Selfless Service is an Army Value: Managing Expectations in the AIM Marketplace

It’s that time of year again! The AIM Marketplace is complete, the algorithm has run its course, and Requests for Orders (RFOs) are rolling in to mailboxes! 

 This tends to be a time of equal parts elation and disappointment — some movers are ecstatic to walk away with their top pick! Others…not so much. 

 The Army first introduced the Assignment Interactive Module (AIM) Marketplace in 2016, and fully launched it in 2019. The goal of the AIM Marketplace is to manage talent based on unit needs/preferences, individual preferences, and the needs of the Army. Movers update an online resume, and have access not only to the full list of assignments available, but also to specific details and duty descriptions for each. Similarly, unit are able to view the resume of each mover, assess his or her skills and background, and determine movers who are a “best fit” for the unit and its mission. Movers and units are encouraged to interact, conduct interviews, and ask questions in line with the Marketplace rules of engagement. Then, movers rank the available assignments in order of preferences, and units do the same with movers. The Marketplace is open for about 6 to 7 weeks, and upon its close, the data is fed into a matching algorithm. Results are reviewed for special considerations, but typically available within 6 weeks.  

 Despite being a Major, the 23-02 Marketplace was my first, primarily thanks to a trip to graduate school followed by a tour at West Point. I was particularly interested in seeing how the process works, what information was available to me as a mover, and how I could evaluate my “odds.”  

 A few days before the 23-02 Marketplace closed, I secured the “export” of the assignments available to Engineer officers preparing to enter their Major KD (S3/XO) time. The data was simple. It showed me the short duty title, location/base, and the number of individuals who rated that job as a “Top 10%” preference. Since duty location is typically a major consideration for most officers, I grouped the data by duty location and calculated the number of “Top 10%” preference rankings per duty location. 
 
The results were very…unsurprising. However, they are still worthy of discussion, because they validate some of the things we know intuitively about assignments, and provide some statistics that may help influence how to approach the Marketplace and manage expectations. 

 Fort Carson was the “most desired” duty station. For every duty position available, 51 people rated Fort Carson as a top choice! 
 
Unfortunately, that means that 98% of movers who rated Fort Carson as a top choice won’t actually get it. This number may be slightly off, since I can’t see how many people rate ONE of the Carson jobs versus BOTH of the Carson jobs. However, assuming that the candidate pool was generally the same for each position, 50/51 and 49/50 will not receive a Fort Carson assignment.  
 
Fort Stewart came in at #2. With one position available, 45 people rated it as a Top 10% choice. For the sake of this example, let’s assume two of them get Fort Carson. This reduces the pool to 43 people with Fort Stewart in the top 10%. Forty-two of them, or 97%, won’t get the assignment.  
 
Next up was Fort Leonard Wood, with 190 total Top 10% rankings for the 5 positions available. Of those, 97%, 97%, 96%, 96%, 96% won’t get those jobs. 
 
Now, this is an oversimplification of quite a few aspects of the AIM Marketplace. The Marketplace uses the Gale-Shapely algorithm to execute matching. This algorithm looks to optimize both the unit’s and the mover’s preferences, so it’s not as simple as “the top rated officer gets the job.” As such, matches occur outside of that “Top 10% threshold.” Second, I am assuming that nearly all movers put the most-preferred duty stations in their Top 10%. Third, it assumes all candidates have an equal probability of being matched, which is rarely the case. Factors like having strong interview skills, listing specific Knowledges, Skills, and Behaviors (KSBs), or having a former mentor or sponsor in the desired unit may impact how a mover is ranked by the unit.  

But percentage of movers who won’t receive each assignment is fairly valid, and hopefully enough to make my point.  
 
The Marketplace system gives each mover a chance to get their most preferred jobs, but there is also a good chance the mover will NOT get that job. This is compounded when that mover’s preferences are aligned with the majority of other movers in the pool. Expectation management is key.  
 
If you are on the receiving end of a not-so-highly-anticipated RFO this month: I am sorry for your disappointment. 
 
But, all the jobs have to be filled, whether we prefer the assignment or not.  

 The Army is certainly trying match us with our desired duty stations, but it just can’t send 103 Engineer Majors to Fort Carson to fill 2 S3/XO slots. 
 
As a wise mentor recently reminded me, “Selfless service is still an Army value.” As hard as it can be to accept a duty position we may not prefer, it is, in fact, what we signed up for. 

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Maj. Erin Williams is a student at the US Army Command and Staff Officer College, a dual-military officer, and the mother of three young children. She spent a decade as an engineer officer, serving in the 20th Engineer Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the USMA Department of Systems Engineering before transitioning to the operations research/systems analysis (FA49/ORSA) functional area. She holds a master’s degree in data science from Harvard University, as well as degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology and the United States Military Academy.