I Likely Have an Individual Visit With a Heavy Unit. Advice on Poor Test Scores. Also Question About Visitng Often/Feedback?

[HelpWithAFOQT]

So I will likely have an individual visit with a heavy unit next month. Right now they don't have any upcoming boards but are planning on one for likely summer 2022.

As mentioned in my other thread, I have  poor AFOQT scores and and TBAS score. I will be retaking before soon. Should I bring up this information at the visit? Or if they ask if casually like say "Hey have you taken the AFOQT and TBAS yet?" and I answer "yes" and they ask "how did you do?" Should I just be honest and let them know I am planning on retaking both to improve? Would this be a good sign that I am determined to correct my mistakes?

Also I see on older threads from circa 2004-2008 on here, that people say visit often. How do you visit often? After the visit should I send a thank you email and ask to visit again? Should I ask for feedback from my visit?

Sorry if this sounds weird but all of the other visit threads, I found were from the mid 2000s and were very vague with answers just like "be a bro." "make sure to visit often" etc. This is my first visit, so I'm kind of in the dark of what to expect.

[AW91]

Be honest. No reason to hide the scores, people care more about the integrity of the individual more than the test scores. Let them know that, yeah the scores aren't the best, but that you plan on retaking it. Again, the truth.

Yes, visit as many times as you are able to. Go whenever they are able to have you (e.g. UTAs) have good comm and let them know ahead of time so they can expect you. A thank you email goes a long way with the add-on of a follow up visit.

BE YOURSELF. The definition of Bro changes from person to person. The best thing you can do is just be polite and be yourself.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, HelpWithAFOQT said:

So I will likely have an individual visit with a heavy unit next month. Right now they don't have any upcoming boards but are planning on one for likely summer 2022.

As mentioned in my other thread, I have  poor AFOQT scores and and TBAS score. I will be retaking before soon. Should I bring up this information at the visit? Or if they ask if casually like say "Hey have you taken the AFOQT and TBAS yet?" and I answer "yes" and they ask "how did you do?" Should I just be honest and let them know I am planning on retaking both to improve? Would this be a good sign that I am determined to correct my mistakes?

Also I see on older threads from circa 2004-2008 on here, that people say visit often. How do you visit often? After the visit should I send a thank you email and ask to visit again? Should I ask for feedback from my visit?

Sorry if this sounds weird but all of the other visit threads, I found were from the mid 2000s and were very vague with answers just like "be a bro." "make sure to visit often" etc. This is my first visit, so I'm kind of in the dark of what to expect.

Be yourself. Be honest, but that doesn't mean you have to be truthful and say your scores sucked. If they ask, tell them the honest answer, but you don't have to divulge how much you sucked. Get better and re-test. You don't have to just talk about just the military or flying. Let them know what you're like outside of work. A thank you email might be nice to the point-of-contact. If you can ask for feedback in an organic way maybe, don't be a sperg about it. Main thing, don't be a sperg, and those older posts are right, be a bro. Pro-tip: act like they won't hire you anyway no matter what, it'll make you more relaxed. It's what I did.

[HelpWithAFOQT]

2 hours ago, dogfish78 said:

Be yourself. Be honest, but that doesn't mean you have to be truthful and say your scores sucked. If they ask, tell them the honest answer, but you don't have to divulge how much you sucked. Get better and re-test. You don't have to just talk about just the military or flying. Let them know what you're like outside of work. A thank you email might be nice to the point-of-contact. If you can ask for feedback in an organic way maybe, don't be a sperg about it. Main thing, don't be a sperg, and those older posts are right, be a bro. Pro-tip: act like they won't hire you anyway no matter what, it'll make you more relaxed. It's what I did.

YES! I meant to ask in my OP about talking about things besides the military or flying. Aside from just the mission, I also love the location the unit is based in. I also wanted to ask about local sports teams, sports fandoms and hobbies. I play baseball and hockey. I'm also a huge car guy and I'm learning the guitar. Should I bring these topics up too?

I know a lot of it, is just reading the room. But if we are in the squadron bar or something, and it's quiet would it be cool to bring up non-flying topics then?

I get your last point, the detachment theory. When you act like you don't care, you tend to be more relaxed.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, HelpWithAFOQT said:

YES! I meant to ask in my OP about talking about things besides the military or flying. Aside from just the mission, I also love the location the unit is based in. I also wanted to ask about local sports teams, sports fandoms and hobbies. I play baseball and hockey. I'm also a huge car guy and I'm learning the guitar. Should I bring these topics up too?

I know a lot of it, is just reading the room. But if we are in the squadron bar or something, and it's quiet would it be cool to bring up non-flying topics then?

I get your last point, the detachment theory. When you act like you don't care, you tend to be more relaxed.

Your thoughts seem like mine when I was young. You're overanalyzing how to interact in a social situation. Even though they will be military pilots, who are commissioned officers, and also generally older than you, they're still people. Relax and let conversation happen naturally. Be willing to start conversations first.

[HelpWithAFOQT]

1 hour ago, dogfish78 said:

Your thoughts seem like mine when I was young. You're overanalyzing how to interact in a social situation. Even though they will be military pilots, who are commissioned officers, and also generally older than you, they're still people. Relax and let conversation happen naturally. Be willing to start conversations first.

Haha I do have a very bad habit of overanalyzing everything. I just need to relax. Thanks.

[LimaLowdown]

I can very much relate, I was a big overthinker while I was rushing squadrons. People say "just be yourself" often, which is great advice, but what helped me the most was to have confidence in myself. I would listen to some music real loud to get hyped on the drive to the squadron, I would tell myself to be confident, and this sounds stupid, but I had a kind of "pre-game" routine to get myself hyped up before I got out of my truck. Do what you need to do to get in the zone, once you are confident and holding your head high, the rest will follow.

That being said, don't be arrogant, but dont be a wallflower. No one can tell you exactly how to act in certain scenarios, it just comes with experience. Know that many people have been in your shoes, including the pilots you meet, so they understand some awkwardness or mishaps.

As far as visiting often, I would try to visit every drill or every other drill

[Init2]

It just depends on the unit. Some place heavy priority on visits others don’t care. Same with scores. I wouldn’t stress too much about it. Just go in and if you’re a good fit it’ll work out. Just don’t be an idiot.