hard part now...

 

[blacktriangle]

I have heard that they want to double the Int branch in size within the next few years. I've personally seen no hook ptes enter the branch with little interest in the trade, and even less military experience than myself (and mine is limited at best).

While I understand there will be growing pains, Direct entry can only work if the system adapts to the type of recruits it will be training. If this can not be done, then perhaps it should just be closed again as GW alluded to in his post.

 

[ltmaverick25]

Things are definitly changing very fast in the Int world.  It will be very difficult to accurately predict where the branch is going to go with reference to expansion, training, and intake plans.

 

[BradCon]

I'm going to keep waiting for the call for now, but I'm  starting to think that I should look into other trades as well.  I interviewed for infantry as well, but my heart wasn't in it. I sure want this Int OP position.
  I also though that some others, (who have been out of country for a while mind you) have been on list for 4 years and 2 and a half years.....I don't know if waiting that long is reasonable, hopefully  I'll have a clearer picture in early April and  perhaps even a present for my 33rd B-Day.

until next time op:

B