Does being an active duty officer (non-rated) hurt your chances for a guard/reserve UPT slot?

[Av8]

About a year ago I had highly competitive scores and was getting guard/reserve fighter squadron interviews left and right. While I never got picked up, I felt that eventually I would get a slot. 

...fast forward to today: I was turned down from even getting an interview at a fighter board where I interviewed a year prior and was in the top third of interviewees, I was turned down from the active duty board, and I am not even getting heavy squadron interviews anymore. I have a hunch that there are a few others in my position as well, so I might as well ask this question as broadly as possible:

What can we do to improve our chances? 

The common feedback that I have been given is that guard/reserve fighter units would rather hire off the street guys than active duty (non-rated) officers to fulfill their UPT slots. While this is something I obviously can't control, I know there must have been people like me who have been hired in the past. What was your secret sauce?

For reference: PCSM: 90 AFOQT Pilot: 95 Hours: 300+ w/PPL

I can retake the PCSM but it feels like wasted effort to take these tests again if the reason I am not being hired is due to the fact that I am already an active duty officer.

Edited February 23, 2021 by Av8

[CharlieHotel47]

Are you a senior O3 in the scroll for O4? I was a rated guy, from another branch, and at time felt like I was some type of rated “bastard” that would bring some kind of baggage to the transfer process. Perhaps is not you, or your scores but the process to bring guys like us over is someone difficult and a dark hole of some type. It also felt like it was simpler to bring an off the street guy on board vs me. Anyway... I don’t have the secret recipe for ya nor do I have the special souse to tell ya about. All I can say is come to peace with the fact that your at a disadvantage. Chase the daemon and let all the rejection TBNT emails fuel your hunger to get hired somewhere.

And if it all fails, ya can always join the army and go fly for those bros. Quality of life might get downgraded a bit though FYI...


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[Av8]

Thanks for the encouragement, it has really fueled my drive, but it's something I wish I would have known two years ago when I started this process. I'm actually far from O4 and still relatively young, but the question that I can't win with in the interviews goes along the lines of this:

"Can we expect you to be an Lt again when you come back to the squadron from training? (making popcorn, taking out the trash, etc.)"

It's a catch 22 because my biggest strength in my application is my Air Force experience and leadership roles I've already had to take on in active duty, but I know squadrons are looking for a FNG when they hire someone for UPT. In the sense of learning as a Lt, I'm all about it and ready to absorb all the knowledge I can as a student, but the more I talk about my active duty experience I feel as though it is hurting my chances more than helping.

I'd imagine the time it takes to scroll isn't as big of an issue now with the length of time it takes to get a training slot, but who knows, that could be part of it as well. I'm definitely glad I went active and became an officer, but it feels like in an ironic twist, going active duty in the Air Force actually is my biggest source of drag in this process. 

 

[pawnman]

4 hours ago, Av8 said:

Thanks for the encouragement, it has really fueled my drive, but it's something I wish I would have known two years ago when I started this process. I'm actually far from O4 and still relatively young, but the question that I can't win with in the interviews goes along the lines of this:

"Can we expect you to be an Lt again when you come back to the squadron from training? (making popcorn, taking out the trash, etc.)"

It's a catch 22 because my biggest strength in my application is my Air Force experience and leadership roles I've already had to take on in active duty, but I know squadrons are looking for a FNG when they hire someone for UPT. In the sense of learning as a Lt, I'm all about it and ready to absorb all the knowledge I can as a student, but the more I talk about my active duty experience I feel as though it is hurting my chances more than helping.

I'd imagine the time it takes to scroll isn't as big of an issue now with the length of time it takes to get a training slot, but who knows, that could be part of it as well. I'm definitely glad I went active and became an officer, but it feels like in an ironic twist, going active duty in the Air Force actually is my biggest source of drag in this process. 

 

The answer is "I'll be the FNG Lt and make corn if that's what you need, but I've also developed these leadership skills that I will be happy to use to make the squadron better."