Congrats on your excellent performance so far: You’ve been nominated for…

Some officers will have the opportunity to compete for nominative positions throughout their career. Eligibility for nominative positions generally begin upon promotion to first lieutenant and continue through the field grade ranks. The aide to a two-star general officer typically calls for a post-company command captain that is highly regarded by their chain of command, but this is just the beginning. Comparatively one-star general officers align with senior first lieutenants or pre-command captains. Division Commanders most times relegate the vetting of their aide to their chief of staff or a transition officer prior to taking command. Those officers better prepared to compete for nominative positions often have the advantage of knowing how their peers or superiors navigated the process. I hope my experience helps others when presented with the same excusive opportunity to work for a general officer.

Following a routine morning of physical training, my battalion executive officer casually informed me the brigade commander formally nominated me for the position of aide-de-camp to the division commander. Gaining composure from a very strenuous run with my Soldiers, I pressed the XO, who was potentially delivering life changing news. He told me that the nomination would support a commanding general that had not yet arrived to the post. I would attend a series of boards for selection, competing against only a handful of my peers across the division. I had many more questions as to what the nomination meant, but there was minimal time to discuss with my battalion XO or anyone else; my change of command was only a few days away and that required the majority of my focus. I completed my final task as a company commander with the change of command and then set to preparing for the ultra-competitive selection process ahead.

Doing my homework.

The information regarding your respective nominated position is available either online or unit share-drive. I spent a significant amount of researching everything to do with the job of aide-de-camp, to include the role of the Secretary of the General Staff, to prepare myself for the interview. Moreover, knowing the job you are being nominated for helps to prepare your family also. The responsibilities of an aide-de-camp can be very challenging and will cause an office to spend a significant amount time away from family. An aide guide that was very helpful for me was found here: http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/jccoe/Special_Programs_Directorate/Enlisted_Aide_web_documents/Senior%20Leader%20Aide%20Handbook%202009.pdf

Creating test conditions

Deliberate interview preparation yielded much success; it had been a while since I appeared before a physical board of any kind and my peers faced the same reservations. I had a friend conduct a mock board via video-teleconference with questions he felt could be asked to define my experience and personality. One particularly well thought-out question concerned ethics: how I would approach situations that involved the general officer and ethical dilemmas? One key answer was simple: make the judge advocate general your best friend. Honestly, this answer did not immediately come to mind when conducting the mock board. Rehearsing aided my ability to be calm and collective while facing a panel of senior officers. Moreover, continuously designing questions and answers in my spare time helped me to create succinct talking points and create a more professional appearance.

The selection process

My file and those of 13 other officers were collected by the division command group for the interview process. We began the interview process through one-on-one meetings with the division chief of staff to make the initial reduction of applicants. The division chief of staff was like most in the Army: very experienced, well-educated and a former brigade commander. My preparation aided me significantly and got me through that first interview with a very senior officer.

The next round of interviews was held by a panel that included the Division G3, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Secretary of the General Staff, and the current aide-de-camp for the commanding general. The panel offered an experience similar to an NCO board, with a president (the Chief of Staff) and chair for the interviewee directly in front of the panel members. The board president introduced everyone on the selection panel, which followed promptly with questions from each of those present. The questions focused on how I as an aide could best assist the commanding general and what my strengths were.

Considering I was finishing company command, the Chief of Staff closed with a final question regarding my time as a commander: “What was your toughest day in command?” I didn’t expect this question; I believe he knew this and wanted to ask something that would catch me off guard. My question preparation and talking points had served me well throughout my interview experience, but finding the most succinct and appropriate scenario to convey the toughest day in my command was not particularly easy. There were many points to discuss, thinking back to my recent deployment to Ukraine to assist the modernization of the Ukraine Combat Training Center. My company of 35 deployed Soldiers were solely responsible for the training of over 200 Ukrainian cadre. I recalled a particularly tough company live-fire my company managed for a Ukraine Army battalion. I mentioned this, but also discussed my early challenge of anticipating and solving problems before they occurred.

The outcome

I was among six officers to have files sent to the commanding general after the interview/vetting process. The new commanding general did not select me for the job of his Aide-de-camp, but the Chief of Staff did select me to be his assistant for an upcoming deployment. He congratulated me personally and wanted me to start immediately in order to transition with his current assistant. The job I was selected for was still a nominative assignment considering there where 13 other applicants.

Looking back on competing for a very selective job opportunity there is nothing I would do differently. I do not know the criteria the incoming commanding general looked for during his final selection of an aide. I prepared my file and myself to the best of my ability with the assistance of peers and senior mentors. I take solace in knowing I received another nominative position as a result of my preparation and even if I were not selected for anything, better prepared for future opportunities.

-Abdullah H. Clark